Google Business Profile for contractors: the setup that gets calls

When a pipe lets go or the AC quits in July, the homeowner doesn't type in a web address. They search on their phone, glance at the few businesses on the map, and tap a call button. Those map results come from Google Business Profiles, the free listing most small shops fill out once and then ignore. Here's the setup that holds for any trade, then the details that change from plumbing to pool service.

Storefront or service-area business

This is the first choice Google asks you to make, and getting it wrong is one of the quickest ways to lose a listing. If you drive to the customer and they never come to you, you're a service-area business. You hide your street address and list the towns or ZIP codes you cover instead.

Show an address only if customers can walk in during your posted hours and find someone there: a lock shop with a key counter, a showroom. If you have a real counter and also go out on calls, you can show the address and list service areas too.

Hiding your address doesn't mean faking one. You still verify with the real place the business runs from, often your house, and Google keeps it off the public listing. What you can't do is list a mailbox store, a virtual office, a coworking desk you never sit at, or a relative's address to get a pin somewhere busier. Eligibility rules change, so read Google's current guidelines before you set it up.

The setup, field by field

Field names and options shift as Google updates the product. The logic stays the same: match reality.

Name. If your registered name happens to include the trade and a town, that's fine. Bolting on extra words to rank is not, and competitors do report it.

Categories. The primary category carries most of the weight. Start typing your trade in the category box and read what Google offers; the exact wording varies.

Service area. Google caps how many areas you can list, and the cap has changed over time. A huge area rarely ranks you in the far towns anyway.

Services. Add each one as its own item, named the way customers say it ("water heater replacement", not "domestic hot water systems"), with a sentence of plain description.

Description. Who you are, where you work, what you do and don't do, how long you've been at it, and licensing or insurance where it applies. Google restricts links and promotional offers here, so stick to plain facts.

Photos that make a stranger trust you

A searcher choosing between three names scrolls photos before reading anything. Phone photos of your own work beat polished stock images, which can count against you.

• Your truck or van with the name and number readable, parked on a street in your area.
• You and your crew in company shirts, with each person's okay. People want to see who's coming to the door.
• Before and after pairs taken from the same spot and angle. Take the before first; most owners remember only when the job is done.
• Cleanup, because homeowners worry about the mess nearly as much as the work.

Ask before posting anyone's home, and crop out house numbers, plates, mail and family pictures. A few new photos a month beats fifty on day one and nothing after.

Verification, in general terms

Google verifies that a business is real before the listing shows reliably, and the methods keep changing: a postcard, a phone call or email, or more often now a short recorded video. Trades with a history of fake listings tend to get the stricter options.

For a video, plan before you press record. Film one continuous take in daylight showing your lettered vehicle, your tools, and paperwork with your business name on it. Keep your license, registration and a utility bill in one folder. If an attempt fails, read the reason before retrying, and hold off on big edits right after you're verified, since large changes can trigger another review.

What gets profiles suspended

Two quieter risks catch honest owners. Anyone can suggest edits to a listing, and a changed phone number can slip through unnoticed. And if a helper or relative set the profile up, make sure you hold owner access and they're only a manager. If you're ever suspended, fix the cause and request reinstatement rather than starting a fresh listing.

Reviews and replies

Your star rating and review count sit right beside your name on the map, and recent reviews tend to matter to the people reading them. Ask every customer after a finished job, not just the ones you think are happy, and never trade a discount or gift for a review. The asking side, with wording and timing, is covered in how contractors get more Google reviews.

Reply to each review in a line or two, mentioning the actual job. On a bad one, thank them, state what happened in one neutral sentence, and offer to talk directly. Keep street names and home details out of every reply.

Before you call it done

• Search your business name on your phone. Look at it the way a stranger would. Does the name match the van?
• Tap the call button from another phone during a workday. Hear exactly what a customer hears, including when you're busy.
• Read the services list out loud. Anything you'd say "we don't do that" to comes off.
• Check the hours against your real week. Set special hours for the next holiday now, while you're thinking about it.
• Confirm you're listed as the owner. Not your nephew, not the web designer.

The 15-minute monthly routine

1. Check the facts. Name, phone, hours, categories and services, and look for edits you didn't make.
2. Add three or four photos. Recent jobs, including at least one before and after.
3. Answer every new review. Short and specific to the job.
4. Post one short update if there's something real to say. Seasonal booking, a finished project, holiday hours.
5. Compare calls to answered calls. The profile's performance report shows how many calls it sent. Match that against your phone log.

That last step is where plenty of profiles leak. A listing that makes the phone ring only pays if someone picks up. The guide to never missing a service call covers greetings, callback habits and forwarding, and the call forwarding codes page has the carrier codes.

Trade by trade

These are the details that differ. Each trade's page on the trades index covers the calls your profile will bring.

Plumbers

Choose Plumber as the primary category, then add drain or water heater categories only if Google lists a match and you sell that work weekly. Plumbing is crowded with lead-seller listings, so reviews of profiles can be strict. If your state wants a license number in advertising, put it in the description. Photograph a new water heater with straight venting, a labeled manifold, and a clean trench before backfill. More on the plumbers page.

HVAC

Look at HVAC contractor, air conditioning contractor and heating contractor, and pick the primary by what fills your calendar. Mention your state license, and that your techs hold EPA Section 608 certification if they do. Don't call yourself a brand's dealer without the paperwork. Check hours before the first heat wave and cold snap. Good photos: a level condenser on a fresh pad, a neat line set, a tidy furnace closet. See the HVAC page.

