Local SEO
The 1 Google Business Profile Section Costing You Customers
80–90% of businesses leave their Google Business Profile services section blank or thin. Here is why it matters and the exact GMB Everywhere + AI workflow to max it out.
I'll give you a short reality check first, then the exact workflow to fix it. The one Google Business Profile section almost everyone underuses is services — and filling it out properly is one of the highest-return things you can do in local SEO.
The reality check
Once people set up a Google Business Profile, half of them treat it as done. The activity data is worse than that:
And the most surprising number: 80–90% of profiles are left incomplete — secondary fields unoptimised, services not included. That is dangerous, because it leaves the single biggest free local-visibility asset half-built.
Why businesses do this
Two reasons, and neither is good enough.
"Set and forget" mentality
Once it's built, people say the work is done and leave it on Google's mercy. But the profile rewards ongoing effort — it is not a form you complete once.
Platform auto-removal
Google periodically updates your service categories, and if a service does not match your website it can be removed. Most owners never notice it happened.
Underneath both is plain laziness about the services section: "where do I even go to find every service, write a title for each, write a description for each?" This post removes that excuse.
Where the services section pulls from
Understand this first: the number of services you can add is driven by your categories. However many categories you set, that is how many service groups you get to fill.
For a salon client set to nail salon and eyelash salon as categories, every real service — facial spa, eyebrow bar, makeup artist — slots under the relevant category. More legitimate categories means more room.
The workflow: GMB Everywhere + AI
Here is how to fill it properly without inventing anything from scratch.
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01
Install GMB Everywhere and sign up
It's a browser extension. Install it, create the free account, and sign in — this is what surfaces competitor categories and services.
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02
Search your query on Google Maps
Go to maps.google.com and search the target, e.g. "immigration lawyer London". With the extension on, every listing's categories appear right there.
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03
Read the competitors' categories
You'll see how each firm is dialled in — "immigration attorney", "law firm", plus adjacent ones like conveyancing, employment, family law. This is your category shortlist, taken from businesses already ranking.
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04
Pull their services with "find more"
Click through and the extension lists every service under each category. Click "view more", then "copy all" — you now have a real, ranked-competitor service list, no guesswork.
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05
Draft titles and descriptions with AI
Paste it into Claude (my preference for content) or ChatGPT. Tell it your primary category, the services to target, the business name, and to keep each description within Google's ~300-character limit with relevant keywords and entities. Ask for the final document.
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06
Copy-paste into your profile
Add each service, save, add its description (max 300 characters), repeat. It's already researched and written — you're just placing it.
Why this ranks you
Do this across your categories and the numbers get large fast.
When you take a profile to this level — every category filled, every service titled and described with real keywords and entities — Google sees a genuinely complete, information-rich business and ranks it accordingly.
Frequently asked questions
How many services should I add to my Google Business Profile?
As many genuine ones as your categories allow — a single category can hold around 50, and profiles can carry up to nine categories. Do not pad it with services you don't offer, but do not be stingy either: completeness is what Google rewards.
What is GMB Everywhere and do I need it?
It's a free browser extension that reveals any listing's categories and services on Google Maps. You don't strictly need it, but it turns "invent a service list from scratch" into "copy the list from the businesses already ranking, then refine" — which is faster and more accurate.
Can I just copy a competitor's services exactly?
Use their list as a starting point for ideas and coverage, then keep only the services you actually provide and write your own titles and descriptions. Copying services you don't offer is both a Google violation risk and useless to a customer who books them.
How long should each service description be?
Up to 300 characters. Use that space — work in the relevant keywords and entities naturally rather than leaving it blank or writing one generic line. AI is genuinely useful here for producing 50 descriptions quickly, which you then check.
Does Google really remove services automatically?
It can adjust or drop service categories that don't match your website, and most owners never notice. That is one more reason the profile needs periodic review rather than a one-time setup — check quarterly that your services are still present and still match your site.
The bottom line
The services section is the section most businesses leave broken, and it is one of the strongest local levers you control. Set your categories properly, lift the real service list from ranking competitors with GMB Everywhere, draft titles and descriptions with AI, and paste them in. A maxed-out profile is give-and-take with Google — and most of your competitors have not done it.
Tags
- google business profile
- local seo
- gbp services
- gmb everywhere
- google maps
Written by Naveed Ganatra
SEO Consultant · Karachi, Pakistan
Google-certified SEO consultant with 10+ years building topical authority for logistics, healthcare, legal and e-commerce brands. I publish free SEO training on YouTube.