Taxidermy Shop Google My Business: Get Found During Hunting Season

By MountChief Editorial Team|Updated Mar 2026

Hunters don't ask friends which taxidermist to use anymore. They search Google. 85% of taxidermy customers search locally before choosing a shop. If your Google Business Profile is incomplete, outdated, or nonexistent, those customers are finding your competition.

Optimizing your Google Business Profile (now called Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business) takes a few hours and pays back in calls all fall. Shops with fully optimized profiles receive three times more calls during hunting season than shops with basic or empty listings.

TL;DR

85% of taxidermy customers search locally before choosing a shop.
But most taxidermists either haven't done it at all or set it up once years ago and never touched it again.
Phone number: Use a local number, not an 800 number.
Description: Write 250-300 words describing your shop, species you specialize in, and how long you've been operating.
Shops with 20+ reviews appear above shops with 5 reviews in most local searches, even if the higher-review shop is slightly farther away.
Never argue with a negative review publicly.

Why Google Visibility Matters for Taxidermists

Think about what a hunter does when they shoot a deer in an unfamiliar county. They open their phone and search "taxidermist near me." Your Google Business Profile is what determines whether you show up in that moment.

The profile is free. The setup is straightforward. But most taxidermists either haven't done it at all or set it up once years ago and never touched it again. Either way, they're leaving calls on the table every fall.

Set Up or Claim Your Profile

Go to business.google.com to create or claim your listing. If your shop has existed for a few years, there's a decent chance Google has already created a basic listing from publicly available information. Claim that listing rather than creating a duplicate.

Verify your business when prompted. Google typically sends a postcard to your physical address with a verification code. Some shops qualify for phone or email verification. This step is required before your profile becomes fully visible.

Complete Every Section Fully

Most taxidermists fill in the bare minimum. Full completion is what moves you up in local search results. Here's what to include:

Business name: Use your actual shop name. Don't stuff keywords into your business name (Google penalizes this).

Category: Select "Taxidermist" as your primary category. You can add secondary categories like "Wildlife Artist" if relevant.

Address and service area: Add your physical address. If you also take drop-offs across a wider area, add a service area by radius or by specific counties.

Phone number: Use a local number, not an 800 number. Hunters want to feel like they're calling someone nearby.

Website: Link to your website or to your MountChief customer portal if you use that as your primary customer-facing URL.

Hours: Set your regular hours and update them for deer season if you extend your intake hours during peak weeks. Use the "special hours" feature for dates when you're open differently than normal.

Description: Write 250-300 words describing your shop, species you specialize in, and how long you've been operating. This is your pitch to hunters reading your listing. Include your location and main species naturally. Don't keyword-stuff.

Add Photos That Show Your Work

Shops with photos get dramatically more clicks than shops without. Add:

Exterior photo of your shop so hunters recognize it when they arrive
Interior photos of your workspace and mount display area
Finished mount photos, at least 10-15 of your best work
Seasonal photos relevant to the current season (elk, deer, turkey, waterfowl)

Update your photos regularly. Fresh content signals an active, current business. Post new finished mount photos every few weeks during season.

Use Google Posts for Seasonal Updates

The Posts feature lets you publish short updates directly to your profile. Most taxidermists ignore this. It's one of the best free ways to stay visible during hunting season.

Post ideas that work well:

"Deer season is open: drop-offs accepted daily through November 30"
"All deer season slots are now booked: taking spring turkey bookings"
"New European mount service added for 2026 season"
Finished mount photos with species and season details

Posts appear directly in your search listing and expire after 7 days, so you need to keep adding them. During peak season, once a week is a good cadence.

Collect Reviews Actively

Google reviews are a major ranking factor for local search. More reviews mean higher placement. Shops with 20+ reviews appear above shops with 5 reviews in most local searches, even if the higher-review shop is slightly farther away.

The trick to getting reviews is asking for them at the right moment. The best time is when a customer picks up their completed mount and they're genuinely happy with it. That's when you say: "If you enjoyed working with us, we'd really appreciate a quick Google review: it helps us a lot."

Send a follow-up text or email with a direct link to your review page. MountChief's customer portal lets you send completion notifications with a review request link built in.

Don't ask for reviews in bulk or offer incentives. Google's policies prohibit incentivized reviews and they will remove them.

Respond to Every Review

Respond to positive reviews with a brief thank-you. Respond to negative reviews professionally and factually. Never argue with a negative review publicly.

For negative reviews: acknowledge the concern, explain briefly what happened if you have a clear factual answer, and offer to resolve the issue offline ("please call us directly at..."). This isn't for the reviewer: it's for the next 50 hunters reading your profile deciding whether to call you.

Keep Your Information Current

Wrong hours and outdated contact information drive hunters to competitors. Before each deer season:

Verify your phone number is correct
Update your hours if they change during season
Review your description for anything that's no longer accurate
Check that your website link is working

A 15-minute profile review before opening day prevents you from losing calls due to stale information.

Questions and Answers Section

Google lets users ask questions on your profile, and anyone can answer them. Add your own Q&A content proactively:

"Do you accept walk-in drop-offs during deer season?"
"What's your current estimated turnaround time for deer shoulder mounts?"
"Do you work with out-of-state hunters?"

Answering your own questions with accurate information prevents strangers from answering them incorrectly.

FAQ

How do I set up Google My Business for my taxidermy shop?

Go to business.google.com and either create a new listing or claim an existing one that Google may have auto-generated. Verify your business by the method Google offers (postcard, phone, or email). Then complete every profile section including business category, hours, description, photos, and service area.

What information should be on my taxidermy shop's Google profile?

Your profile needs a complete business name, the correct "Taxidermist" category, your address and service area, phone number, website link, current business hours (with seasonal updates during deer season), a 250-300 word description of your services, and at least 10-15 photos of finished work. Incomplete profiles rank lower in local search.

How do I get more reviews for my taxidermy shop on Google?

Ask customers when they pick up their mounts, that's the highest-satisfaction moment. Follow up with a text or email containing a direct link to your Google review page. Make it easy and you'll get consistent reviews. Don't offer incentives, as Google prohibits this and will remove those reviews.

How does this apply to solo taxidermy shops?

The principles in this guide apply to solo shops just as they do to larger operations, though the scale differs. A single-person shop may have lower absolute volume but faces the same documentation, compliance, and customer communication requirements. The practical advice here scales down to any shop size.

What is the most common mistake taxidermists make with taxidermy shop google my business?

The most common mistake is treating taxidermy shop google my business as an afterthought rather than building it into the standard workflow from the start. Shops that encounter problems in this area typically did not establish clear processes before season, which means every situation becomes a one-off decision rather than a standard response.

Try These Free Tools

Put these insights into practice with our free calculators and planners:

Sources

National Taxidermists Association (NTA)
US Fish & Wildlife Service
Small Business Administration (SBA)

Get Started with MountChief

Running a sustainable taxidermy business requires good systems from the first day. MountChief gives you the intake, tracking, and compliance documentation tools that professional shops rely on, at a price that works from day one. Try MountChief to build your business on a solid operational foundation.