Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a customer sees, before your website and before your prices. Fifteen fixes, most of them under ten minutes, will do more for local visibility than a month of social posts.
The basics, done properly
1. Claim and verify the listing if you have not already. 2. Set the most specific primary category. 3. Add secondary categories only for work you genuinely do. 4. List every service with a short description and a starting price. 5. Set the correct opening hours, including holiday exceptions.
The details customers actually check
6. Add your service area or a real address, whichever is true. 7. Upload at least ten photos, including the team, premises, vehicles and finished work. 8. Refresh photos monthly so the listing reads as active. 9. Turn on messaging only if you will answer it within the hour. 10. Add attributes such as 'emergency service', 'free estimates' or 'on-site parking'.
The signals that lift rankings
11. Ask for a review after every job, with a direct link. 12. Reply to every review within a week. 13. Keep your name, address and phone number identical everywhere they appear. 14. Post an update at least fortnightly, even if it is just a finished job.
15. Link the profile to the most relevant page on your site rather than the homepage, so a customer searching for gutter clearing lands on gutter clearing.
What to leave alone
Do not stuff keywords into your business name. It is the fastest way to a suspension. Do not create a second listing for the same location, and do not buy reviews.
Do not set a service area that covers half the country. Wide, vague coverage weakens your relevance in the places you can actually reach.
The short version
Specific category, complete services, real photos, accurate hours and a steady review habit. That is the whole checklist worth protecting.
Common questions
How often should I update my profile?
Photos and posts monthly, hours whenever they change, and services whenever you add or drop one. Little and often beats a big annual tidy.
Can I appear in Maps without a shopfront?
Yes. Service-area businesses are legitimate, provided you hide the address and set realistic areas.
What if my listing gets suspended?
Usually a naming or address problem. Correct the profile to match your real business, then request reinstatement. Do not create a duplicate while you wait.
Want this done for your business?
Tell us your trade and your area. We'll tell you honestly what would move the needle first.