A Step-by-Step Framework for Optimizing Your Spa's Google Business Profile

This guide is written for owners and managers of day spas, med spas, wellness centers, and massage therapy studios who want their business to appear prominently in Google's local results — specifically the Map Pack that appears above organic listings when someone searches "spa near me" or "facial [city name]."

If you've already claimed your Google Business Profile but haven't done anything beyond entering a phone number and address, this guide covers the gaps. If you're setting up a new profile from scratch, start at the beginning and work through each section in order.

A few things this guide does not cover in depth: multi-location GBP management (covered in the Local SEO for Spas guide), the broader technical SEO factors that support local rankings, and review generation campaigns. Those topics have their own dedicated pages in this cluster.

What you will find here is a complete walkthrough of every GBP field that influences local rankings for spas, including the ones most spa owners skip.

Your primary category tells Google what your business fundamentally is. It's weighted more heavily than any other single GBP field, so selecting the wrong one — or a vague one — costs you visibility on your most valuable searches.

Primary Category Options for Spas

• Day Spa — the most commonly applicable primary category for full-service relaxation and treatment facilities
• Medical Spa — appropriate if you offer injectables, laser treatments, or other medical-grade services under licensed supervision
• Massage Therapist or Massage Spa — correct primary if massage is your core revenue service
• Wellness Center — use only if your services are predominantly wellness-focused (yoga, meditation, holistic therapies) rather than traditional spa treatments
• Facial Spa — a strong choice if facials and skin treatments are your primary service mix

Choose the category that most accurately describes your primary revenue service. Do not pick a broader category hoping to capture more searches — Google interprets specificity as a signal of relevance.

Secondary Categories

Add up to nine secondary categories, but only include ones that genuinely describe services you offer. Common valid secondary additions include: Nail Salon (if you offer nail services), Waxing Hair Removal Service, Tanning Studio, or Beauty Salon if applicable.

In our experience working with spa clients, the most common mistake is setting "Beauty Salon" as the primary category when the business is a full-service day spa. The result is ranking for hair-related searches while missing the more profitable "spa" queries.

The Services section of GBP is consistently underused by spa owners, and that's a missed opportunity. Each service you add is a keyword signal Google can match against local searches.

How to Structure Your Services

Google organizes services into sections (think: categories) and individual line items. For a day spa, your sections might look like:

• Massages (Swedish, Deep Tissue, Hot Stone, Prenatal)
• Facials (Hydrafacial, Chemical Peel, Anti-Aging Facial)
• Body Treatments (Body Wrap, Scrub, Detox Treatment)
• Nail Services (Manicure, Pedicure, Gel Nails)

For each service, add a description of 100–200 characters and include a price or price range where possible. Price transparency improves click-through from the profile and reduces low-intent inquiries.

Attributes That Matter for Spas

Attributes are the checkboxes in your GBP dashboard that describe your business environment. Prioritize these:

• Accessibility attributes — wheelchair accessible entrance, parking, restroom
• Amenity attributes — gender-neutral restrooms, gender-inclusive spa services where applicable
• Payment attributes — accepts health savings accounts (relevant for med spas), credit cards, etc.
• Health and safety attributes — still visible in many profiles and still used by a segment of searchers

Complete every attribute that applies. Incomplete attribute sections signal an unmanaged profile to Google's quality systems.

Photos are one of the most visible parts of a GBP profile and one of the strongest engagement signals Google tracks. A profile with 8 photos from three years ago looks abandoned next to a competitor uploading fresh content monthly.

The Core Photo Categories for Spas

• Treatment rooms — clean, well-lit, staged with fresh linens. Shoot from the doorway and from a low angle near the table.
• Reception and lobby — first impression photos that communicate atmosphere and cleanliness
• Exterior and signage — critical for helping clients find you; include parking lot approach if relevant
• Team photos — estheticians, therapists, front desk staff in working context (not forced posed shots)
• Treatment process shots — hands during a massage, facial application, product display. Avoid showing client faces without explicit consent.
• Products used — if you retail or use premium product lines, photograph them in context

Upload Cadence

Rather than uploading 40 photos at launch and stopping, aim for 4–8 new photos every month. Photo recency is a signal Google's local algorithm tracks. Clients also notice fresh imagery when they revisit your profile before rebooking.

Technical Standards

Upload at minimum 720px wide, well-lit, in JPG or PNG format. Avoid adding text overlays, promotional graphics, or collage-style images — Google may suppress these. Your cover photo and logo should be updated any time your branding changes.

In our experience, spa profiles with consistent photo uploads over a 6-month period tend to outperform static profiles in Map Pack visibility, even when other optimization factors are similar.

Google's local ranking algorithm factors in review quantity, recency, and — according to Google's own documentation — owner response rate. Beyond rankings, your responses are read by prospective clients evaluating whether to book. A thoughtful reply to a 3-star review can convert a fence-sitter more effectively than five additional 5-star reviews.

Response Framework for Positive Reviews

For 4- and 5-star reviews, keep responses short and specific:

• Thank the reviewer by first name if they used it
• Reference one specific detail they mentioned (the treatment, the therapist's name, the atmosphere)
• Close with an invitation to return or a seasonal mention

Avoid copy-paste responses. Google can detect repeated identical text, and clients notice it too.

Response Framework for Negative Reviews

Negative reviews are high-stakes. Follow this sequence:

1. Acknowledge the experience without admitting liability or dismissing the concern
2. Apologize for falling short of their expectation
3. Move the conversation offline: provide a direct contact name and phone number or email
4. Keep the response under 100 words — long defensive responses read poorly to third-party observers

Never argue with a reviewer publicly. Even if the review is factually incorrect, your response audience is every future client reading that thread — not the person who left the review.

Review Generation

The most sustainable source of new reviews is a consistent post-appointment request — either via text or email — sent within 2 hours of the client's visit while the experience is fresh. GBP provides a shareable review link in your dashboard. Add it to your booking confirmation email and post-visit follow-up sequence.

For a complete review generation strategy, the Spa SEO resource hub links to the reputation management guide in this cluster.

Google Posts are short-form updates that appear directly on your GBP profile. They expire after 7 days (offer posts) or remain visible but de-prioritized after that window. The practical implication: posting once a week keeps your profile active and gives Google a reason to re-crawl your listing.

What to Post as a Spa

• Seasonal promotions — Mother's Day packages, holiday gift cards, summer body treatment specials
• New service announcements — when you add a treatment type or bring on a new modality
• Staff spotlights — introducing a new esthetician or therapist builds trust before the first appointment
• Educational content — "what to expect during your first HydraFacial" reduces booking anxiety for new clients
• Limited availability notices — "only 3 weekend openings left this month" posts create urgency without feeling manipulative

Routine Maintenance Tasks

Beyond posts and photos, set a monthly reminder to check these fields:

• Business hours — especially holiday hours; incorrect hours generate negative reviews
• Phone number and website URL — verify these haven't been corrupted by a suggested edit
• Q&A section — answer questions proactively and upvote your own answers so they surface first
• Duplicate listings — search your business name periodically and request removal of any duplicates Google may have auto-generated

GBP profiles can be edited by Google or by users suggesting changes. Enable notifications in your GBP dashboard so you're alerted when suggested edits are applied — some require immediate reversal.

If managing GBP is one part of a broader local visibility effort, see how full SEO services for spas including GBP management approach profile optimization as part of an integrated strategy.