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7 Google Business Profile Optimization Tactics That Work in 2025

Posted on by avintivmstg

Local SEO is no longer optional. In 2025, ranking in Google’s Map Pack can drive traffic and conversions for service-based brands. Google Business Profile optimization is the core strategy behind local visibility, and the businesses that win are managing it proactively.

Here are seven proven Google Business Profile optimization tactics that actually work in 2025. Ranking isn’t about checking boxes — it’s about owning your presence.

1. Optimize Every Field with Keyword Intent

Your Google Business Profile is like a high-performing mini-landing page. Each field allows you to embed local and service-related keywords that tell Google exactly what you offer and where.

Focus areas to optimize your profile for local SEO:

  • Business Name: Keep it compliant, but if your actual name includes keywords (like “Summit Wealth Management”), that’s a bonus.
  • Description: Use your primary keyword early. Keep it natural and outcome-focused.
  • Services: Break these out in detail and think beyond broad terms. For example, “Investment strategies for Phoenix Businesses.”

This section is critical because these fields are the foundation of how Google understands your business. 

Optimizing them ensures you’re discoverable for the right searches and aligned with how your target audience finds services like yours.

2. Leverage Categories and Subcategories Strategically

Primary categories influence your search visibility more than most realize. Many businesses set it once and forget it. It’s best not to follow this strategy, though.

Categories directly affect how Google understands and ranks your business, so leaving them untouched can mean missed opportunities in local search.

Here’s what works when choosing categories on Google Business Profiles:

  • Use only the most relevant primary category (e.g., “Financial Advisor,” not “Consultant”).
  • Add 2–3 niche subcategories (like “Wealth Management” or “Investment Strategy”) that align with your exact services.
  • Revisit quarterly since Google frequently adds or updates options.

Choosing the right categories and subcategories helps Google match your business to the most relevant local searches. This level of precision ensures your profile shows up for the exact services and solutions your customers are actively looking for.

3. Embrace the Power of Q&A

The Q&A section is an underrated area that can drastically increase profile engagement and trust. Most businesses don’t know that you can preload your questions.

Start with these ideas:

  • “What services does my brand offer?”
  • “How long do services from my business take?”
  • “Can I schedule a free consultation?”

Then, answer them with value-driven, SEO-friendly responses. The Q&A section is also a great place to counter common objections or clarify offers, helping to preempt doubts that might otherwise prevent someone from reaching out.

4. Post Weekly with Keywords + CTAs

Google Posts aren’t optional. Weekly posts show Google you’re active and keep your audience updated. This regular activity sends strong engagement signals, reinforcing your credibility in local search results.

Post ideas to drive traffic with local search include:

  • Behind-the-scenes from a recent client project
  • Service deep dives with geo-targeting (e.g., “Phoenix Investing Insights”)
  • Announcements, offers, or team intros

You should always include a call to action (CTA) like “Book a free strategy call” and a trackable link. This strategy lets you measure precisely how many visitors come from your profile and which CTAs convert best.

5. Use Photo and Video to Build Trust (and Rank)

Profiles with fresh, quality visuals get more clicks, but it’s not just about quantity. Google uses engagement metrics like image views and clicks to influence rankings.

Optimization tips for your photos and videos:

  • Add geo-tagged photos of your team, workspace, and completed projects.
  • Include short branded videos introducing your agency or showing project work.
  • Use keyword-rich filenames and alt text before uploading.

Want to stand out? Add a 30-second video walkthrough of your office or a time-lapse of a brand reveal. These formats create visual interest while reinforcing your brand personality in a way photos alone can’t.

6. Collect (and Respond to) High-Quality Reviews

Reviews are the most influential trust signal that Google and your clients consider. They impact your rankings, conversion rate, and credibility.

