You can be the best crew in town and still lose the click because your Google listing looks abandoned next to a competitor who posts every week. Ghost Score is our name for that gap: how visible and alive you appear online versus the shops around you. This guide breaks down the score, what Google Business Profile rewards, and a monthly rhythm that does not require a marketing agency.
Executive summary
- Map pack is shelf space: Incomplete profiles rank below active ones even with better reviews.
- Posts signal life: Weekly photos and offers beat a static listing from 2019.
- Consistency beats virality: Short local posts with real job photos outperform stock art.
- Measure monthly: Re-run Ghost Score after each post batch.
Basics: what Ghost Score measures
Ghost Score combines profile completeness, review velocity, photo freshness, and posting cadence into one operator-friendly number. It is not a Google API secret; it is a checklist so owners know where they are fading.
| Signal | Why it matters | Quick win |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Wrong category = wrong searches | Match how customers describe you |
| Photos this month | Stale gallery looks closed | Three real job photos |
| Review replies | Engagement trust signal | Reply to last 10 reviews |
| Google posts | Freshness bump | One post per week |
What Happens · How It Feels · How We Stop the Leak
What Happens
People search locally. Your hours are wrong, your profile is thin, or another listing steals the click.
How It Feels
You are busy in the real world and invisible where customers actually look.
How We Stop the Leak
You share your listing and site details. We configure Visibility Rescue with Ghost Score, a gap list, and a local post pack. You keep the kit.
Monthly rhythm (90 minutes)
- Re-run Ghost Score check (free, about 60 seconds).
- Upload three job photos with city in description.
- Publish two Google posts using local templates.
- Reply to every new review within 48 hours.
Visibility Rescue Kit: outcome lens
Visibility Rescue Kit packages baseline audit, GBP completion guide, and a monthly local post template pack with job-photo placeholders. You share your details. We configure it for your shop. You keep the kit. Public marketing pages describe outcomes, not internal scoring code or hosting diagrams.
Next Up on Visibility Rescue
Further reading
- Google Business Profile: How to create and verify
- Google Maps Platform overview (public docs)
- BizRescue Ghost Score check
Actionable checklist
- Run Ghost Score check and screenshot baseline.
- Fix primary category and service area this week.
- Schedule monthly 90-minute visibility block on calendar.
- Stop using stock photos when real job photos exist.
- Reply to every review, especially neutral ones.
- Re-run score after 30 days and compare delta.