How to set a client's Google Business Profile

Link the client's Google Business Profile (GBP) once, and everything about it in ContentForge comes straight from Google: the profile itself, every review and reply, posts, and calls. Zeus reads the linked profile too, and can apply his fixes to Google after you check and confirm them.

Link the Business Profile

1. Open the client and go to Client → Settings.
2. Under Google Integrations, find Business Profile and click Link Business Profile.
3. The list shows every Business Profile your connected Google account manages, with its name and address. The one that matches the client is already picked and marked Suggested.
4. Check it's the right business (or pick another), then click Link this location.

Nothing is ever linked without you clicking Link this location. Click Change to pick another location or Unlink to remove it. Unlinking doesn't touch the client's Search Console, GA4 or Ads.

Local → Business Profile (linked)

Open the client's Local → Business Profile tab. With the profile linked you see:

• The profile: name, address or service area, phone, website, categories, opening hours, description, services (each with its description), attributes and photos, read live from Google. Profile completeness lists what's filled in and what's missing. Click Refresh to read it again, Edit profile to change fields yourself (see below), or Change location to link another one. When some services have no description, click Add descriptions with Zeus under the services (the same as Zeus's "services have no description" finding).
• Calls, direction requests, website clicks and profile views for the last 28 days Google has. Your client can see the same four numbers in their portal (see below).
• Zeus's profile check (see below).
• Reviews (see below).
• Posts (see below).
• Photos (see below).
• Google reviews over time: the total number of reviews and the star rating at each of Zeus's monthly checks, so you can see the profile grow.

If another Google listing is on file for the client (for example one Zeus found on Google Maps before the link), the profile card says so. Click Use the linked profile everywhere to make the linked profile the listing on file, so Zeus's scans, map scans and citations look at the same business. It only changes the listing stored on the client. The GBP optimizer still reads that listing's public Google data, never the live linked profile.

Edit the profile yourself

1. On Local → Business Profile, click Edit profile. The Edit Profile page opens with the profile as it is on Google.
2. Change what you need in any of the sections:
   • Basic Information: Business Name, Phone, Website and Description (up to 750 characters).
   • Business Hours: each day's opening and closing times, or Closed.
   • Services: edit or remove services, or Add a new service with a name and an optional price.
   • Categories: the primary category (Select Primary Category) and extra ones (Add Category, search by name).
   • Business Attributes: the options Google offers for the category, such as features and amenities.
3. "You have unsaved changes" shows while something is edited. Click Save Changes. You see "Profile updated successfully".

Only the fields you changed are sent to Google. All your edits on one day become one work-done item naming the fields, for example "Updated the Google Business Profile hours and website". Click Back to GBP to return.

Reviews

Every review on the profile, newest first. Use the filters to show Without a reply, Replied or a star rating. The number on each filter is counted from the same list it shows.

• Click Reply, write the reply (up to 4,096 characters) and click Post reply to Google.
• Click Edit reply to change a reply, or Delete reply to remove it from Google.
• Click Draft a reply with Zeus and Zeus writes one in the client's voice. Edit it if you like, then click Approve & post. A reply to a 1 or 2 star review needs I've read this review ticked first.

If Google counts more reviews than it lets apps read (it holds back reviews it's still checking), the panel says so.

When a client person with the Reply to reviews permission replies from their portal, the reply says by their name (client, from their portal), and it's added to the client's work done. See Client permissions.

Posts

The profile's updates, events and offers. Click New post, pick Update, Event or Offer, write the text (up to 1,500 characters), add a button and a photo from the client's Media if you like, and click Post to Google. An event or offer also needs a title (up to 58 characters) and start and end dates; an offer can have a coupon code, terms and a redeem link. Click Edit or Delete on a post to change or remove it on Google.

Draft a post with Zeus first asks what the post should be (Zeus's profile check has the same button):

• Post type: Update, Offer or Event. For an offer, say what the offer is and the dates. For an event, its title and dates. Zeus writes around them and never makes up an offer.
• What it's about: Let Zeus choose (a service the business hasn't posted about lately, or this season's idea), one of the business's services (from the client record and the linked profile), a content strategy item, a blog post or page to promote, or a seasonal or local idea (pick one of Zeus's ideas or write your own).
• Optional: an angle or note for Zeus, a photo from the client's Media, and a button (Call now, Book or Learn more, going to a page on the client's site or any address).

Click Draft with Zeus. Zeus writes it in the client's voice, using only facts from the client record (what the business says about the service, its description on Google, the strategy item, the page), and follows Google's post rules (no phone number in the text, 1,500 characters at most). The draft opens in the post editor so you can change anything, then click Approve & post. Asking for the same post again opens the draft that's waiting instead of writing another. The draft also shows in Content → Social.