Make your Google reviews work harder by:

  • Asking happy clients to include service and location keywords in their reviews
  • Always responding professionally and within 48 hours
  • Turning standout reviews into featured content, such as screenshots on landing pages or social proof on blog posts

Remember: One detailed, recent review is more impactful than ten generic ones from 2022. Recent reviews show authenticity and relevance, giving prospects an authentic feel for your current service quality.

7. Track Insights + Add UTM Tags

Google provides insights inside your Business Profile, but they only scratch the surface. Layer UTM tracking into your website links to get the complete picture in Google Analytics.

Track metrics like these to better understand your profile’s performance:

  • Number of direction requests (local intent)
  • Clicks to the website from GBP posts
  • Conversion rate from your profile vs organic traffic

Increased tracking lets you attribute real ROI to your local visibility efforts and prove that it’s more than “brand awareness.”

Common Questions People Ask About Google Business Profiles

Why did Google My Business change to Google Business Profile?

Google rebranded “Google My Business” to “Google Business Profile” in 2021 to simplify local business management. 

Instead of using a separate dashboard, business owners can now manage profiles directly from Google Search and Maps. It reflects a push toward easier, more integrated local marketing.

Can multiple businesses share the same address?

Yes, if each business is distinct and independently verifiable. Google may request documentation to prevent abuse or spam.

How often should I update my profile?

Post weekly, refresh your images monthly, and update hours or services immediately when changes occur. Fresh content improves visibility and credibility.

Ready to Dominate Local Search?

Google Business Profile optimization isn’t a “set it and forget it” task. It’s a strategic advantage. 

When done right, it becomes a high-converting lead source that drives traffic, calls, and revenue.

Want help implementing these tactics and more advanced ones tailored to your brand? Schedule a discovery call to scale your local presence.

How to Dominate Local SEO in Phoenix

Posted on by avintivmstg

The Phoenix metro area is exploding with opportunity, but with that growth comes a surge in competition. If your business isn’t showing up in the local map pack or on the first page of search results, you’re losing customers to competitors who are.

At AVINTIV, we don’t just talk about local SEO — we engineer full-scale, local SEO strategies that deliver results. Follow this guide to capitalize on local SEO and scale your business in the Valley.

 

TL;DR: The Phoenix Local SEO Playbook

  • Optimize your Google Business Profile with Phoenix-specific terms
  • Build local citations on Arizona directories and business listings
  • Create geo-targeted landing pages for Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe
  • Earn local backlinks through partnerships and press
  • Use smart tools like BrightLocal and Surfer SEO for local insights
  • Track rankings by zip code for more accurate performance metrics

What Is Local SEO (And Why Phoenix Is a Unique Market)

Local SEO is how your business appears in search results when someone types something like “best digital agency in Phoenix” or “coffee shop near me.”

In a sprawling city like Phoenix, proximity, relevance, and trust are critical. With massive sprawl and neighborhood-specific search behavior, Phoenix demands a hyper-local approach. Ranking in Arcadia differs from downtown, and your strategy should reflect that.

The Foundation: Your Google Business Profile

Creating and optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP), formerly Google My Business, is the most critical step for local SEO in Phoenix. 

Here is an in-depth walkthrough, broken down step-by-step to ensure you maximize your local search opportunities.

Step 1: Claim or Create Your Google Business Profile

Visit google.com/business and either claim your business or create a new profile. Ensure your business name matches what’s on your signage and legal documents.

Step 2: Set Your Business Category and Subcategories

Your primary category should clearly define your core service (e.g., “Marketing Agency”). Add relevant subcategories that support your offerings, like “Internet Marketing Service” or “Advertising Agency.”

Step 3: Enter NAP Information with Phoenix in Mind

Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) info needs to match your website and other listings exactly. For Phoenix businesses, include the full city name and ZIP code (not just metro area references).

Step 4: Optimize Your Business Description

Use the 750-character limit to tell Google (and users) who you serve, where you serve, and what makes your business different. Include “Phoenix” and related location-based terms naturally.

Step 5: Add High-Quality Local Photos

Upload real images of your business, team, events, and service offerings. Use photos taken in Phoenix, and tag them with the location for additional local SEO weight when possible.

