You can have a strong national brand, brilliant campaigns, and a spotless website—and still lose the customer at the last inch. Because in that final, decisive moment, local search is what determines whether they choose you or someone else.
Why? That final decision often happens in the blink of an eye: in a “near me” moment, in a glance at Google Maps, or on a Google Business Profile (GBP) that either inspires immediate confidence… or doesn’t.
In our latest webinar, Listings 101: Your Google Business Profile Masterclass, Alchemer’s Senior Optimization Strategist and Enterprise Listings Specialist sat down to tackle the three universal challenges of local search:
- How to build accurate listings at scale.
- How to survive Google’s verification maze.
- How to optimize your GBPs to actually improve rankings and drive foot traffic.
In this post, we’re unpacking the biggest themes from their conversation—just enough to help you quickly spot the gaps and opportunities in your own local strategy. (We’ll save the full frameworks, customer stories, and step-by-step guidance for the on-demand session itself.)
Why Local Listings are more than just a directory
Local search is no longer just a digital directory – it’s a decision engine.
When someone searches “coffee open now” or “best urgent care near me,” they aren’t browsing. They are deciding, and they are doing it fast. Your Google Business Profile is often the first, and most influential, impression you’ll get.
As they put it, “listings management is the critical layer that protects that first impression wherever customers find you.” That includes Google, Apple Maps, Bing, Facebook, and the many secondary directories that quietly reinforce Google’s trust in your business data.
Accurate and consistent information? You earn credibility, and better rankings.
Messy or outdated data? Rankings slip, customers get confused, and competitors happily take the click.
What are listings gaps – and why they’re costly
A listings gap is any missing, outdated or inconsistent business data, including:
- Incorrect hours or holidays closures
- Old phone numbers or addresses
- Duplicate profiles
- Missing categories or services
For multi-location brands, these gaps scale fast. One healthcare provider highlighted in the webinar had over 200 locations – yet only ~50% listing accuracy. After adopting Chatmeter by Alchemer to tighten their data, they pushed accuracy to 98% and 25% of their appointments now come directly from their listings.
GBP Verification: The gatekeeper of local performance
If there’s one topic that makes multi-location teams groan, it’s verification. You claim a location. Google asks for proof. Weeks pass. Maybe it sticks. Maybe your listing gets flagged again for reasons no one can explain.
The presenters call verification “the gatekeeper,” and they are right. Without it, brands lose access to the very tools that drive performance: insights, posts, messaging, review responses, and the ongoing optimization controls you need to be competitive.
In the webinar, they breakdown how verification works today, the most common causes of re-verification or unexpected status changes, and why brands et stuck. The two hosts also provide practical, detailed guidance on video verification—now Google’s default path—and how to prepare your teams, so the process isn’t a recurring fire drill.
(The webinar provides share a repeatable workflow for monitoring—it’s super actionable, but you’ll have to discover it there!)
What actually drives local SEO rankings?
Listing completeness helps – but targeted optimization wins. Here are key fields that matter most in Google Business Profile optimization:
- Primary category: Must align with real search behavior
- Secondary categories: Use to support, not dilute, your core relevance
- Services and attributes: Match to high-intent queries
- Special hours: Keep regular and holiday hours up to date
- Fresh content: Posts and photos enhance relevance and engagement
Newer optimization signals take center stage in an AI-influenced search landscape: structured profile content, added hours, and the small details that boost Google’s confidence in showing your business high-intent queries.
Level up your local search strategy
Local search is one of the few channels where small fixes create outsized gains—but only if you focus on the right foundation first.
Ask yourself:
- Do we know our listings accuracy rate today—or are we guessing?
- If Google re-verified 20 locations tomorrow, would we be ready?
- Are our categories strategic, or just “filled out”?
- Are we actively managing visuals and attributes, or letting profiles drift?
If any answer feels fuzzy, you’re the exact audience for this masterclass.
Listings 101: Your Google Business Profile Masterclass gives you the blueprint: how verification really works, what optimization signals matter most, and how to scale it all without drowning in manual upkeep.
Ready to tighten your local presence and win more “near me” moments?
Frequently asked questions about local search
1. What is a local listing, and what counts as a listings gap?
A local listing is any online profile for a specific location—especially your Google Business Profile (GBP), plus Apple Maps, Bing, Facebook, Yelp, and other directories. A “listings gap” is missing, inconsistent, or outdated info (wrong hours, old phone number, duplicate profiles, weak categories, incomplete services). Those gaps reduce Google’s trust and can cost you Local Pack and Maps visibility.
2. How do listings impact local SEO and “near me” rankings?
Google uses listing accuracy and consistency as a core trust signal. When your NAP, hours, categories, and services match everywhere, Google is more confident showing you for high-intent searches. If your data conflicts across platforms, rankings slip, customers lose confidence, and clicks go to competitors.
3. Why is Google Business Profile verification so important?
Verification is the gatekeeper to performance. Without a verified GBP, you don’t fully control your profile or access key features like posts, insights, messaging, and review responses. Unverified or repeatedly re-verified locations often underperform in local search because Google treats them as less reliable.
4. What are the highest-impact GBP optimizations for multi-location brands?
Focus on what moves rankings and conversions most:
- Strategic primary + secondary categories aligned to real search behavior
- Services/products and attributes that match high-intent queries
- Accurate regular + special hours (including holiday updates)
- Fresh photos/posts to boost engagement and relevance
Completeness helps, but targeted optimization wins “near me” moments.