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Get Free Access* About Us : At FavFly, we redefine digital marketing by focusing on what truly matters: your growth. We don’t just offer services like SEO, SMM, and website development – we become an integral part of your success story, providing strategic guidance and innovative solutions that empower your business to reach new heights.
Let’s be honest, if your business isn’t visible on Google, your customers will not find you.
Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is often the customer’s first impression of your brand. It’s not just a basic overview of your business, it’s your digital representative available to your customers 24/7.
Yet, many business owners unknowingly make mistakes that either harm their visibility or even lead to Google suspending the profile altogether. Whether you are a business in Salt Lake, Dum Dum, or Gariahat, the competition has been growing rapidly every single day. If your business is not visible to your customers, you are missing out on growth, revenue, and numerous other opportunities.
In the following sections, we will explore the most common Google Business Profile mistakes that local businesses make and show you how the top local SEO expert in Kolkata has helped businesses to fix them before it hurts their overall visibility, rankings on search results, or brand reputation.
97% of people turn to Google to find local businesses, whether it’s to find a doctor in New Town, a salon in Park Street, or a sweets shop in Howrah.
An optimized GBP helps you:
But one wrong move, even if it is something unintentional, can drop your ranking on search results or lead to a suspension in your GBP.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest mistakes businesses make and how you can avoid them.
There are some common mistakes that are often overlooked by businesses, even if they have years of experience under their belt. The top service provider of SEO Services in Kolkata has compiled a list of such mistakes. It includes
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is leaving critical information incomplete or providing the wrong information on your Google Business Profile. Missing phone numbers, inaccurate business hours, or wrong addresses don't just frustrate potential customers, it makes them lose trust in your business.
Think about it: someone's already ready to visit your store, but your GBP says you're open until 7 PM when you actually close at 6 PM. That customer arrives at your front door, finds the doors locked. This instantly will make them lose all trust, and the likelihood of them visiting your business again would be low.
Or worse, if the address is vague and it sends people to the wrong location entirely. Nothing kills the trust of a customer faster than wrong or incomplete information.
Google relies on accurate information to rank and show your business in local searches. If your profile has missing or incorrect details, Google may push your listing down or not show it at all. On top of that, customers who feel confused or end up arriving at the wrong time or location are unlikely to give you a second chance. This directly affects your trustworthiness as a business.
Remember to update this information on a regular basis. If you don’t review your entire profile for accuracy, you can lose out on many customers and opportunities in the future.
We filled in the business information of our client, Smiley Dental Clinic, and significantly boosted their rank within just one month!
An incomplete or outdated profile leads to lower visibility on Google Search. Let our experts review and optimize every detail for maximum impact.
Claim Your Free Profile AuditIf your business is listed as:
…both Google and your customers will be confused.
Inconsistency in NAP info across the web affects your local SEO and trustworthiness in Google's eyes. It can lower your rankings and confuse your customers too.
Ensure your business name, address, and phone number are the same on your:
Picking the wrong category for your Google Business Profile is like showing up at the wrong party. It's awkward, you'll stick out, and nobody's going to take you seriously.
If you assume that business categories are insignificant and only choose whatever seems "close enough", then you are making a big mistake. Google uses your primary category to help your profile show up for relevant local search results. Choose the wrong category, and you are practically invisible to your potential customers.
The worst-case scenario? Businesses that select overly broad categories ("Restaurant" instead of "Italian Restaurant") or select a lot of irrelevant secondary categories, thinking that it would help them appear more in search results.
Google shows listings to people based on how relevant it is to their query. When you select the wrong category, it means you’ll show up for irrelevant searches, or the worst possible situation could happen- you will not show up at all.
Remember that fewer categories can lead to better results. Having three perfect categories can help you get better results than having five categories that are unrelated or describe your business vaguely. Your categories should help Google understand what your business is about and not just what you wish you could rank for.
We optimized the GBP categories of our client, Bosky Interior, and the ranking improved from 20+ to Top 3 within 3 months!
Many Google Business Profiles either:
The photos on your Google Business Profile are not just there to decorate your profile – they’re there to help you build credibility online. When potential customers are checking out different businesses, those images can make or break their decision. And yet, there are many businesses that only upload a single blurry photo of their store and call it a day.
Think about this: would you trust a restaurant with fewer to no photos of their food online? Or book a hotel that doesn't show its rooms? Neither would your customers.
Businesses with photos get 42% more direction requests and 35% more click-throughs than those without. That's the power of high-quality images on your GBP.
People only trust what they can see. A profile with real and high-quality photos of your storefront, staff, services, and interior builds more trust and leads to more clicks.
We helped our client, SMC Diamonds, rank consistently in the local 3-pack within 2 months after submitting high-quality geo-tagged images!
A well-managed Google My Business listing is key to strengthening your presence on Google and appearing in "near me" searches.
Start Your Local SEO JourneyReviews = social proof.
Responding = trust builder
Reviews are the social proof of your business. When you respond fast and professionally, you build more trust and credibility online.
