• 9 parts of your profile
• 26 checks to run through
• 4 official sources, linked
• Oct 11, 2026 last updated

From Optymizer (optymizer.com). Free to use. Run through it once, then again every few months.

Part 1 of 9 0 of 2

1. Get verified, and stay verified

• Google may ask for video verification. Its help page asks the video to show where you operate (street signs or landmarks near your business address), proof the business is real (your trucks, equipment, branded clothing), and proof you run it (for example unlocking your truck, or a license or invoice in your business name). It must be one continuous recording.
• Don't change your name, address, phone and category all at once after you're verified. Big edits can trigger a re-verification.

Part 2 of 9 0 of 4

2. Your DOT number (if you move people across state lines)

• FMCSA says interstate moving companies and brokers must be registered with the federal government and have a U.S. DOT number. Registered is not the same as authorized: to move household goods interstate you also need household goods operating authority (an MC number).
• Customers can look you up in FMCSA's mover search to check registration, insurance, authority and complaints. Make sure what they find matches your Google profile: same business name, same phone.
• Put your USDOT number (and MC number if you have one) on your website, so people who check can find it fast.
• Local moves inside one state follow state and local rules, not FMCSA. Check your state's requirements.

Part 3 of 9 0 of 4

3. Address and service area

• No office customers walk into? Hide your address and set it up as a service-area business. Google's guidelines say not to show an address where you don't serve customers.
• Have a real office or storage yard customers visit, with signs and staffed hours? Show the address.
• Set your service area to the cities or zip codes you actually serve. Don't list places you won't go.
• Never use a virtual office, mailbox or a spot you don't really work from.

Part 4 of 9 0 of 4

4. Name and category

• Business name = your real-world name, exactly as on your trucks, signs and paperwork. No "cheap", "best" or city names added on.
• Primary category: Mover.
• Add secondary categories only for work you really do (for example Moving and storage service, Piano moving service, Packing supply store if you sell boxes).
• Fill in the Services list with the jobs you actually do: local moves, long distance moves, packing and unpacking, loading only, pianos, storage, office moves.

Part 5 of 9 0 of 2

5. Phone and website

• Use a local number that rings you, not a call center or broker that resells leads.
• Link to your own website, ideally a page that matches what the profile is about.

Part 6 of 9 0 of 2

6. Photos

• Real photos only: your trucks, your crew, real moves (with the customer's permission and no house numbers showing). Wrapped furniture and a well-packed truck show you take care of people's things.
• Add new photos regularly. No stock photos.

Part 7 of 9 0 of 3

7. Reviews

• Ask every happy customer for a review right after the move. Send your review link by text.
• Reply to every review, good or bad, and name the job in your reply ("Glad the piano made it up the stairs in one piece").
• Never pay for reviews, offer discounts for them, or write them yourself. It breaks Google's rules and can get reviews removed or the profile restricted.

Part 8 of 9 0 of 3

8. Hours

• List the hours someone answers the phone and gives quotes.
• Set holiday hours before every holiday.
• Answer the phone. Missed calls send people to the next mover on the map.

Part 9 of 9 0 of 2

9. Keep it alive

• Post an update now and then: a real move, a packing tip, your busy-season dates.
• Answer questions in the Q&A and messages if you turn messaging on.

The official sources, linked

• Google Business Profile guidelines
• Verify your business with a video recording
• FMCSA moving FAQ (registration, DOT number, mover search)
• FMCSA types of operating authority (household goods carriers)

Rules change. If anything here disagrees with the official page, the official page wins.

Ask Offer to look at your profile

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Checklists for other trades

• Plumber checklist 23 checks, for Google Business Profile
• Garage door checklist 22 checks, for Google Business Profile
• Locksmith checklist 23 checks, for Google Business Profile
• Electrician checklist 24 checks, for Google Business Profile
• Google reviews checklist 45 checks
• All checklists

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Updated Oct 11, 2026 · optymizer.com/checklists/movers-google-business-profile-checklist