Promoted Pins & Map Search Ads

The goal is not to make every field look complete for its own sake. The goal is a verified, accurate profile that can support a Map Search Ad or Promoted Pin when a nearby customer is ready to call.

The Complete Profile Readiness Score

Use The Complete Profile Readiness Score when you are preparing a new profile, correcting an old listing, or getting ready to connect Google Business Profile to Google Ads. It gives you a simple pass-or-fail check before you spend money on local advertising.

Score the profile out of 100:

| Area | Points | Passing checkpoint | |---|---:|---| | Ownership and verification | 25 | The correct owner controls the verified profile | | Location and phone | 25 | Address or service area and phone number are accurate | | Services and business details | 20 | Main services, hours, name, and category are correct | | Customer proof | 20 | Recent legitimate photos and genuine reviews are present | | Advertising connection readiness | 10 | Profile is ready to connect through Location Assets |

Do not run Maps advertising until the profile scores at least 90 out of 100, with no failed item in ownership, location, or phone information. Those three areas are more important than having a perfect photo gallery.

Darnell Ortiz, a 39-year-old roofing contractor, used this order after discovering that his profile still displayed an office address from a previous location. His phone number worked, but the map marker sent customers to the old building. Darnell corrected the address, confirmed the service area, checked his business hours, and replaced outdated photos before connecting the profile to Google Ads. The important result was not merely a higher score. Customers could now call, understand where Darnell worked, and recognize the type of roofing jobs he handled.

To execute the strategy, assign one person as the owner of the checklist. That person should have access to the Google account managing the Business Profile, the business phone, the correct address or service-area information, current service details, project photos, and access to the Google Ads account. Keep a record of the date each item was checked. If a marketing company helps, the business owner should still retain ownership of the profile.

Complete the Checklist in Order

1. Confirm the correct Google account and claim the profile. Time estimate: 20 to 30 minutes. Search Google Maps for your business name, phone number, and address. Look for duplicate listings, old listings, or profiles controlled by a former employee. Sign in with the Google account that should own the profile and request access or claim the listing. Do not create another profile until you have checked for an existing one.

Checkpoint: Within the first day, the intended business owner can sign in and see the profile management screen. Record the account email and the date access was confirmed. This earns up to 10 points under ownership.

2. Complete Google’s verification request. Time estimate: 15 minutes to submit, plus Google’s review time. Follow the verification method Google offers. Depending on the business and location, Google may request a video, phone, text message, email, or another method. A video verification may require showing the business location, tools, branded vehicle, business documents, or proof that you manage the operation. Show only what Google requests and keep the information consistent with the profile.

Checkpoint: The profile shows as verified, or Google gives a clear next action. Do not begin paid Maps advertising while verification is pending or rejected. Mark ownership and verification as 25 points only after the profile is visibly verified.

3. Fix the business name, address, and map marker. Time estimate: 30 to 45 minutes. Use the real-world business name customers see on your signs, invoices, and website. Do not add phrases such as “Best Roofing Company” to the name unless that is part of the actual business name. Enter the correct street address if customers visit that location. If you travel to customers and do not receive them at your address, use a service area instead and hide the address when appropriate.

Open the map view and check the marker. It should point to the correct building or service location. For a roofing contractor, the marker should not send a homeowner to a former office, storage unit, or residential address that customers cannot visit.

Checkpoint: Ask someone outside the business to search the profile and describe where the company is located or which areas it serves. The answer should match your intended territory. This earns 15 of the 25 location points.

4. Test the phone number and business hours. Time estimate: 15 minutes. Call the number from a phone that is not already associated with the business. Confirm that it rings, reaches the right person, and does not send callers through an endless menu. Check the hours for normal business days, weekends, holidays, and emergency service if you offer it. If calls are answered by a dispatcher, make sure the dispatcher knows the company name shown on the profile.

Checkpoint: Complete three test calls at different times during business hours. Record whether each call was answered within 30 seconds, returned the same day, or missed. A working phone number earns 10 points; accurate hours earn the remaining 5 location points.

5. Choose the correct primary category and list the services you actually sell. Time estimate: 30 to 60 minutes. Select the category that best describes the main business, such as “Roofing contractor,” rather than choosing several unrelated categories. Add specific services such as roof repair, roof replacement, storm damage inspection, gutter installation, or commercial roofing only if you provide them.

Use the wording customers understand. “Emergency roof leak repair” is clearer than an internal term such as “rapid-response envelope correction.” Make sure your website and profile describe the same services.

Checkpoint: Write down your five most profitable services and confirm that each appears on the profile. Remove services you no longer offer. This earns up to 15 of the 20 service-detail points.

6. Set accurate hours, service area, and business description. Time estimate: 30 minutes. List the cities, ZIP codes, or reasonable travel area where you actually want jobs. A service area should reflect your normal work territory, not every place Google allows you to select. If Darnell normally serves homes within 45 miles of his shop, advertising or listing a territory several hundred miles away would create poor customer experiences and wasted calls.

