As the year winds down, many businesses focus on holiday promotions, year-end reporting, and planning for the quarter ahead. But there’s one high-impact marketing task that often gets overlooked—and it can directly influence your visibility, website traffic, and lead generation heading into the new year: updating your Google Business Profile (GBP).
Your GBP is one of the most important tools for local SEO. It helps potential customers find you in Google Search and Google Maps, displays key business information, and gives people a first impression of your brand before they ever click on your website.
At Advantage Internet Marketing, we help businesses optimize their Google Business Profiles year-round. But the end of the year is an especially important time to refresh your profile and make sure everything is accurate, polished, and ready to convert in January.
Here are five essential GBP updates every business should make before the new year hits.
1. Update Your Holiday and New Year Business Hours
Whether your business stays open for the holidays, closes early, or operates with reduced staff, your hours must be updated in Google Business Profile.
Incorrect hours frustrate customers, hurt your credibility, and can even impact your ranking if users report your profile.
Before the new year, make sure to:
- Add special holiday hours (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, etc.).
- Update seasonal hours if your business changes operations in winter.
- Add temporary closures, if necessary.
Google prioritizes businesses with accurate, frequently updated information, so these updates help you maintain ranking strength while improving user experience.
2. Refresh Your Business Description
Your business evolves every year, and your GBP description should evolve with it. A stale or outdated description can work against you in competitive markets.
Use this moment to:
- Add new services you introduced this year.
- Remove services you no longer offer.
- Include updated selling points, certifications, or awards.
- Strengthen your keyword targeting for local SEO.
For example, a home services company might highlight:
- “Now servicing Carroll County, Howard County, and Baltimore County”
- “Offering same-day service on HVAC repairs”
- “Winner of the 2024 Local Business Excellence Award”
This helps increase relevance for both search engines and potential customers.
3. Add New Photos and Videos
If you haven’t added new visual content to your GBP in months (or all year), you’re not alone, but it’s hurting your engagement.
Google prioritizes profiles with fresh, high-quality visuals, and customers trust businesses more when they can see updated team photos, service work, or storefront images.
Before the new year, upload:
- New team photos
- Project photos or service examples
- Updated interior/exterior shots
- Short 10–30 second videos
- Graphics promoting new services or seasonal offers
According to Google, businesses with photos get:
- 42% more requests for directions
- 35% more website clicks
This is a simple update that can drive massive impact.
4. Clean Up Your Services and Products List
Over time, a Google Business Profile can become cluttered with old service titles, outdated pricing, or missing offerings. The end of the year is the perfect moment to clean it up.
Review your:
- Service categories
- Individual services with descriptions
- Products list (if applicable)
- Pricing or starting prices
Make sure everything is accurate and aligned with your current business model.
You should also check if Google added any auto-generated services you didn’t approve, as this happens more often than most businesses realize and can misrepresent what you offer.
A polished, keyword-rich services section helps Google better understand your business, which boosts your rankings for relevant searches.
5. Post an End-of-Year Update or Promotion
Google Posts are an underused feature, but they’re extremely valuable. They:
- Increase engagement
- Improve visibility
- Show Google that your business is active
Before the new year, publish at least one:
- Holiday greeting
- Year-in-review post
- New Year promotion
- Winter service update
- “Thank you to our customers” message
If you want to boost early Q1 performance, you can also post:
- A January special
- A new service announcement
- A blog link with seasonal tips
Google Posts help you appear more active and trustworthy—qualities customers and search engines both reward.
End the Year Strong with a Well-Optimized Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is one of the highest-impact digital assets your business has, and refreshing it now can set the stage for better rankings, more leads, and stronger customer engagement in the year ahead.
At Advantage Internet Marketing, we help businesses optimize their GBP for maximum visibility with:
- Profile management
- Local SEO optimization
- Photo and content updates
- Review strategies
- Weekly posting and performance tracking
Ready to strengthen your local search presence for the new year? Contact us today and let’s make sure your Google Business Profile is fully optimized for 2026 and beyond.