Google Business Profile for Contractors: What to Fix First

A Google Business Profile for a contractor comes down to three things Google checks first. Is it verified? Does the main category fit your real trade? Are your services and towns filled in? Those three matter more than anything else on your profile, and a lot of good businesses get at least one of them wrong.

Reviews are a big part of this, so read how to get more Google reviews without being pushy. If you can't find yourself on the map at all, start with why your business doesn't show up on Google Maps.

The profile is what shows up on the map when someone nearby searches your trade, so it's often the first thing a new customer sees. It's free and it's yours. Google is clear that you can't pay for a better spot on the map, so the only thing you can do is give Google a profile it understands.

What order should you fix things in?

Here's the order I'd go in, because each one builds on the one before it:

1. Verification. If the profile isn't verified, or it got shut down and nobody noticed, nothing else you do will help much. Check this first.
2. Your main category. Google says to use as few categories as you can and to pick the ones that say what your business is. "Plumber" is better than a broad one like "contractor," and it should match the work you want more of.
3. Your services and the towns you serve. List the jobs you really do and the towns you really cover, because that's what Google matches when someone types "drain cleaning" or "panel upgrade."
4. Your business name, phone and website. These should match your website and everywhere else you're listed, word for word.
5. Photos and reviews. Real photos of your work and new reviews coming in tell Google, and the customer, that you're busy and do good work.

Should a contractor show their address on Google?

Usually not. If customers don't come to your shop, Google's rules say to hide the address and list the towns you serve. Google doesn't allow a fake or rented mailbox address either, and using one can get the profile shut down.

If you do have a real shop with someone there during your hours to meet customers, you can show the address and still list the towns around it.

Can I put keywords in my business name?

It's tempting, because some of the businesses above you have names like "Best Plumber Near Me 24/7." But Google's rules say the name on your profile should be the real name on your truck and your paperwork, with no extra words. Stuffing it can work for a while and then get the profile shut down.

The safer way to show up for your jobs is through your category, your services, your website and what your reviews say. Those all point Google at the same thing, and none of them break the rules.

Why does my Google Business Profile get so few calls?

Sometimes the profile shows up fine and people just don't call. When that happens it's usually a few small things on the profile itself:

• The hours are wrong, so people think you're closed.
• The phone number rings a line nobody picks up.
• The website link is broken, or it goes to a Facebook page.
• Nobody has replied to a review in months.
• The photos are stock pictures, or there are none of your real jobs.

Google says replying to reviews and adding photos both help you rank. They also help the person deciding whether to call you, because a profile someone takes care of gets trusted faster.

One thing to try this week

Open your own profile and check the first three things.

1. Search your business name on Google and make sure the profile says it's yours and verified.
2. Look at your main category and ask if it's the closest one to your trade.
3. Open your services and towns and make sure they match the jobs and towns you really want.

If any of those three are off, fix that before you touch anything else.

When did you last look at your own Google profile the way a stranger would?