Google Business Profiles (GMB)

Free listing that shows up in Google Maps and local search results. For local businesses, this matters more than your website—60-70% of clicks on local searches go to the top 3 map pack positions.

Your website exists to help your GBP rank, not the other way around. That's the mindset shift most business owners miss.

The Core 30 Approach

Caleb Ulku's Core 30 method provides a systematic framework for GBP optimization. The basics below get you ahead of 90% of competitors who never do the work.

Setup: Fill Out Everything

Google gives you boxes. Fill all of them. Completeness is a ranking signal.

• Business name, address, phone — NAP consistency matters for SEO
• Categories — Use 3-5 relevant categories (Google allows up to 10). Most businesses pick one and stop.
• Services — Add 20-30 services with descriptions. Most businesses have zero listed.
• Business description — Use all 750 characters. Include keywords naturally.
• Photos — 20-30 minimum. Interior, exterior, team, products. Real photos outperform stock. Geo-tag them.
• Q&A — Seed your own questions and answers before competitors do it for you.
• Attributes — Every relevant checkbox.

Ongoing Activity

Google notices when profiles are active. Dead profiles rank lower.

• Post weekly minimum — Use ChatGPT or Claude to generate 52 posts at once, then schedule them out. Updates, offers, events, service highlights.
• Add new photos weekly — One new geo-tagged photo per week signals an active business. Before/after shots, team at work, completed projects.
• Respond to reviews — Every single one, positive and negative, within 24-48 hours.

Reviews

The ranking signal that's hardest to fake.

Review recency matters. A business with 100 reviews from two years ago loses to one with 30 reviews from last month. Keep asking.

Response recency matters. Reply to reviews within 24-48 hours. Shows you're engaged and builds trust with people reading the reviews.

Tracking Performance

Use LocalFalcon to see how you rank across different parts of your service area. One address ranks differently in different zip codes.

Related

• The Core 30 Method — Caleb Ulku's complete framework for GBP dominance
• Live SEO Audit — Watch the Core 30 applied to a real business
• AI SEO Mastery Pro — Caleb's Skool community with tested prompts and templates
• Local Service Ads — Paid visibility to complement organic rankings
• HighLevel — Automate review requests and track calls from GBP
• LocalFalcon — Track how you rank across different parts of your service area