Your GBP checklist
Check every item that is already true on your live profile. High-impact items are marked. The score and the fix-first list update as you go.
Your result
Start ticking items above to build your score.
Your prioritized action plan
Nothing checked yet. Tick the items that are already true and your prioritized action plan will build here.
How to use it
- Open your live Google Business Profile in another tab (search your business name on Google, or sign in at business.google.com) so you are scoring the real thing, not your memory of it.
- Work down the checklist and tick only the items that are genuinely true right now. Leave anything you are unsure about unticked, because an honest gap is more useful than an optimistic guess.
- Read the completeness score and the Fix these first list. The list is sorted so the highest-impact unticked items sit at the top.
- Click Copy summary to drop the score and the fix list into your notes, a brief, or an email to whoever manages the profile.
Why it matters for AI search, not just Maps
A complete Google Business Profile is now an input to two surfaces at once. The first is the familiar one: the Google Maps pack and local results. The second is the AI answer layer. When someone asks ChatGPT or reads a Google AI Overview for a best-in-city or near-me question, those systems lean on Google's local data to decide who to name.
Formative Digital's May 2026 analysis of 1,732 AI-engine citations across nine Ontario cities found that ChatGPT grounds its local recommendations largely through google.com surfaces, the same Maps and Knowledge Graph data your profile feeds. This is Vector 10, Localize, in our 12 Vectors methodology: the local entity record has to be complete and consistent before an engine will repeat your name with any confidence. This tool measures how far that record has to go. It scores what you have, and it points at the highest-impact gaps, but it does not change anything on the profile itself. That part is the work after the checklist.
The checklist shows the gap. We close it.
The score tells you what is missing. Turning a thin profile into one that gets repeated by Google and the AI engines is ongoing work: category precision, a real review cadence, schema that matches the profile, and the local citations the engines were trained on. That is our Local SEO service for Ontario businesses.
Want a read on where your profile and your wider AI visibility stand? Book a free AI visibility audit and we will score your local footprint across the engines, not just one checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the Google Business Profile completeness score calculated?
The score is the percentage of checklist items you have ticked, computed live in your browser from the actual checkboxes. There are 21 items. If you check 11 of them, the tool shows 52%, because 11 divided by 21 is 0.5238. Nothing is estimated or invented. The number only moves when you tick or untick a box.
Which Google Business Profile items matter most for local ranking?
Google's own guidance weights a few signals heavily: an accurate business name and address, a precise primary category, a steady flow of recent reviews, and owner responses to those reviews. The tool tags those as high impact, so when they are unticked they rise to the top of your fix-first list. Photos, posts, Q&A, products, and attributes add depth once the core is solid.
Does a complete Google Business Profile help with AI search and AI Overviews?
Yes. ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews lean heavily on Google's local data when they answer near-me and best-in-city questions. Formative Digital's May 2026 analysis of 1,732 AI-engine citations found ChatGPT grounds its local recommendations largely through google.com surfaces such as Maps and the Knowledge Graph. A complete, consistent profile is part of the entity record those engines read.
Is my checklist data saved or sent anywhere?
The checklist runs as plain client-side JavaScript and your score is computed on your own device. Nothing you tick is stored on a server or saved to a database. The only point at which anything is sent is if you choose to submit the short form to reveal the prioritized fix-first plan and have us email your results, which notifies Formative Digital with the score and the context you entered. Reload the page and the checklist resets.
How often should I update my Google Business Profile?
Treat it as a living record, not a one-time setup. Add a Post weekly, reply to every review within a few days, refresh photos monthly, and review hours before any holiday. Profiles that show recent activity are read as active and trustworthy by both Google's local ranking and the AI engines that pull from it.