Best Practices: Google Business Profile (Formerly Google My Business)

Table of Contents

• What makes Google Business Profile powerful
• 7 best practices to optimize your profile
• Managing multiple profiles
• How to turn visibility into marketing results
• Frequently asked questions about Google Business Profile

7 Ways to Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Seventy-five percent of Google users never scroll past the first page of search results, meaning if your agency is not actively investing in its digital marketing strategy, you could be missing a major opportunity to get discovered by local prospects. 

Google Business Profile (GBP), formerly known as Google My Business, is one of the simplest ways to get your agency to the top of local search results.

The biggest advantage? It's completely free. You can boost your local visibility and generate leads without additional marketing costs.

To show up in results, your GBP needs to be:

• Complete
• Active
• Optimized

Whether you're an individual agent just starting out or an FMO managing dozens of downline profiles, optimizing your Google Business Profile is essential for local visibility.

In this blog, we’ll show you how to optimize and maintain your profile so you can rank higher in local search results and attract more prospects to your business.

What Makes Google Business Profile So Powerful for Insurance Agencies

With Google accounting for nearly 90% of the online search market, maintaining an active Google Business Profile (GBP) can play an important role in helping your agency get discovered.

Whether someone is searching for an “insurance agency in Chicago” or browsing nearby options in Google Maps, your GBP helps determine whether they choose to learn more about your agency or move on to another one.

Having a GBP helps your agency:

• Rank higher than traditional websites in local search
• Share essential details, like hours, services, & contact information
• Build trust with reviews & photos
• Links directly to your agency website
• Make it easy for people to get in contact with your team

Your Google Business Profile does more than just help people find you. It helps convince them to contact you. But just having a GBP isn’t enough. It’s also important to optimize your profile.

7 Best Practices to Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Once your profile is live, its important to optimize it to separate your agency from competitors. If you’re unsure of how to optimize your profile, follow these seven steps: 

1. Regularly Update Your Business Information

Your Google Business Profile is only as good as the information it contains. Outdated hours, wrong phone numbers, or missing details can send prospects to your competitors. Start by making sure your profile includes accurate, up-to-date information, including:

• Your company's address
• Hours of operation
• Business category
• Business description
• Contact information
• Link to your website

Google also lets you add secondary business categories beyond your primary one. For example, you could use "Health Insurance Agency" as your primary category, then add "Insurance Broker," "Life Insurance Agency," or "Group Health Insurance Agency" as your secondary, based on what you offer.

2. Boost Your GBP Visibility With the Right Keywords

The words you include in your GBP impact how easily prospects can find your agency in local search results.

When someone searches "health insurance agency [City]," Google looks for those exact words in business descriptions. Your GBP description should include relevant keywords naturally throughout your profile.

Focus on terms that reflect your services, specialties, and location, such as:

• Health insurance agency
• Medicare advisor
• Group benefits broke
• Life insurance agent/agency
• Health insurance agency in [City]

You can also improve visibility by using keywords in your posts, responses to reviews, Q&A section, and service descriptions. Google Trends and Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool are free resources that can help you identify keywords and trends. Use these to see what prospects are searching for on Google.

3. Use Photos & Videos to Drive More Clicks & Calls

Photos drive real results. Businesses with photos on their profile get 45% more direction requests and 31% more website clicks than profiles without them.

Start with a cover photo and your logo to keep your branding consistent. Then add photos that show the real side of your agency, like your office, your team, and your day-to-day work.

Best practices for adding photos to your Google Business Profile include:

• Use high-quality images with good lighting
• Show your office space & team members
• Keep photos current & relevant to your services
• Avoid heavy branding, special effects, or overly staged shots
• Add new photos regularly to keep your profile fresh

When prospects can see the real people behind your agency, they're more comfortable reaching out. Google prioritizes profiles that stay current, which means regular updates help you rank higher.

4. Respond to Every Review (Good & Bad)

Online reviews are critical for both your Google ranking and your conversion potential. They influence where you appear in local search and whether prospects choose you over competitors. With 97% of consumers reading reviews, the way you respond to reviews can make or break a prospect's decision to call.

Replying to all reviews quickly and consistently is the best way to boost your online reputation and Google Business Profile.

• Positive reviews build trust and give prospects peace of mind. Responding to these helps you build relationships with your satisfied clients and shows prospective clients that you care.
• Negative reviews are just as important to reply to, if not more. While a bad review can steer people away, they're much more likely to give your agency a chance if they see that you've responded professionally. It’s also important to note that Google users can always go back and edit their reviews, so no negative review is permanent.

To make the biggest impact, every response needs to feel personal. When responding to online reviews, remember to:

• Be specific: Reference details from their review to show you actually read it.
• Use their name: "Thanks for the kind words, Mary" feels more personal than "Thanks for your review."
• Mention what they said: Instead of "We're glad you're happy," try "We're so glad we could help you find the right plan."
• Keep it conversational: Respond in a human way, as if you were talking to them in person, not reading from a script.
• Respond quickly: Aim to reply within 24-48 hours, if possible.

A quick and thoughtful reply can turn a one-time client into a loyal advocate and convince a dozen prospects reading that review to pick up the phone.