Google turns down posts with a phone number in the text. Add a Call now button instead.

Photos

The business's own photos on the profile, newest first, with what each shows (cover, logo, exterior …), the date and how many times it was viewed. Photos customers added are listed under From customers.

1. Click Add a photo.
2. Pick a photo from the client's Media, or click Upload a new photo (it goes into Media too).
3. Pick what it shows: Additional (picked for you — Google takes it for every business), Cover photo, Profile photo, Logo, Exterior, Interior, Product, At work, Team and more. Google doesn't offer every type to every business, and doesn't tell apps which ones in advance. If Google turns one down, you see "Google doesn't offer 'At work' photos for this business. Pick another type, like Additional, Exterior or Interior." Your photo stays picked, so pick another type and post again. Next time that type is grayed out with "Google doesn't offer this for this business".
4. ContentForge checks the photo against Google's rules: JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB, at least 250 × 250 px. Big photos are made smaller first (the longest side at most 3000 px, same shape), turned the right way up, and sent without the camera's hidden details (location, camera model). You see the size Google gets and any problem. A logo shows best square and a cover photo best wide (16:9); you're told if Google may crop it.
5. Click Post to Google. ContentForge adds the photo, reads it back from Google to check it's there, and shows Added to Google with the photo, its type and either "Google has it" or "Google is still processing it" (it can take a few minutes to show). Click Add another or Done. It's added to the client's work done ("Added a photo to the Google Business Profile", or "Added 3 photos …" on a busy day). It shows on the client's map ranking chart as Business Profile photo added.

Click Delete on one of the business's own photos, then Delete from Google to confirm. You see Deleted from Google when it's gone (or that Google is still removing it). Customers' photos can't be deleted by the business; click Report on Google if one breaks Google's rules.

Zeus's profile check

Zeus reads the linked profile, its reviews and posts, and compares them with the client's top map competitors from his last monthly check. Each finding is an Edict, Decree or Omen with the numbers behind it.

When a finding is something Google lets ContentForge change, it has a button:

• Apply to Google for categories, attributes, and opening hours (copied from the website's Business Info).
• Write it with Zeus for the description, services not listed, and services with no description. Zeus writes them in the client's voice.

The button opens what will change: On Google now and After the change. Edit the text if you like, tick I've checked this is true for the business, and click Apply to Google. ContentForge writes the change, reads the profile again to check it's there, and adds it to the client's work done. Zeus then measures calls and clicks at 30, 60 and 90 days.

Nothing changes on Google until you confirm it. If someone edited the profile in Google since you opened the change, ContentForge stops and shows you the new version first.

After you apply a change, the finding leaves Zeus's profile check straight away:

• Google shows the change: the finding goes, and the check says Done with its title.
• Google isn't showing it yet (Google sometimes reviews an edit first): the finding stays with Applied — waiting for Google and no button, so the same change can't be sent twice. It names what Google isn't showing yet, and it clears itself the next time the check sees the change on Google.
• Only part of a list was applied (for example you unticked 2 of 4 services): the finding stays for just the ones you left out.
• Still not on Google a week later: the finding comes back with its button and says "Applied on … — Google still doesn't show …". Google may have turned it down; check the profile in Google.

Services and their descriptions

Services are two separate findings, each with its own button and dialog. Each dialog lists only what that finding changes:

• Services not listed (for example "5 of the business's services are not listed"): the dialog shows just those new services, each with a description written by Zeus, all ticked. The other services on the profile aren't listed. One line says how many stay as they are.
• Services with no description (an Omen, "N services on the profile have no description"): the dialog shows just those services, each with a description written by Zeus. Add descriptions with Zeus under the services on the profile card opens the same thing.

Zeus writes each description from the client's own service write-ups (Client Details), About us and the profile description, in the client's voice, using only facts the business gave. Google's own service types (the ones Google adds for the category, like "install faucet") are never listed or changed. Change those in Google.

Every description says where it comes from:

• Written by Zeus: Zeus's text. Edit it (it then says Edited by you), or click × to remove it (the service is still added, without one).
• On Google now: a description that's already on Google. It stays as it is. Click Rewrite to write a new one; it then says Your rewrite — replaces the description on Google, and Keep Google's undoes that.

Untick a service to leave it out. Google allows up to 300 characters per description, with no phone numbers, web addresses or email addresses. The counter turns red when a description breaks a rule, and you can't save it.

Click Save and show the change to see On Google now and After the change again, then tick I've checked this is true for the business and click Apply to Google. Only what the dialog shows changes; every other service on the profile is kept exactly as it is. ContentForge reads the profile back to check each service and description is there. The work done says what happened, for example "Added 5 services with descriptions to the Google Business Profile" or "Added descriptions to 3 services on the Google Business Profile".

