Organic Standard Inquiries

Free Checklist · For Tokyo Businesses That Serve International Customers

The English Google Profile Checklist for Tokyo Businesses

18 things you can check yourself in about 10 minutes. Google Maps and many AI tools read your Google profile first. If a fact there is missing, wrong or only in Japanese, an English-speaking customer may never find you.

How to Use It

  1. Look as a customer. On your phone, search your business name in Google Maps, with the app set to English.
  2. Tick what is true today. Look, don't fix yet. One point per tick.
  3. Count your ticks. Then fix the unticked items, starting from the top of each group.

A. Name, Category and Basics

  1. The name is in one script only. Your real-world name, written once: not "○○歯科 Example Dental", and no added words like "English-speaking dentist". Google does not allow a name repeated in two scripts; name problems can lead to suspension. Source: Google Business Profile name guidelines (global, with a Japanese example), checked October 2026.
  2. The primary category is the most specific one. It says exactly what you are (for example "Dentist" or "Pediatric dentist"), not a vague one.
  3. Secondary categories cover your other main services. Each one matches a service you really offer and show on your website.
  4. The description says, in English, what you do and that you speak English. Who you help, your main services, the languages you offer and how to book. Plain facts; no "best" or "No.1".
  5. Hours are right, including upcoming public holidays. No "Hours might differ" warning before the next holiday.
  6. The phone number matches your website exactly. And no old number is still shown anywhere on your site.
  7. The website button opens your English page. Not the Japanese home page, if your English page exists.
  8. A booking or appointment link is there and works in English. A form, booking page or contact page an English speaker can use.

B. Photos, Services and Attributes

  1. Recent photos added by you. Entrance, sign, inside, and the way from the station, added in the last few months. The cover photo is not a street-view shot.
  2. Services or products are listed. Each main service has its own line, in English.
  3. Attributes are filled in where Google offers them. For example language, accessibility, payment or online appointments. Which attributes appear depends on your category and country, so tick this if every one offered to you is answered.

C. Reviews

  1. Every review from the last 12 months has your reply. In the reviewer's language. A short, generic thank-you that never confirms the person was a patient, client or customer, and never mentions treatment or case details.
  2. No 1-3 star review is left without a calm reply. Polite, factual, and an offer to talk offline.
  3. You have new reviews from the last 3 months. Customers trust recent reviews; old five-star reviews alone look stale.
  4. You ask every customer the same way, with no reward. Ask for honest feedback only: never ask for positive reviews or stars, never offer discounts, gifts or anything else for a review, never ask only happy customers, and never set staff quotas or suggest wording. Clinics: only after checking the wording with your local health center (保健所) or a lawyer. Source: Google review policy (global); Japan's stealth-marketing rules (ステマ規制, in force since October 2023).

D. Ownership and Other Maps

  1. No "Claim this business" or "Own this business?" link shows. If it does, nobody has verified the profile, so someone else could claim it and Google may accept their edits.
  2. You (not an agency) are the owner. Anyone helping you should be a Manager. You never need to share your password.
  3. Apple Maps, Bing, Yahoo!プレイス and Yelp show the same facts. Same name, address, phone and hours as your Google profile. Some AI tools also read these listings (US studies), and one old number on one of them can be repeated back to customers.

Your Score: 15-18 Strong Basics · 10-14 Gaps Worth Fixing · 0-9 Hard to Find in English. A quick self-check, not a measurement.

What AI Reads

  • Ask Maps (「マップに相談」, launched in Japan in Japanese in August 2026) draws on place information, reviews and real-time information, according to Google. Source: Google Japan blog, 2026-08-07.
  • In Japanese local AI Mode answers, about 70% referenced Google business cards. Source: GMO TECH, August 2026, Japanese queries in Japan; a vendor study.
  • Business websites were the largest source of local AI citations (42%). Source: BrightLocal, local AI visibility study (September 2026; 1,967,762 citations from ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews) and directory sources article (August 2026; same data; Google Business Profile 28.6%; locations in the US, UK and Australia, not Japan).
  • We know of no published study of English questions asked inside Japan. That is what our checks look at.

Clinics, Visa and Tax Offices

Clinics and Dentists: Japan's medical advertising rules (MHLW) apply to your profile text. A doctor approves every description, post and reply; no patient testimonials or treatment-result wording; ask for honest feedback only, and only after checking the wording with your local health center (保健所) or a lawyer; never copy or embed reviews on your website. On your Google profile, name a self-pay treatment only if it uses medicines or devices approved in Japan, used as approved, and write next to it that public health insurance does not apply and the standard cost. Other self-pay treatments stay off the profile. Never stress price as a deal. Confirm with your 保健所 how it treats your profile.

Visa, Legal and Tax Offices: Your licensed professional checks all public text.

What a Full Check Adds

Step 1: AI Visibility Audit + Maps Fix

  • 40 AI answers (10 customer questions on ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI) plus repeat runs, against 3 competitors, reported as a mention rate with the sample size.

  • A wrong-facts log of what AI says about you that is wrong, and your Google profile fixed in English.

  • 10+ ranked fixes on a 30-minute call, within 7 business days of payment and Manager access.

¥50,000, final amount. Fewer than 10 concrete fixes = full refund (within 14 days of the debrief). Cancel before we accept access to your Google profile = full refund. No one can promise rankings or AI mentions; Google and the AI companies decide. Google Business Profile itself is free from Google; the fee is for the work. Services and Prices

Want a Second Pair of Eyes?

Ask for a free snapshot. We ask ChatGPT and Google's AI two questions your customers would ask, check your Google Maps listing, and send you one page. Free, no obligation. Or email inquiries@organicstandard.jp.

Get a Free SnapshotA snapshot, not a measurement.