Step 6: Set Business Hours, Attributes, and Services

Ensure your business hours are accurate, especially during holidays. Add attributes (e.g., “Veteran-owned,” “Women-led”) and build out your services tab with keywords related to your business.

Step 7: Activate and Manage Reviews

Ask satisfied customers to leave Google reviews regularly. Respond to every review, positive or negative, and include Phoenix-specific terms when replying (if it makes sense to add them).

Step 8: Post Regular Updates

Use Google Posts to share promotions, updates, and blog content. Naturally include references to the Phoenix area to show your local relevance and improve engagement signals.

Pro Tip: Businesses that naturally update their GBP with Phoenix-focused language and visuals tend to outperform competitors in map and organic listings.

Citation Building for Phoenix Businesses

Citations are online listings of your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) from different outlets. 

They build consistency and trust with Google, which are critical ranking signals that help businesses get discovered by local customers.

Why Citations Matter for Local SEO

Citations are a foundational trust signal that Google uses to confirm your business’s legitimacy and location. For Phoenix businesses, having consistent citations helps Google understand your local footprint across the Valley.

Local citations:

  • Reinforce your Google Business Profile accuracy
  • Increase your chances of ranking in the local map pack
  • Help customers find your business on platforms beyond search

Consistency is key here. Your NAP info must be identical across all listings, or Google may penalize your rankings.

Where to Build Citations in Phoenix

To dominate local SEO in Phoenix, go beyond national directories and focus on local platforms, including:

BrightLocal and Whitespark are excellent tools for managing, auditing, and expanding your citation network at scale. They can help identify duplicate listings, NAP mismatches, and new citation opportunities.

Pro Tip: Aim for at least 10 quality citations with strong domain authority and Phoenix geo-relevance to boost trust signals and search visibility.

On-Site Optimization: Local Landing Pages that Rank

Creating high-performing local landing pages is essential for targeting multiple areas within the Phoenix metro. These pages are conversion-optimized assets that signal local relevance to Google.

Why Create City-Specific Pages

Phoenix is large enough that simply ranking for the major metro isn’t enough. For example, ranking in Arcadia is different than ranking in Tempe. 

City-specific landing pages allow your business to:

  • Capture traffic from long-tail, location-specific keywords
  • Appear in “near me” searches from multiple ZIP codes
  • Provide more relevant, customized messaging for local customers

This strategy works exceptionally well for service-based businesses looking to own multiple local markets across the Valley.

Key Elements of a High-Performing Local Page

Each local landing page (e.g., for Phoenix, Scottsdale, or Tempe) should include:

  • Keyword-rich H1 and H2s like “SEO Services in Tempe, AZ”
  • A locally embedded Google Map of your office or service area
  • Custom copy that references the city naturally (not just copy-paste with find/replace)
  • Schema markup: Include the LocalBusiness schema with the relevant address
  • Internal links to your blog, testimonials, and relevant service pages
  • Local reviews or case studies to boost relevance and trust

Avoid duplicating content across pages. Instead, tailor examples, CTAs, and proof points to each neighborhood or city.

Local Link Building and Partnerships

Backlinks from other Phoenix-area sites are among the strongest local SEO signals. When done right, link building will build your local authority.

Why Local Links Move the Needle

Google evaluates how many sites link to you, and where those sites are located. Links from Phoenix media, business directories, or local partners show proximity and relevance.

Local backlinks help:

  • Boost your domain authority within Phoenix
  • Support city-specific landing page rankings
  • Drive referral traffic from trusted local sources

They’re especially powerful when earned from sites already ranking well for Phoenix-centric terms.

How to Earn Strategic Local Links

Some of the best local link-building strategies include:

  • Sponsoring local events (get listed on the event site + PR backlinks)
  • Joining Phoenix-area business associations
  • Collaborating with complementary local service providers (mutual guest features)
  • Pitching stories or thought leadership to Phoenix-based media

You can also generate natural links by publishing high-quality local content (e.g., “Top Trends for Scottsdale Businesses in 2025”).