A photos finding says how many photos to add and how far along you are, for example "Add 15 photos … (20 of 35 so far)". It has Add a photo, which opens Photos → Add a photo. After you add a photo or reply to a review, Zeus checks again: a finding that's done shows Done and closes, and Zeus's matching recommendation is marked done. Other findings (description, hours, services, posts) close the next time the check runs after the change. For findings Google doesn't let apps change (a different primary category), Fix it in Google opens the profile in Google instead.

Client approval

If the client approves Business Profile work first (Client → Settings → Client approvals → Google Business Profile), every post, reply, profile change and photo shows where it stands and gets Send for approval. Nothing goes to Google until the client approves exactly that version, or you use Approve for the client:

• Posts: the post editor's button becomes Send for approval (or Approve for the client & post). Zeus's post drafts are approved through their copy in Content → Social.
• Replies: under the reply you're writing, or Zeus's draft reply.
• Profile changes: in Apply to Google.
• Photos: in Add a photo.

The Client approvals card on this page lists what you sent and the client's answers. Once something is approved, post it from there (Post to Google, Add to Google, Post the reply); an approved profile change is applied with Apply to Google. Changing an item after it was approved needs approving again. Replies the client writes themselves in their portal are never held. See Client approvals.

Work done

Everything you change on Google from this page is added to the client's work done (the Work done this period card on Zeus, their portal and monthly email), in plain words:

• Apply to Google and Edit profile: "Updated the Google Business Profile hours" (one item per applied change; Edit profile is one item a day naming every field you edited). Services say what was added: "Added 5 services with descriptions to the Google Business Profile", "Added descriptions to 3 services on the Google Business Profile", with the services named underneath.
• Posts: "Posted an offer to the Google Business Profile" (or an update or event) once per post, linked to the post. The same item is added when a Business Profile post goes to Google from Content → Social (Post to Google), or is marked as posted there. Edits and deletes are one item a day with the count ("Updated 2 posts on the Google Business Profile").
• Reviews: one item a day for your team ("Replied to a 5-star Google review", "Replied to 4 Google reviews"), with edited and removed replies counted in it. A client person's replies from their portal are one item a day per person, with their name.
• Photos: "Added 3 photos to the Google Business Profile" and "Removed a photo from the Google Business Profile", one item a day each.
• Use the linked profile everywhere: "Confirmed the Google Business Profile used for map rankings and listing checks".

Work that came from Zeus (a change from his profile check, an approved post or reply draft, a photo added from his photos finding) shows From Zeus's Edict / Decree / Omen on the work done card. The client sees only the plain wording. Refreshing, filters and viewing add nothing.

Without a link: public Google data

Until the profile is linked, Local → Business Profile shows the client's public Google listing, labeled Public Google data, with a Link Business Profile button. Set it in the Google Business Profile box on Client → Settings (Find it, or paste the listing's Google Maps share link and click Check link), or on Local → Business Profile with Search or Paste a Google Maps link. Zeus's scans, map scans and the citation audit use this listing until a profile is linked.

Without a link you can still click Let Zeus Judge Your Profile (1 credit). Zeus compares the public listing with what Google rewards and lists what to fix, the same as the standalone GBP Optimization tool. This client's earlier results are under Past runs. Once the profile is linked, this public part is hidden and Zeus's profile check takes its place.

Which listing each tool uses

• Local → Business Profile, Zeus's profile check, posts, replies, photos and Apply to Google: the linked profile, read live from Google.
• Zeus's scans, map scans and the citation audit: the linked profile once Use the linked profile everywhere is clicked (or when it's the same listing); otherwise the public listing on file.
• The standalone GBP Optimization tool under SEO Tools: always public Google data, found by a name search or a Google Maps link. It never uses a client's linked profile. It's meant for prospects and businesses that aren't clients yet.
• Let Zeus Judge Your Profile on a client's tab (only shown while no profile is linked): the same public optimizer, on the listing you pick there. That pick is saved for Zeus, map scans and citations.

Examples

• A new dental client: link the profile, open Local → Business Profile, and Zeus's check says 4 services have no description. Click Write it with Zeus, check the descriptions, tick I've checked this is true for the business and Apply to Google.
• A 1-star review: click Draft a reply with Zeus, soften a line, tick I've read this review, then Approve & post.
• Holiday hours: click Edit profile, change Thursday to Closed in Business Hours and click Save Changes.
• A summer offer: Draft a post with Zeus, pick Offer, type "10% off AC tune-ups" with the dates, add a Book button, then Approve & post.

