Your Google Business Profile (GBP)—formerly known as Google My Business—is one of the most powerful tools for local businesses to attract new customers, improve visibility, and build trust online. When someone searches for your services in their area, Google uses the information in your profile to decide whether your business appears in the local map pack and how prominently it ranks compared to competitors.

But here’s the big question most business owners ask: How often should I update my Google Business Profile?

Updating your GBP is not just about making one-time edits like adding your hours, phone number, or address. It’s about ongoing optimization. The truth is, the more consistently and strategically you update your profile, the better your chances of standing out from competitors and converting searchers into paying customers.

In this blog, we’ll dive into how frequently you should update your Google Business Profile, why consistency matters, and practical strategies to keep your listing fresh without overwhelming yourself.

Why Keeping Your Google Business Profile Fresh Matters

Google is constantly crawling the web to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information to users. If your profile looks outdated, incomplete, or inactive, Google may assume your business isn’t the best option for searchers—and show your competitors instead.

Regular updates signal:

• Relevance: Your business is active and still serving customers.
  
  
• Engagement: You’re interacting with customers through posts, reviews, and Q&A.
  
  
• Accuracy: Your business information (like hours, services, and location) is up to date.
  
  

Neglecting updates can lead to:

• Customers showing up when you’re closed because your hours are wrong.
  
  
• Missed opportunities to highlight seasonal services or promotions.
  
  
• Lower rankings in local search compared to competitors who actively maintain their listings.
  
  

Think of your GBP as your digital storefront—if you wouldn’t let the paint peel off your real store’s front door, you shouldn’t let your profile look stale online.

Core Business Information: Keep It Accurate at All Times

At the most basic level, your Google Business Profile should always have accurate NAP information:

• Name of your business
  
  
• Address
  
  
• Phone number
  
  

You should also check:

• Website URL
  
  
• Primary and secondary business categories
  
  
• Business description
  
  
• Service areas (for service-based businesses without a storefront)
  
  

How often to update:

• Immediately if you move, change phone numbers, or adjust your service offerings.
  
  
• At least quarterly to verify nothing has shifted.
  
  

Why it matters: If customers see conflicting information across directories, it hurts both trust and rankings. Updating promptly ensures Google always displays the most accurate data.

Business Hours: Seasonal and Holiday Updates

One of the biggest frustrations for customers is showing up to a business that’s closed despite Google saying otherwise. This usually happens because hours aren’t updated regularly.

Best practices for updating hours:

• Weekly review: Especially if you adjust hours based on demand.
  
  
• Before holidays: Add special hours for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, and other holidays.
  
  
• Seasonal changes: If your business hours vary by season (like landscapers, tax prep services, or pool companies), update them at the start of each season.
  
  

Why it matters:

• Customers rely on this info when deciding who to visit.
  
  
• Google will sometimes flag listings with outdated or missing hours as less reliable.
  
  

Keeping hours current ensures you never frustrate customers—and Google rewards businesses that maintain accuracy.

Posts: How Frequently Should You Publish?

Google Business Profile posts are like mini-social media updates that appear directly on your listing. They can promote events, share updates, highlight offers, or feature new products.

Recommended posting frequency:

• Weekly at minimum: Keeps your profile looking active.
  
  
• 2–3 times per week if you run promotions or events frequently.
  
  

What to post:

• Special offers and discounts
  
  
• Seasonal services or new menu items
  
  
• Community involvement or local sponsorships
  
  
• FAQs that customers often ask
  
  

Posts expire after 7 days (except event posts), so weekly updates ensure there’s always fresh content visible.

Photos and Videos: Visual Updates Drive Engagement

Photos are one of the most powerful elements of your profile. Businesses with photos receive significantly more clicks, calls, and direction requests compared to those without.

How often to update:

• At least once per month: Adds freshness and signals activity.
  
  
• Weekly or biweekly if you run a visually appealing business (like restaurants, salons, or event venues).
  