Most businesses either:
When you don’t respond to customer reviews on your Google Business Profile, you communicate the message to future customers that you like to pretend that your customers don’t exist and that your business doesn’t value them. You might think no one would notice how you respond to reviews, but here’s the truth: everyone notices.
What’s more?
Your future customers will be the first ones in line. When you don't engage with reviews, you miss out on opportunities to build trust online and showcase the standards of professionalism in your business.
Bad reviews sitting unanswered? That's basically telling new customers you don't care enough to respond. Good reviews getting no love? That's free loyalty you're throwing away.
Remember that every review matters, even if it comes from one customer. Hundreds of potential customers who are searching for the products and services of your business right now, don’t fall behind your competitors!
After implementing strategies for review management of our client, Smiley Dental clinic, calls in their GBP increased within a month!
Your GBP allows you to post:
Yet, most fail to take note of this important feature. Your Google Business Profile isn’t something you "set and forget". When you abandon your profile and don’t post regular updates, you're essentially losing out on potential engagement from customers.
Active Google Business Profiles that post regular updates rank higher through more engagement.
Choose the format that would be most relevant for your content.
Struggling to rank locally? We’ll help your business show up in local SEO results and improve your Google Business Profile for better reach.
Improve My Google VisibilityYour business description is your chance to tell customers what makes you special. Don’t skip this or post copy-paste generic content, or you’ll let this chance slide away.
Write 2–3 paragraphs that cover:
Example:
“We are a trusted multi-specialty dental clinic in Salt Lake, Kolkata, with over 10 years of experience in root canal, braces, and pediatric dentistry. We serve areas including Sector V, New Town, and Lake Town.”
Read Also: Google Business Profile: Guide For Small Business Owners
Most users search for options to get in touch with the business immediately, especially if they are using their mobile phone.
If your GBP doesn’t have a Call or Message button enabled, you're losing out on leads every day.
If you're unsure, check out our blog: How to Increase Your Google My Business Profile Ranking
While suspensions on Google Business Profile are not uncommon, some businesses may unexpectedly come across this issue. You may be doing everything right, but if you:
…Google will suspend your profile. And account recovery isn’t always easy.
A pranic healing center in Kolkata reached out to the top digital marketing company in Kolkata. Their profile got suspended for a month due to address verification issues. It took proper documentation, regular follow-ups, and guideline compliance to bring it back.
📌 If you’re facing issues, check our blog: Why Was My Google Business Profile Suspended?
No booking link on your Google Business Profile? That's similar to having a store with no "Open" sign. Your new customers are ready to schedule appointments, but you're turning them away by leaving no options to reach you.
This mistake is surprisingly common. Businesses spend all their time optimizing their profiles, however, they somehow forget the most important tool that allows customers to reach out to them – a direct booking link. Without it, customers will immediately turn to another business that lets them conveniently book appointments on GBP.
Adding a booking link is straightforward and helps you to get immediate results:
If you skip the attributes and services section on your Google Business Profile, you’re missing out on a chance to show what makes your business stand out from others. Think of it like this: you put up a billboard but leave out information on your best-selling points, driving customers away from your business.
Google lets you highlight specific attributes of your business like: “wheelchair accessible,” “women-owned,” or “free Wi-Fi”. When this information is missing, new customers may choose to pass you by simply because they don’t know the specific details about what you offer or if your business meets their needs.
Make your profile more informative by adding attributes and services, such as:
Having multiple listings for the same business is like handing out different maps of the same city, where no one knows the right direction for their destination. It creates confusion in your customers, splits your reviews and traffic, and can even hurt your overall local search rankings.
This often happens when old profiles are left unchecked or when new ones are created unnecessarily. Removing them not only improves customers’ trust in your business but also helps Google understand which profile to focus on to help you rank on local search results.
How to Fix It:
Remove duplicate profiles through the following steps:
Google Business Profile Insights provides businesses with crucial data that often gets completely ignored. This leads to a lack of effective strategies and poor returns on investment.
When you don’t check your profile’s insights, you miss out on information like:
The businesses are finding success through their Google Business Profile by not just posting content, they're studying what works out and ditching the strategies that don't, using data-driven decisions. Your competitors are already utilizing these features, so when will you?
Business timings tend to change during festive seasons. Whether it’s work hours or the services offered, many businesses forget to make these changes on their GBP.
An outdated profile can confuse and frustrate users, ultimately hurting your search visibility.
Read More: Benefits of Google Business Profile: How It Helps You Get Leads
We help businesses in Kolkata and beyond optimize their profiles for top visibility.
Talk to a Local SEO ExpertYour Google Business Profile isn’t just a listing. It’s your online storefront, local SEO driver, and reputation builder — all in one.
If you're making any of the mistakes listed above, it’s now time to fix them. And if you’re not sure where to start, we’re here to help you.
As a leading local SEO company in Kolkata, we’ve optimized 450+ profiles for clinics, cafes, service providers, and retailers, helping them rank on Google Maps and get more footfall into their stores.
We assess your goals, craft a tailored strategy, and finally implement it so you can confidently grow your business.
Book a free consultation