Event: Spring Cleaning Your Google Business Profile

Here's what most business owners don't realize: your Google Business Profile (that thing that shows up when someone searches for you on Google or Maps) is often the first and only impression potential customers get of your business.

And if it's outdated, incomplete, or just... forgotten? You're invisible.

Or worse—you're visible but sending the wrong message entirely.

The Problems Nobody Talks About

Over the past year, I've looked at hundreds of local business profiles. Here's what I keep seeing:

The profile says you're open. Google says you're closed.
Business hours haven't been updated since 2020. Special hours for holidays? Never added. Customers show up to a locked door.

Your competitor has 47 photos. You have 3.
And two of them are blurry shots someone took with their phone in 2018. Google's algorithm notices. So do customers.

You're not actually verified.
That little checkmark matters. Without it, you might not even show up in local searches. Some businesses have been operating for years without realizing they never completed verification.

Someone asked a question 8 months ago. You never answered.
The Q&A section is just sitting there, making you look like you don't care. (Even though you probably never knew it existed.)

You have ONE category selected.
Google lets you add up to 10. Your competitor added 10. Guess who shows up in more searches?

What Actually Matters in 2026

Google's algorithm has changed. Again. Here's what it's rewarding now:

Activity beats everything.
Regular Google Posts (yes, those things you didn't know existed) signal that you're an active, current business. Weekly posts = better rankings.

Photos = proof.
The businesses with the most photos—especially recent ones—get more visibility. Google wants to show searchers that you're real and current.

Reviews (but not how you think).
It's not just the star rating. It's the recency of reviews, keywords, your response rate, and whether you respond to both positive AND negative feedback. A business with 50 reviews from 2022 ranks lower than one with 20 reviews from the past 3 months.

Completeness is a ranking factor.
Every empty field on your profile is a signal that you're less legitimate than your competitors who filled everything out.

We're Doing This Together (Literally)

Look, most business owners don't have time to become Google Business Profile experts. You're busy running your actual business.

That's why we're hosting a free workshop where we'll do this together. Bring your laptop. We'll audit your profile live, fix the most critical issues right there, and set you up with a simple system to keep it healthy going forward.

Spring Cleaning Your Google Business Profile
March 12, 2026 @ 6:00 PM
Old Fire Barn, 153 E Main St, Milan, MI 48160
Free for Chamber Members

What We'll Actually Do (Not Just Talk About)

Hour 1: The Live Audit
We'll pull up volunteer profiles (with permission, obviously) and work through common issues together. You'll see exactly what to look for on your own profile.

The Fixes That Matter
We're not covering every obscure setting. Just the 10 things that actually impact whether customers find you and trust you enough to call.

Build a System That Works
You'll leave with a monthly posting calendar template, review request scripts that don't sound desperate, and a photo strategy you can actually stick to.

What You'll Walk Out With

• Your profile audited (we'll do it together during the workshop)
• A checklist you can use quarterly to stay on top of things
• Templates for Google Posts so you're never staring at a blank screen
• A review response formula (including how to handle the bad ones without sounding defensive)
• Real answers to your specific questions

Register for the Workshop

This is a working session, not a lecture. Space is limited to 30 people because I want to give everyone personal attention and answer your specific questions.

[Register Here - Link to Registration Page]

And if you have questions before then, just email me: dave@pluscodedesign.com. I'm happy to take a quick look at your profile and let you know if there are any glaring issues.

See you March 12 at the Old Fire Barn.