  

Ideas for photos and videos:

• Behind-the-scenes shots of your team at work
  
  
• Before-and-after transformations
  
  
• Customer events or community outreach
  
  
• Short video tours of your space or process
  
  

The goal is to make your profile look alive and authentic—not like a static placeholder.

Customer Reviews: Consistent Responses Matter

Reviews are one of the strongest local ranking signals and heavily influence buyer decisions. Updating your GBP with new reviews isn’t something you directly control, but responding to reviews is.

Best practices:

• Monitor reviews daily or weekly
  
  
• Respond to all reviews—both positive and negative
  
  
• Use responses to highlight services, thank customers, and show professionalism
  
  

For example, instead of just saying “Thanks,” a plumber might say:
“Thanks for trusting us with your emergency leak repair, Sarah! We’re glad we could respond quickly and keep your home safe.”

Why it matters:

• Google sees engagement as a sign of an active business.
  
  
• Customers value responsiveness.
  
  
• It encourages more people to leave reviews.
  
  

Q&A Section: Don’t Leave Customers Hanging

Google allows users to ask questions directly on your business profile. If you don’t answer, anyone else—including competitors—can.

How often to check:

• Weekly at minimum, daily if possible.
  
  

What to do:

• Provide clear, accurate answers.
  
  
• Seed common FAQs yourself (yes, businesses are allowed to post and answer their own).
  
  
• Keep answers up-to-date if your policies or services change.
  
  

Ignoring Q&A can make your profile look neglected—and worse, give space for misinformation.

New Products and Services: Keep Offerings Up to Date

If your business adds new services or products, your GBP should reflect it right away. For example:

• A dentist adding Invisalign should update their services list.
  
  
• A restaurant offering catering should add it to their profile.
  
  

How often to review:

• Every time you add or remove an offering.
  
  
• Quarterly audits to ensure accuracy.
  
  

This helps customers know exactly what you provide and improves the chances you’ll rank for those service-specific searches.

Seasonal Campaigns and Promotions

Updating your profile isn’t just about accuracy—it’s also a marketing opportunity. If you’re running promotions, events, or seasonal services, showcase them through GBP posts, photos, and offers.

Examples:

• Landscaping business promoting fall cleanups in September.
  
  
• Retail store highlighting Black Friday sales.
  
  
• Tax service advertising January–April filing specials.
  
  

Frequency:

• Every time you launch a new promotion.
  
  
• At least seasonally, to stay relevant to customer demand.
  
  

This keeps your profile dynamic and aligned with what customers are actively searching for.

Signs Your Profile Needs an Update

Even if you’re maintaining a routine, there are moments when your Google Business Profile needs urgent attention. Look for these signs:

• A sudden drop in local rankings or traffic
  
  
• Customers reporting outdated information
  
  
• Competitors showing richer, more updated profiles
  
  
• Negative reviews highlighting incorrect info (like hours or services)
  
  
• Changes in your real-world operations (like moving to a new location)
  
  

If any of these occur, don’t wait—update immediately.

How to Build a Routine for Ongoing Updates

To make sure your profile never goes stale, build GBP updates into your marketing calendar.

Suggested routine:

• Daily/Weekly: Monitor reviews, Q&A, and post updates.
  
  
• Monthly: Add fresh photos or videos.
  
  
• Quarterly: Audit all business info, services, and categories.
  
  
• Annually: Refresh business descriptions and branding to align with growth.
  
  

Using tools like Google Business Profile Manager or third-party scheduling software can help streamline updates.

Final Thoughts

Your Google Business Profile is not a “set it and forget it” asset. It’s a living, breathing extension of your business—and Google rewards businesses that treat it that way. By updating consistently, you’ll:

• Stay ahead of competitors
  
  
• Improve your chances of ranking in the local map pack
  
  
• Earn more trust from potential customers
  
  

So, how often should you update your Google Business Profile? The answer is regularly and strategically—with small, ongoing actions that add up to a major impact. Working with experts like GetPhound can help you stay on top of your Google Business Profile. Call us now!