Pro tip: Build relationships before pitching. The more embedded your brand is in the local community, the easier these links are to secure.

Content That Signals Local Authority

Demonstrating local relevance is about more than just location pages. Your content strategy should reinforce your connection to Phoenix at every level.

Types of Local Content That Perform

To establish topical authority, publish content that speaks directly to Phoenix audiences:

  • Blog articles targeting Phoenix search terms (e.g., “Best Website Design Trends for Phoenix Startups”)
  • Case studies and testimonials from local clients
  • Event recaps and community features that showcase your local involvement

These pieces help Google associate your site with Phoenix and give potential clients confidence in your local presence.

Build Seasonal & Clustered Content

Create content clusters around local, time-sensitive topics:

  • “Phoenix Holiday Marketing Tips for Local Brands”
  • “How to Optimize for Spring Events in Arizona”
  • “Back-to-School Marketing Ideas for Phoenix Retailers”

Link each article back to a core service page or local landing page to drive SEO equity across your site.

Pro Tip: Use AI-based SEO tools like Surfer SEO and SEMrush to identify seasonal and emerging keyword trends tied to Phoenix.

Local SEO Tracking & Tools

To stand out more in your community, you should focus on capturing both general and local keywords. The more locally focused you are, the higher you will rank in your area.

Why Local Tracking Matters

Ranking for “Phoenix SEO” means little if you’re invisible in Tempe or Biltmore. Zip-code precision allows you to measure performance exactly where your clients are searching.

Local metrics also help you diagnose drops in traffic or visibility that could be tied to location-specific issues.

Tools That Power Local Insights

  • BrightLocal: Tracks map rankings and citations by ZIP
  • Surfer SEO: Assists with location-based on-page optimization
  • Google Search Console: Helps monitor impressions and CTR for geo-modified terms
  • GA4 + UTM tagging: Track Google Business Profile engagement by tagging your profile links

Set up dashboards to review monthly movement and identify new keyword opportunities for Phoenix-specific terms.

Advanced Local SEO Tips from AVINTIV

Encourage reviews from happy customers

While “review gating” — filtering customer feedback to boost your review score — is officially discouraged by Google, you can still guide customers through a smart review generation funnel. 

Use tools like GatherUp or Grade.us to send follow-ups, encourage customers to share positive experiences publicly, and stay current on your latest reviews.

Reverse-Engineer Competitor Profiles

Conduct Google Business Profile audits on top Phoenix competitors. Look at their categories, keywords used in reviews, photo volume, and posting frequency. These signals often push them to the top of the map pack.

Once you understand what your competitors are doing to rank higher, imitate their strategies with content related to your business.

Hyper-Targeted Service Area Pages

Instead of one catch-all city page, create segmented pages for high-value neighborhoods like Arcadia, Biltmore, and North Scottsdale. This strategy enhances geo-relevance and builds topical authority at the hyperlocal level.

FAQs About Local SEO in Phoenix

How long does it take to rank in the Phoenix map pack?

Depending on your competition and how well-optimized your site and GBP are, you can start seeing traction in 3 months. Landing in the top results can take 6 to 12 months of consistent effort.

What’s more important: citations or reviews?

Both matter, but reviews (especially with relevant keywords and frequency) often provide faster ranking movement in competitive cities like Phoenix.

Can a Scottsdale business still rank in Phoenix?

Yes. If you optimize with Phoenix-specific content, secure local backlinks, and create a dedicated Phoenix landing page, you can absolutely compete in adjacent markets.

Final Thoughts: Own the Map, Own the Market

Local SEO isn’t just about tactics — it’s about market position. In Phoenix, where industries are scaling fast, visibility means velocity.

At AVINTIV, we help growth-minded brands own their ZIP code and business category.