5. Answer Common Questions Before Prospects Even Ask

Under the "Q & A" section of your Google Business Profile, people can leave questions about your business. Answering these is a great way to optimize your profile for search. For example, if someone searches "Medicare insurance agency near me" and you've answered Medicare-related questions on your GBP, you're more likely to show up higher in search results and in more searches.

You can also proactively add questions and answers. Think about the questions prospects commonly ask you, and add them to your Q&A section. Questions like "Do you offer Medicare Supplement plans?" or "What types of groups do you support?" can help prospects get the information they need right away.

6. Use the Posting Feature to Share Updates & Helpful Content

Along with your essential business information, you can add posts to your Google Business Profile that include a text description and photos or videos. These are great for announcements, promoting events, and sharing educational content.

Make sure your posts are helpful and informative. Here are some best practices:

• Add an image or video to a post to increase engagement
• Review the post to ensure it’s free of grammar and spelling errors to protect your credibility
• Use clear call-to-action language, like "Call to schedule your free consultation" to guide prospects to the next step
• Set reminders to refresh your posts every 5-6 months to keep your profile active

✔️Pro Tip: Looking for an easier way to stay consistent on Google? Plan and schedule content with Engage+ Content Marketing, then publish directly to your Google Business Profile, all in one place.

7. Make It Easy to Contact Your Agency

Your Google Business Profile should make it easy for prospects to connect with your agency. Add your agency’s main contact information to your GBP, including:

• Phone number
• Website link
• Messaging options
• Appointment scheduling links

Make sure all of these contact methods are clearly visible, accurate, and actively monitored. If you add a text messaging option, assign someone on your team to check those messages regularly. If you include a website link, make sure it goes to a relevant landing page that has a lead form that goes directly to your agency management system (AMS).

Nothing damages credibility for your agency faster than unanswered messages or broken links.

Take the stress out of manual follow-up with AgencyBloc’s automation tools. Built-in workflows help your agency stay organized and responsive by simplifying follow-up, managing prospect communication, and supporting a better client experience.

Managing Multiple Google Business Profiles: For Multi-Agent Agencies, FMOs, & Uplines

If you're managing multiple locations or downline agents, your GBP strategy becomes more complex but also more powerful.

First, set up your structure using Google's Business Profile Manager. It is designed specifically for businesses with multiple locations. This centralized dashboard allows you to:

• Manage all your locations from a single place
• Organize profiles into Location Groups for easier management
• Assign different permission levels to team members (owner, manager, site manager, etc.)
• Make bulk updates to business hours, categories, or other shared information
• View performance data across all locations in one place

Next, decide on your profile strategy. This means to choose whether each location needs its own GBP or if a central profile (Service Area Business profile) makes more sense. If you’re not sure, follow these tips:

Avoid creating duplicate profiles for the same physical location. This confuses Google and can result in both profiles being suspended.

For FMOs and uplines: Create a central GBP for your organization, plus separate profiles for each downline agent who has their own office location. Note: each profile must have accurate, distinct NAP (Name, Address, Phone) data to avoid Google flagging it as a duplicate.

Turn Local Search Visibility Into Consistent Marketing Results With Engage+

Your agency now has everything you need to optimize your Google Business Profile and start attracting local prospects. The next step is making sure you have the right system and tools to stay connected with those leads.

With Engage+, your agency can bring all your marketing tools into one insurance-specific system with industry tools for:

• Insurance websites: Get your professional, mobile-friendly website built specifically for health insurance agencies. With easy setup and a low-lift implementation process, you get the compliance and security you need built into a modern, professional website designed to help your agency stand out online.
• Pre-built content library: Search Engage+'s library of insurance-specific content for emails, social posts, and blogs that are compliance-friendly and ready to customize.
• Social media management: Post to Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms from a single dashboard. Manage comments, track engagement, and stay consistent without spending time logging into multiple accounts.
• Email automation built into AMS+: Stay connected with prospects and retain clients through email marketing and automated communications that trigger based on policy renewals, birthdays, and enrollment deadlines.

FAQ

How much does Google Business Profile cost? 

Google Business Profile is completely free. There are no setup fees, monthly charges, or hidden costs. You just need a Google account to claim and verify your business.

Can I have multiple Google Business Profiles for different insurance products? 

No, Google's guidelines prohibit creating multiple profiles for the same business at the same address, even if you offer different products. Instead, use your business description and secondary categories to highlight all the insurance products you offer (Medicare, group benefits, individual health, life insurance, etc.).

Do I need a physical office address to have a Google Business Profile? 

You do not need a physical address to have a Google Business Profile. If you work from home or don't have a public-facing office, you can use a Service Area Business profile. This allows you to specify the areas you serve without displaying a street address.

What's the difference between Google Business Profile & Google Ads? 

Google Business Profile is a free listing that appears in local search results and Google Maps. Google Ads is a paid advertising platform where you pay per click. GBP is essential for local SEO and organic visibility, while Google Ads can supplement your strategy with paid traffic.

This blog was originally published on June 28th, 2022, and has been updated and republished on May 26th, 2026. 

Posted by Shannon Beck on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 in Engage+

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