Electricians

Electrician is the primary; add lighting or EV charger categories only if they fit how you actually earn. Many states require the license number in ads, so it belongs in the description. Name services the way homeowners describe the problem: breaker keeps tripping, dead outlets, panel upgrade, car charger install. The best photo an electrician can post is a clean, labeled panel next to the mess it replaced. After storms, a short availability post helps. More for electricians.

Roofers

Pick Roofing contractor. Roofing gets extra scrutiny because of storm chasers and spam, so never open listings in towns you only work after hail, and keep verification documents ready. Say in the description which roofs you don't touch, like tile or commercial flat roofs. Photos from ladder height showing valleys, step flashing and ridge lines beat street shots, and a magnet sweep on a clean driveway answers an unspoken worry. See roofers.

Garage doors

Like locksmithing, garage door repair is flooded with fake and lead-generation listings, so expect video verification and closer review. Pick the category that matches repair or installation, whichever leads. List broken springs, off-track doors, opener installs and new doors separately. Never claim to be an authorized dealer for a door or opener brand you aren't. Photograph your lettered van and finished doors. More for garage door companies.

Landscaping

Choose between lawn care and landscaper based on where most revenue comes from. If you apply fertilizer or weed control, your state may require an applicator license, so only list those services if you hold one. Rotate posts and services with the season: cleanups, aeration, mulch, snow if you plow. A profile full of June photos looks part-time, so shoot every season, with same-angle bed shots and crisp edges. See the landscaping page.

Pest control

Use the closest pest control category, adding termite or wildlife categories only if you're licensed for that work. Your state pesticide business license belongs in the description. People search for the bug, so name services by pest: ants, roaches, rodents, wasps, bed bugs, termites. Avoid calling treatments safe or harmless. Exclusion photos, like a screened vent or sealed garage corner, show skill better than dead insects. Time posts to swarm season and fall mice. More for pest control.

Pool service

Pick the pool cleaning category if weekly routes are the core, and add a repair category only if you fix pumps, filters and heaters. Some states license equipment and heater work, so check before listing it. Draw the service area around your route density, not how far you'd drive. A green-to-clear before and after is the photo that sells, but keep gate codes, kids and anything identifying out of backyard shots. See pool service.

Appliance repair

Appliance repair service is the usual primary. Add services by appliance with the symptoms people type: washer not draining, dryer no heat, fridge not cooling. Customers search by brand, so "most major brands" in the description helps, but don't claim authorized servicer status you don't have or use brand logos. Lead sellers crowd this category, which makes real photos of your van, your parts stock and actual repairs worth more. More for appliance repair.

Locksmiths

No trade gets more scrutiny. Expect video verification and document requests, and have your state locksmith license ready if your state issues one. Keep exactly one listing, and hold off on edits for a while after verifying. Tell nervous callers in the description that you check ID before opening anything. Photos should never reveal which lock sits on which door, and review replies should never mention addresses. Report fake listings only with facts you can show. See locksmiths.

Cleaning

House cleaning service fits most residential companies; add janitorial or commercial categories only if you really run those accounts. List recurring, deep, move-out and add-ons as separate services. Photos inside client homes need permission, and a very messy before can embarrass a client who recognizes their own kitchen. Show surfaces and your team, not belongings. Referral rewards are fine; rewards for reviews aren't. More for cleaning companies.

Painters

Use the painting category that matches most of your work. If you disturb paint in homes built before 1978, EPA RRP lead-safe certification is a requirement worth naming in the description. Some states license painting contractors above a job size, so check yours. Painting photos do heavy lifting: cut lines at the ceiling, masked windows during prep, cabinet doors, and exteriors shot from the street in good light. Update hours when winter slows exteriors. See painters.

Pressure washing

Pick the pressure washing category, adding gutter or window cleaning only if you sell them. Describe soft washing separately from high pressure, since homeowners worry about siding and shingles. The halfway shot, a surface cleaner mid-pass with a hard line between gray and white, is the best photo in any trade. Crop out plates and house numbers. Post a few weeks ahead of spring washes and fall gutter work. More for pressure washing.

Tree service

Choose tree service as the primary, and add an arborist category only if someone on staff holds the certification. Name the insurance you carry and whether you have crane access. Photos should show climbers tied in and wearing helmets; one unsafe-looking shot undoes the rest. Before a forecast storm, post that you'll be responding and remind people to stay away from downed lines and call the utility. See tree service.

Handyman

Handyman goes first, with a couple of honest secondaries. Don't list electrical, plumbing or other licensed work unless you hold the license, and know your state's limits on unlicensed job size. The category attracts fly-by-night listings, so settle on your name before setup; frequent renames can trigger re-verification. Keep the service area tight enough to be worth your minimum charge. Good photos: an invisible drywall patch, a TV mount with hidden cables. More for handymen.

General contractors

Choose General contractor or a remodeling category, whichever matches the jobs you want most, and include your license number where your state requires it in advertising. Remodel clients study a profile for weeks, so post each finished project as a set: before, behind the walls, after from the same angles. Ask for reviews that describe the project. Once a year, hunt down old directory listings with stale phone numbers. See general contractors.