Limits and what it can't do

• Reviews: up to 1,000 of the newest are listed. A reply is at most 4,096 characters.
• Posts: text up to 1,500 characters with no phone number; an event or offer title up to 58 characters; buttons need an https:// address (except Call now).
• Photos: JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB, at least 250 × 250 px. Customers' photos can't be deleted, only reported.
• Service descriptions: up to 300 characters, no phone numbers, web or email addresses. Google's own service types can't be changed here.
• Google no longer lets apps read profile questions and answers, so they aren't shown. A different primary category can only be changed in Google (Fix it in Google).
• One linked profile per client. The connected Google account must manage it as an owner or manager.
• Clients never see the picker, posts, photos or Zeus. When the profile is linked and you show Google reviews in their portal, they see the reviews and replies; with Reply to reviews they can reply too. See Portal Google reviews.
• When the profile is linked and Google Business Profile stats is on in the client's Dashboard settings, their portal's Site Stats shows calls, direction requests, website clicks and profile views with their change, a chart by day and the dates covered, right above the Map Pack rankings. The monthly email gets the four numbers too. It's on in the SEO Detail and Complete View layouts. Not linked, nothing shows (never public data). See Choose what each client sees.

Credits

• Reading and changing a linked profile is free: replies, posts, photos, Edit profile, Zeus's profile check, Zeus's drafts and Apply to Google.
• Let Zeus Judge Your Profile on a client without a linked profile costs 1 credit (gbp_optimizer), like the standalone tool.
• You can also run the GBP optimizer from a connected AI assistant; it shows the cost first. See Connect your AI assistant.

Who can use it

• Agency people with the Clients tool can view the profile, reply, post, add photos and use Edit profile. Team members limited to some clients only see those clients.
• Zeus's profile check, Draft … with Zeus, Write it with Zeus and Apply to Google also need the Zeus tool. Without it you see "Zeus access required".
• Linking and unlinking are on Client → Settings, for anyone with the Clients tool.
• Client people can't use any of this page. In their portal they only see reviews (and reply, with the Reply to reviews permission) and, if you show them, the profile's numbers on Site Stats. Elsewhere they get "Zeus is only available to your agency".

Troubleshooting

• "Business Profile access is switched off on this server…": Business Profile management isn't available on your account yet. The public listing still works. Contact support if you expected it.
• "Link this client's Business Profile to see its reviews, posts and calls here.": link it in Client → Settings → Google Integrations → Business Profile.
• The client's profile isn't in the list: the Google account connected in Settings → Google Connection must manage it (as an owner or manager). Ask the business to add that Google account as a manager, or connect the Google account that manages it.
• "Google isn't connected. Connect Google in Settings → Google Connection, then try again.": the Owner or an Admin connects Google.
• "Google needs reconnecting — it stopped accepting the saved Google sign-in…": click Reconnect Google and sign in again. Your client links stay as they are.
• "Google says the connected Google account can't manage Business Profiles…": reconnect Google and allow Business Profile access, or connect the account that manages the business.
• "Google's limit for Business Profile requests was reached for the moment. Wait a minute and try again.": too many requests in the last minute. Wait and try again.
• "Zeus access required": ask the Owner or an Admin to switch on the Zeus tool for you in Settings → Team Members.
• "Write the reply first" or "Too long for Google (max 4096 characters)": write a reply, or shorten it.
• "Google turns down posts with a phone number in the text. Take it out and add a Call button instead.": remove the number and pick Call now.
• "The text is N characters — Google allows 1500.", "Give the offer a title.", "Pick the start and end dates.", "The end date is before the start date.", "The button needs a web address (https://…).": fix the post and try again.
• "Pick what the photo shows (a category).", "That file isn't a photo Google can use.", "Couldn't read that photo from Media — it may have been deleted.": pick a type, or pick or upload another photo.
• "Google doesn't offer 'At work' photos for this business…": pick another type, like Additional, Exterior or Interior.
• "Google refused it: …" after Post to Google on a photo: Google's own reason, for example that it couldn't fetch the photo. ContentForge sends the file itself first and only falls back to a link if Google won't take the file.
• "Only the business's own photos can be deleted here…": customer photos can only be reported on Google.
• "No changes to save" on Edit Profile: change a field first. "Failed to save changes": Google refused the edit; check the field (for example a website must be a full address) and try again.
• Someone edited the profile in Google since you opened a change: ContentForge stops and shows you the new version before Apply to Google.
• A finding didn't close after the change: an applied change leaves the list straight away, or shows Applied — waiting for Google until Google shows it. Photos, posts and replies are checked again straight away. If a finding with Applied — waiting for Google is still there a week later, Google may have turned the change down; check the profile in Google.
• "This was already applied on … — waiting for Google to show it. Nothing was sent again.": that change is already on its way to Google. Wait for Google to show it.