Google Business Profile for local trades: what to fix first
Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a customer sees. This guide lists what to check, in order, so you spend the first hour on the changes that matter most.
1. Claim and verify the profile
If the profile is not verified, you can't manage it. Search for your business name on Google or Google Maps, claim it, and complete verification. Use the account your business owns, not a personal one that might change.
2. Make your name, address and phone number match your website
Use your real business name as you operate it, not extra keywords added to it. Google can suspend profiles for keyword stuffing. Use the same phone number and spelling on the profile and on your website.
3. Choose the right categories
Pick the one primary category that best describes the main thing you do, then add secondary categories for other services. The categories you choose affect what you can show on the profile.
4. Handle your address correctly
If customers do not visit you and you travel to them, you can set up as a service-area business and hide your street address. Add the cities you serve instead of listing a long string of places you don't actually cover.
5. Complete hours, services and description
- Hours, including special hours for holidays.
- A list of services, written the way customers describe them.
- A short description of what you do and where. Skip promotions, prices and links in the description, which Google's rules limit.
6. Add real photos
Add photos of your own work, vehicles, shop and team, with permission where people are visible. Real photos help customers decide more than stock images.
7. Ask for reviews the right way
- Ask customers after a finished job and share your profile's review link.
- Don't offer a reward in exchange for a review, and don't write or buy reviews. Google's rules prohibit it.
- Reply to reviews politely and briefly, including the unhappy ones.
8. Link to your website and booking page
Point the profile to your website and, where available, your booking page, so a customer can act right from the profile.
What we do for you
The three-month prepaid plan includes one-time SEO and Google Business Profile setup. It is a one-time start, not monthly SEO, and we cannot promise a ranking. Read what is included on the services page, or request a preview.
Common questions
How long does verification take?
It varies. Google decides the method and timing, so start verification early.
Can I hide my home address?
If you travel to customers, you can set up as a service-area business and hide your street address.
Can I offer a discount for a review?
No. Google's rules prohibit rewards in exchange for reviews. Ask after a finished job and make it easy to leave one.
See your website before you pay
Tell us about your business. If it's a fit, we'll build a preview of your site and walk you through it on a short video call.