Ready to dominate Phoenix search results? Contact us today and unlock your local advantage.

Why Local SEO Is Important for Your Marketing Strategy

Posted on by avintivmstg

March and April 2020 have been a whirlwind of uncertainty, confusion, fear, confidence, and a mixture of everything in-between. Every person and business in the world has been affected by COVID-19. It’s how we allow COVID-19 to affect our business that dictates our future journey. We’re writing an article on why local SEO is important for your 2020 marketing strategy because we chose to be the positive light helping businesses get through this difficult time.

You have a choice as a business owner. You can fold your arms, play the victim, and wonder why this has happened to your business and you. Or, you can take a step back, breathe, and plan how you’re not just going to survive, but figure out how your business can thrive. What can you do right now to bounce back 10x stronger than before?

We work with a variety of different industries, both online and local businesses, and thankfully they’re all doing well. We’ve helped every one of our clients pivot their business during these uncertain times, and it’s paying off for them. We’ve also had an influx of companies reach out to us to rebuild their branding, websites, and SEO as before COVID-19, they didn’t have the time to start these types of projects.

We have great sympathy for the entire world right now, especially business owners as this is not an easy time. If you haven’t already optimized your business for COVID-19, start with this article on What Your Business Should be Doing to Fight the Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Businesses Affected by COVID-19

Businesses all over have been drastically affected by COVID-19. Right now is the time for smaller companies to go head to head against their much larger competitor. If you own a local medspa with 3-4 employees and a 3,000sq ft office space, you have an amazing chance of surviving COVID-19 as you may not have the same challenges as the medspa with 20 employees, 10,000 sq ft office space and a $30,000 per month marketing expense.

We can speak on this topic as we have medical clients in that space right now who are planning on even financially helping or buying the other medspas that can’t weather the storm as it’s a smart play right now.

Now, before we go too far off track, we wanted to give you an example of businesses that are getting hurt from being closed, yet still keeping a positive outlook on life and doing whatever they can to grow their business during COVID-19.

Local SEO and Why It’s Important During and After COVID-19

We are going to go over why local SEO is so important now more than ever for businesses in the following industries: salons, spas, health and wellness, plastic surgery, medical, restaurants, massage, and cleaning services. It’s April 14th, 2020, as we write this article, and the State of Arizona, along with the rest of the country, is in complete lockdown.

Right now, most cities and shopping centers look like ghost towns, and that’s okay. Do you know how busy it’s going to be when everyone can leave the house and resume their normal lifestyle? We’re afraid most businesses won’t even know how to deal with the increase in demand for their restaurant, salon, spa, or shopping center.

Think about it. Everyone has been cooped up at home for two to three months with their spouse, pets, kids, etc. They want out, and they want to get back to their normal life of eating out, going to the gym, watching a movie, etc.

This exact reason is why local SEO is so essential for your business. You should want your business popping up on the first page of Google and #1 in the local 3-pack Google map when searching for your type of business. We are going to go over what local SEO is and five reasons why local SEO is important for your business right now.

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO (search engine optimization) is a way to optimize your business and its website to be visible and populate for location-based searches on Google. Local SEO is a strategy that can be incorporated into your marketing campaign to drive more organic traffic to your website, to give the user directions, and for the ability to call your phone number to visit you or set an appointment.

When a user is searching for specific keywords with the city, state, zip code, or near me searches added, your business should populate. Local search optimization is one of the best marketing tactics and strategies to grow your local business.

Below is an example of searches 

  • Restaurants near me
  • Bars near me
  • Scottsdale Medspas
  • Medical clinics in Phoenix

Avintiv Media has our proprietary process on how we get our local clients ranking on the first page of Google and in the 3-pack map. Some standard strategies can include content creation, on-page optimization, and off-page optimization with an emphasis on local directory listings.

