If you’re a small business in Bloomington-Normal, your
Google Business Profile (GBP) is one of the most important pieces of your online presence. It determines whether customers see you, trust you, and choose you. In many cases before they ever visit your website.
But the problem is, most local businesses have major errors on their profile and don’t even know it.
These overlooked mistakes can cause you to drop in ranking, lose calls, miss website traffic, and ultimately fall behind your competitors (even the ones who don’t do great work).
Here are
10 fixes
business owners in Bloomington often ignore and how each one affects your visibility.
Incorrect Primary Category
Your primary category holds more weight than ANY other part of your profile. Choosing the wrong category can drop your ranking by
5–10 positions
overnight. For example: My primary focus is Marketing, with Photography being secondary, so I would not want photography listed first in my GBP. Choose the category MOST aligned with what you want to rank for.
Missing or Wrong Supporting Categories
Google lets you add multiple categories, but most businesses only add one. Without secondary categories, you’ll never appear for your other services. Add all of your relevant categories.
Using my business as an example:
- Marketing agency
- Website designer
- Advertising agency
- Internet marketing service
- Photographer
Services Not Filled Out (Huge Miss)
Every category unlocks specific services yet most businesses leave these BLANK. Services turn into
keywords Google uses to match you to search results. Fill out every service under each category. Add descriptions. Add pricing if applicable.
No Product Cards
This is the
#1 fastest way to increase keyword relevance and less than 10% of Bloomington businesses use them.
Product cards allow you to showcase your services like:
- Local SEO
- Website Design
- Branding Photography
- Social Media Management
- Visibility Workshops
Google treats product cards like mini landing pages giving more relevance and higher ranking.
Weak Business Description
Most local businesses copy/paste generic text with zero keywords or personality. Your description is your chance to say who you help, what you do, where you serve, and WHY customers should choose you.
Add: Geo keywords (Bloomington-Normal, McLean County), Services, Differentiators, and Community involvement
Outdated or Low-Quality Photos
Google ranks businesses with fresh, relevant, clear photos higher. Your photos are evaluated for: Quality, Recency, Relevance, Engagement, Visual trust. You should upload new photos every week...preferably professional. If you need help with some, check out the Mazter Mindz Media
Visibility Vault Photo Plan!
No Weekly Google Posts
Did you know you should be posting weekly on your GBP? Not many businesss do. It increases ranking, engagement, and profile activity. Google is looking for businesses with a pulse, giving a boost to businesses that look active.
Post weekly things like tips, photos, promotions, and community updates.
No Review Strategy
You need
fresh, consistent reviews. Not just lots of them. Google cares more about
velocity
than total count. Your goal should be to get 2–4 new reviews every week. Ask customers to use key phrases like: “Bloomington,” "Local," Marketing Agency," "Web Design," Etc.
Missing Website Links
Many businesses forget to add a booking link, services link, menu link or learn more link. These add context clues leading to better relevance and higher ranking.
No Local Signals (City keywords)
If your profile doesn’t include “Bloomington” or “Normal,” Google won’t connect you to the city. Add city references in your description, services, posts, and photo captions.
Conclusion
Why has no one told you about all of this? Likely because not many people know. Even some of the people you would expect to be the best at this (aaahhh emmmm marketing people)... are not excelling in this area. These fixes might look small, but they have
major impact on your visibility. Your Google Business Profile is a digital storefront and in Bloomington-Normal, it’s often your first impression. Fix these issues and you’ll quickly start ranking higher, attracting more customers, and outperforming your competition.
Want help?
Schedule a Local Check
with Mazter Mindz Media today!
