Google Business Profile Optimisation Checklist
A field-tested checklist covering categories, services, photos, posts, Q&A, attributes and the mistakes that get UK profiles suspended.
Updated 18 September 2026
Citations
UK Local Citations: Directories That Still Matter
The UK citation sources worth your time, the ones to skip, and how to keep NAP consistent across all of them.
This is the list of UK citation sources we actually use, kept current. It is deliberately short. A business listed accurately on the thirty sources below, plus the industry sources for its trade, has all the citation benefit available; the next three hundred directories add duplicates and nothing else. The reasoning is in the citations chapter of the guide.
Tier 1: maps and data providers
These feed navigation apps, voice assistants and other directories. Get them right first.
| Source | Notes |
|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | The canonical record. Everything else should match it. |
| Apple Business Connect | Apple Maps, Siri, CarPlay. Free. Very often unclaimed and wrong. |
| Bing Places for Business | Bing, Windows, Copilot. Can import from Google. |
| Foursquare / Placemaker | Feeds many apps and in-car systems. |
| Here (Here WeGo / Map Creator) | Used by many vehicle sat-navs. |
| TomTom Map Share | Vehicle navigation. |
| Facebook page | Address, hours and phone on the page match the profile. |
| Companies House | Not a directory, but Google cross-references it. Registered office and trading name should be reconcilable. |
Tier 2: major UK general directories
| Source | Notes |
|---|---|
| Yell.com | Free listing is enough; the paid product is not SEO. |
| Thomson Local | Free listing. |
| Scoot | Feeds a network of local newspaper directories. |
| 192.com | Often shows old data from Companies House; check and correct. |
| Cylex UK | Free, allows a full profile. |
| Hotfrog | Free. |
| FreeIndex | Free, with reviews. |
| Yelp UK | Low UK traffic but widely referenced by aggregators. |
| UK Small Business Directory | Free. |
| Brownbook | Free. |
| Britaine / MisterWhat / Opendi | Low value individually; correct them if they exist with wrong data, otherwise skip. |
Tier 3: industry sources
These carry the most weight for relevance and often send real enquiries. Pick the ones for your category.
| Sector | Sources |
|---|---|
| Trades and home services | Checkatrade, TrustATrader, Rated People, MyBuilder, Which? Trusted Traders, TrustMark, Gas Safe Register, NICEIC, APHC, FMB |
| Health | NHS website (GP, dental, pharmacy listings), CQC, Doctify, Top Doctors, GDC/GMC registers, Private Healthcare UK |
| Legal and finance | Law Society Find a Solicitor, SRA register, ReviewSolicitors, ICAEW / ACCA directories, FCA register, Unbiased, VouchedFor |
| Property | Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket agent pages, RICS, Propertymark, ARLA |
| Hospitality | TripAdvisor, OpenTable, TheFork, Design My Night, Hardens, Booking.com, Visit England / local tourism boards |
| Automotive | Good Garage Scheme, Motor Codes / The Motor Ombudsman, AutoTrader dealer pages, WhoCanFixMyCar, BookMyGarage |
| Beauty, fitness and wellbeing | Treatwell, Fresha, Booksy, ClassPass, Hussle, CNHC / BACP registers |
| Education and childcare | Ofsted, daynurseries.co.uk, Childcare.co.uk, Tutorful |
Tier 4: local sources
- Chamber of commerce member directory
- Business Improvement District (BID) directory
- Council business directories and "shop local" schemes
- Local newspaper business directories (many run on Scoot)
- Town or parish council business pages
- Local Facebook groups' recommended-business lists (not a citation, but where customers actually look)
How to work through it
- Set the canonical NAP: exact name, exact address format, one phone number.
- Search each source for your business before creating anything — you will find existing listings, some wrong.
- Correct or claim existing listings first. Request removal of duplicates and closed premises.
- Create the missing ones, fully: categories, description, hours, photos, website.
- Record every login in one place.
- Recheck Tier 1 and 2 quarterly; every source the moment anything changes.
Every plan includes the Tier 1 and 2 sources and your industry's Tier 3 ones, plus quarterly rechecks. The stand-alone citation service covers audit, clean-up and build for businesses that only need this fixed.
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