Free Google Business Profile audit of your listing
Paste the link to your Google listing or type “Name, City”: the tool scores your profile out of 100, compares it with nearby businesses and gives you three priority actions. Free, no signup.
In short. The audit reads the public data on your Google listing and scores ten measurable points: category, rating, number of reviews, photos, opening hours, price level (if your business type has one), attributes, website, phone number and status. It adds two comparisons with five nearby competitors: rating and review volume. Review volume is often the deciding gap: in our observatory of 1,800 listings, the top five Google Maps results have a median of 738 reviews versus 300 for positions 16 to 20, with the same 4.62 rating.
What the audit checks, criterion by criterion
Each criterion is worth a set number of points. The final score is the share of points earned out of the total for the criteria that apply to your listing, scaled to 100. Above 85, the profile is excellent; from 70 to 84, good; from 50 to 69, needs work; below 50, urgent.
For each criterion, the table shows what the tool measures, why it matters and the Google rule that backs it up, quoted from the official Business Profile help.
| Criterion (points) | What the tool measures | Google rule quoted |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category (10) | Is a category visible on the listing? | “Select categories that are as specific as possible, while making sure they match your primary business.” |
| Average rating (12) | Maximum score from 4.7; alert below 4.0. | “The more reviews and positive ratings you get, the higher your business ranks” |
| Review volume (12) | Maximum from 100 reviews; thresholds at 50, 20, 5 and 1. | Same rule: the number of reviews is part of the prominence Google measures. |
| Photos (10) | Maximum from 10 photos. | “Complete and detailed information helps us better understand your business” |
| Opening hours (8) | Hours present and complete across the week. | “Enter your standard opening hours” |
| Price level (4) | Only for restaurants and shops, where Google offers this field. | “Businesses that provide complete and accurate information are more likely to appear” |
| Attributes and amenities (12) | Number of attributes filled in: maximum from 12. | Same rule on complete information. |
| Website (6) | Is a website linked to the listing? | “Provide your business phone number or a website that represents it.” |
| Phone number (4) | Is a number displayed? | Same rule. |
| Listing status (2) | Is the listing marked open, or temporarily or permanently closed? | A closed listing no longer shows up as an open business. |
| Rating vs. competitors (10) | Your rating compared with the average of 5 nearby businesses in the same category. | “Positive reviews and helpful replies can help your business stand out” |
| Reviews vs. competitors (10) | Your review count compared with the average of those 5 businesses. | A prominence criterion, see above. |
What the tool deliberately does not score: posts, questions and answers, the description and review replies. Google's public data does not expose them reliably, and a guessed criterion would skew the score. The two comparisons only appear if at least two rated competitors are found around you.
What 1,800 Google listings show
On September 25, 2026, we collected the top 20 Google Maps results for 9 sectors in 10 large French cities, or 1,800 listings. Three findings help you read your audit.
- Rating does not separate listings: the median is 4.62 in the top 5 and in positions 16 to 20. A good rating is a prerequisite, not an advantage.
- Review volume does separate them: a median of 738 reviews in the top 5, versus 300 in positions 16 to 20.
- 46% of first-page listings reply to no reviews at all. Replying remains a simple way to stand out from half of your neighbors.
| Sector | Reviews needed to enter the top 20 (first quartile) |
|---|---|
| Movie theater | 44 |
| Bakery | 123 |
| Hair salon | 155 |
| Gym | 180 |
| Restaurant | 388 |
These thresholds were measured in large cities; in a mid-sized town they are much lower. If your audit flags a review volume below your competitors, it is usually the most profitable project.
What to do after the audit
Start with the red criteria worth the most points, then the orange ones. In most audits, the efficient order is as follows.
- Fix the basics: a precise category, complete opening hours, website and phone number. It takes half an hour.
- Add real photos and fill in every attribute Google offers for your category.
- Start a regular review collection (QR code, SMS, email) to catch up with competitors' volume, without ever offering anything in return.
- Reply to every review, positive or negative.
- Run the audit again in a month to measure the gap.
GMB Club, the all-in-one marketing platform for local businesses, does this work continuously: the Google profile optimizer suggests fixes you apply in one click, review collection goes out by QR code, SMS or email, and review replies are drafted for you. The video shows the optimizer in the app.
Watch
Optimize your listing with AI
Chapters
The limits of this audit
- It reads Google's public data: if a piece of information is on your listing but Google does not expose it, it is not counted.
- A good score does not guarantee first place. Google also ranks by the distance between the customer and the business, which the audit does not measure: for that, use the Google Maps rank checker.
- The diagnosis and the three actions are written by an AI based only on the weak points measured. The points and the score are calculated in a fixed, reproducible way.
- The full report details appear after you enter your email.
Frequently asked questions about the Google Business Profile audit
- Is the Google Business Profile audit really free?
- Yes. The score appears without signup or credit card. The detailed report is sent in exchange for an email address.
- Do I need to own the listing to audit it?
- No. The tool reads Google's public information: you can audit your listing like a competitor's.
- Which criteria count most in the score?
- Rating, review volume and attributes are worth 12 points each, category and photos 10, and the two competitor comparisons 10 each. The website is worth 6 points, opening hours 8, phone number 4 and status 2.
- Why is my score low when my rating is excellent?
- Because rating is only one criterion out of a dozen. A listing rated 4.9 with 15 reviews, few photos and no attributes is still weak, and our observatory shows that rating does not separate top 5 listings from the rest: review volume does.
- Can an audit get my listing suspended?
- No. The tool only reads public data and changes nothing. A suspension comes from information that breaks Google's rules, for example keywords added to the business name.
- How often should I run the audit again?
- Once a month is enough: that is how long it takes for new reviews, photos or attributes to change the score.
Criteria: GMB Club audit engine. Rules quoted: Google Business Profile help, support.google.com/business/answer/7091 and /3038177, retrieved October 6, 2026. Data: Google listings observatory, collected September 25, 2026, 1,800 listings, 9 sectors, 10 cities.
Fix your listing without giving up your evenings
GMB Club applies the optimizer's fixes in one click, collects your reviews and drafts your replies, for one or many locations.