Write a plain description of what the business does, the areas served, and the types of customers helped. Avoid promises you cannot prove, such as “guaranteed lowest price.” Do not place phone numbers, special offers, or keyword strings into fields where they do not belong.

Checkpoint: Compare the service area with the last 20 jobs or estimates. At least 80 percent should fall inside the listed territory if the profile is meant to represent the company’s normal market. Adjust the area before moving on.

7. Add current project photos and check customer reviews. Time estimate: 60 to 90 minutes. Upload clear photos of completed work, crews, branded vehicles, equipment, and the business location where relevant. For Darnell, useful photos might show a roof before repair, the finished flashing, replacement shingles, and a clean job site. Use real images from your company, not stock photos or pictures copied from another contractor.

Ask satisfied customers for honest reviews using Google’s review link. Never write reviews for customers, buy reviews, or offer payment in exchange for a positive review. Reply to reviews professionally, including critical ones, without sharing private job details.

Checkpoint: Add at least 10 relevant project photos during setup and review the profile once each month for outdated images. Set a 30-day target for requesting reviews from every customer who completed a job.

8. Run a final ownership and connection check before advertising. Time estimate: 20 to 30 minutes. Confirm that the verified profile is the one you intend to use, not a duplicate or old listing. Then, in Google Ads, open Location Assets and connect the correct Business Profile. Location Assets are the Google Ads setting that lets an advertisement use information from your profile, such as the business location, phone details, and Maps presence.

Checkpoint: The connected profile name, address or service area, and phone number match the profile you just checked. Keep the connection inactive until the profile scores at least 90 and all three core items - verification, location, and phone - pass.

Watch Outs That Can Block or Weaken Verification

• Do not create a second profile because the first one is hard to access, because duplicate listings can split reviews and confuse Google about which location is real. Request ownership or access to the existing profile first. - Do not add extra cities to the business name because location words in the name do not prove that you serve those places and can create a policy problem. Put service locations in the service-area field and description instead. - Do not use a mailbox, virtual office, or rented address as a customer location because Google may reject the address or send customers somewhere they cannot meet you. Use a real staffed location or a service area that reflects how you work. - Do not show an address where customers cannot visit because the map marker may create wrong directions and poor calls. Hide the address when your business travels to customers. - Do not use a tracking phone number as the only profile number because it may stop working, change, or make the business look inconsistent. Use the number customers can reliably call; track calls separately when possible. - Do not upload stock project photos because customers and Google expect the profile to represent the actual business. Use dated, genuine job photos taken by your team or supplied with permission by customers. - Do not buy or manufacture reviews because fake reviews can be removed and may damage trust. Request honest feedback from real customers after completed work. - Do not give permanent ownership to a contractor or former employee because the business can lose access when that relationship ends. Keep the owner account under the business owner’s control and grant limited access to helpers. - Do not connect the wrong profile in Google Ads because the advertisement may display the wrong phone number or location. Match the profile name, address, and phone before enabling Location Assets. - Do not advertise an area you cannot serve profitably because extra impressions can produce long drives, missed appointments, and wasted budget. Compare the listed territory with recent jobs and set a practical boundary.

Measure Readiness Before You Buy Visibility

Check The Complete Profile Readiness Score once during setup, again after verification, and every 30 days after that. A passing score is 90 or higher, with 25 out of 25 for ownership and verification, 25 out of 25 for location and phone, and no unresolved duplicate or policy issue.

Track these checkpoints in a simple spreadsheet:

| Checkpoint | Target | Review schedule | |---|---:|---| | Profile verified | 100% complete | Once during setup and after any rejection | | Correct location or service area | 100% accurate | Monthly | | Working phone test | 3 successful test calls | Monthly | | Main services listed | 5 profitable services confirmed | Monthly or after service changes | | Current project photos | 10 or more at setup | Monthly | | Genuine review requests | Every completed customer job | Weekly | | Google Ads Location Assets connection | Correct profile connected | Before each campaign launch |

The profile itself does not guarantee a Promoted Pin or Map Search Ad. Eligibility also depends on the Google Ads campaign, location targeting, search relevance, budget, and Google’s available placements. The profile checklist controls the part you can control: accurate business information and a verified connection.

After the profile passes, record the starting numbers for profile actions: phone calls, website visits, direction requests, and messages if available. Check them weekly after advertising begins. If calls rise but many callers ask for areas or services you do not cover, correct the service area or service list before increasing the budget. If the profile receives views but no calls, inspect the phone, hours, reviews, photos, and offer rather than assuming the ad is the only problem.

A verified profile with a correct marker and a dependable phone number gives every later Maps decision a solid base. When a nearby customer searches for a roofer, plumber, remodeler, or other local provider, accuracy is what turns visibility into a real chance to be chosen.

End of chapter one. 7 more chapters in the full book.