5 Reasons Why Local SEO Is Important and Should be Your Main Marketing Focus for 2020

 

1. When COVID-19 is over, traveling, eating out, and shopping will be busier than ever.

One of the biggest misconceptions when wanting to grow your business is building your marketing around current events. That is slightly true but mostly false. True SEO campaigns and strategies take 60-90 days before Google fully processes all of the changes and starts sending you more organic traffic. If you started local SEO today, you would start to see results around June 14th, 2020. June 14th, 2020, which would be weeks after the U.S. has lifted its lockdown policies, and people would slowly going back out and looking at places to eat and shop.

Not only that, I can attest to this, but most of us do not look like our best selves right now, whether it’s from nails or hair not being done or gyms being closed down. Gyms, medspas, hair salons, and any type of medical or health enhancement company are going to be booming with customers wanting to enhance their look. Is your medspa going to pop up #1 on Google when a user searches, or will your competitor take that spot?

A lot of your competitors are probably doing worse than you due to their company being larger with much more expenses. They are more than likely taking their foot off the gas, which is the perfect time to catch up to them before they even notice. We love working with the Davids of the world as we take down the Goliaths of the world. We genuinely want everyone to win, so we say that half kidding, but the other half being dead serious.

2. Local SEO stats you should know.

We can sit here and tell you why local SEO is so important for your business right now and in the near future, but we’d much rather you see real research and data. 

These stats can be found on our recent blog 5 Need to Know SEO Tips for Dentists and Periodontists for 2020.

3. Getting Your Business Listed on the Google 3-Pack Map

You, along with everyone else, have searched for something on Google and have clicked a business listed in Google’s 3-pack map. Most people never even go past the 3-pack map since Google launched it. 

Ironically, Moz completed a study where over 44% of the people who performed a local search, then clicked on the 3-pack listing. Only 8% of those people chose to press “load more” to see the rest of the results. Do you want to be a part of the 8% group of businesses?

The Google 3-pack map has made it extremely easy for people to find a business’s website, address, or phone number with just a few clicks. If you’re using a new smartphone, which is highly likely, your phone will give you turn-by-turn directions to that business within seconds.

Below is an example of one of our clients, who is a local dentist and periodontist. We’ve been grateful to have been working with them for almost two years now. We rebuilt their brand, website, and completed local SEO with ongoing SEO support. Within just a few short months, her business was on page one of Google and the Google 3-pack map for competitive keywords within her industry.

Local SEO, SEO, Dental SEO, Search results

4. Tourists and people that are traveling are going to use Google to find businesses near them.

Although it’s hard to imagine people traveling right now with everything going on with COVID-19, there will be a time in the near future when the world resumes back to how it was. When tourists travel to different places, they search Google for what’s around them. Odds are if you haven’t invested in optimizing your business for local SEO, they will not be finding your business.

As you can see in the image below, search engines (SEO) is the number one online used source for travel planning by leisure travelers and the second source for business travelers.

Make sure that you have a nicely designed website that will give your visitors a phenomenal experience; otherwise, Google won’t want to rank you towards the top.

 

Local SEO, SEO, Travel and vacation search results

5. Local SEO has the highest conversion rates out of all local advertising channels.

This reason is probably one of the most important because as a fellow business owner, we all understand ROI and revenue is much more important than analytics in a monthly report. There are many parts of SEO, but the two most significant elements are: getting your website more organic traffic and then having that organic traffic convert into paying customers.

There was a recent study done that showed an astounding 78% conversion of offline sales through local SEO, with almost 90% of those purchases being a physical store or location. Out of those local searches, 76% of the offline sales happened the same day, and 63% within just a few hours. I don’t know about you, but those are some pretty fantastic conversion rates.

When people are searching on Google through their mobile devices, chances are they are ready to buy something or come to your business within the next 24 hours. 

In Conclusion

With the addition of Local SEO, you’ll also be one of those businesses that can proudly say we not only survived COVID-19, but we also set our business up for future success and it’s now doing better than ever. Are you going to be that person? If so, schedule a FREE SEO audit with us today to see how well your local SEO is performing.