When someone searches for a plumber or a roofer near them, Google often shows a map with a few business listings before any website. Those listings are Google Business Profiles. Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and that there's no way to pay for a better local ranking.
You can't change how far you are from the person searching. The checks below cover the parts you can change: whether your profile matches what people search for, and whether it looks like a business they'd trust and call. Each one is based on Google's own help pages, listed at the end. You don't need a paid tool or a marketing company, ours included.
The 10 checks
1. The profile is verified
Why it matters: Google says verifying tells it you're authorized to represent the business, and that a verified business is more likely to appear in search results.
How to check: sign in to the Google account that manages your profile and search for your business name. If you see a "Get verified" button, the job isn't finished. Google decides which verification methods you can use, such as a short video of your business, so follow the one it offers.
2. The name is your real business name, with nothing added
Why it matters: Google's guidelines say the name should be your real-world business name, without taglines, services or locations added. "Desert Ridge Roofing" is fine. "Desert Ridge Roofing | Best Roof Repair Phoenix" breaks the rules.
How to check: compare the name on your profile with the name on your trucks, your sign and your invoices. They should match. Leave off "LLC" or "Inc" unless customers actually see it as part of your name.
3. The main category names your core trade
Why it matters: categories tell Google which searches your profile is relevant for. Google asks you to choose the fewest categories that describe your core business, and not to use categories as keywords.
How to check: open your business category. The main one should be the most specific match for the work you mostly do, such as "Roofing contractor" rather than just "Contractor". Add extra categories only for other work that's a real part of your business.
4. The service area is set up the way Google asks
Why it matters: most contractors work at the customer's address. Google says that if you don't serve customers at your business address, you should remove the address from your profile and list your service areas instead. You can list up to 20 areas, such as cities or ZIP codes, and Google says the whole area shouldn't stretch more than about two hours' drive from your base.
How to check: look at your profile as a customer would. Is your home address showing when customers never come there? Are your service areas the towns you actually work in?
5. The phone number reaches your business
Why it matters: Google asks for a number that connects to your business, is under your direct control, and is a local number rather than a call-center line where possible.
How to check: tap the call button on your profile from another phone. Does it ring someone who can book the job? Is it the same number that's on your website?
6. Your website and your profile tell the same story
Why it matters: Google asks for a website that represents your business. When your site and your profile list a different name, phone number or service area, customers hesitate and Google is less sure which details are right.
How to check: tap the website button on your profile. Does it open your site, not an old page or a directory listing? Then compare the name, phone number and towns on both. Point 4 of our contractor website checklist covers the website side of the same check.
7. Your services match the jobs you want
Why it matters: Google lets many service businesses list their services, pick from suggestions or add their own, and group them. It helps people see at a glance whether you do the job they need. Google says custom service names shouldn't include prices or phone numbers.
How to check: list the three to five jobs you want more of. Is each one on your profile? Then read your business description. Google limits it to 750 characters, with no links, and asks you to describe your business rather than promotions or prices.
8. Your hours are true, including holidays
Why it matters: Google recommends keeping your regular and special hours current so customers know when you're open. A caller who reaches voicemail during your listed hours may not try again.
How to check: compare the listed hours with when someone actually answers the phone. Add special hours for holidays before they come up. If you take emergency calls after hours, make sure the profile doesn't say you're closed.
9. Your photos show your own work and crew
Why it matters: photos show customers what your work looks like before they call. Google asks for photos that are in focus, well lit and not heavily filtered, and that show the business as it really looks. You can also set a logo and a cover photo.
How to check: scroll through your photos as a stranger would. Are they recent, and are they yours: your jobs, your trucks, your team? Stock photos and blurry shots don't help. For photos that look their best, Google suggests JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB, at 720 by 720 pixels or larger (250 by 250 at the least).
10. You ask every customer for a review, and you reply
Why it matters: Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, and that replying to reviews shows customers you value their feedback. Our own advice: always answer a negative review, calmly and with a helpful update where you can.
How to check: get the review link or QR code from your profile and send it after every finished job, not only to the customers you know were happy. Google's rules don't allow selectively asking for positive reviews, discouraging negative ones, or offering a discount or gift in exchange.
The 20-minute self-check
Do this on your phone, signed out of Google or in a private window, so you see what customers see. Answer yes or no. Every no is something to fix.
Search for yourself
- When you search your business name, does your profile show up?
- Is the name exactly what's on your trucks and your sign?
- Is the main category your core trade?
- If customers don't come to you, is your address hidden and your service area listed?
Tap everything
- Does the call button ring someone who can book the job?
- Does the website button open your own site?
- Do the name, phone and service area match your website exactly?
- Are your main jobs listed as services, and are the hours right?
- Are the photos recent, real and yours?
- Have your recent reviews, especially the negative ones, had a reply?
Mistakes that break Google's rules
These are common shortcuts that Google's guidelines and review policy say not to take. Google says reviews that break its content policy will be removed. The rest come from its guidelines for business profiles.
- Adding keywords or towns to the business name. The name must be your real-world name.
- A second profile for the same business, for example one per town you serve. Google says there should only be one profile per business.
- A P.O. box, a rented mailbox or a virtual office as the address. Google doesn't accept these as a business location.
- Paying or rewarding people for reviews, including discounts or gifts.
- Asking only the happy customers, or asking staff to write reviews.
- A phone number the business doesn't control. Google says the number must be under your direct control, and asks for a local number rather than a call-center line where possible.
What to do with your results
If most checks pass
Keep the habits going. Ask for a review after every job, reply to them, and add new photos of real work every month or two.
If the name, address or category fails
Fix those first, one change at a time. Google says it may ask for more information or a new verification after you change your business details, so make one change, let it settle, then make the next.
If you don't have a profile yet
A Google Business Profile is free. Create it at google.com/business, use the ten checks as you fill it in, and finish verification before you start asking for reviews.
Google's own help pages
The Google rules in this guide come from these pages. The how-to-check steps and anything marked as our advice are ours. Google updates its pages from time to time, so they're worth a look before you make a big change.
- Tips to improve your local ranking on Google: relevance, distance and prominence, and why complete information helps.
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google: rules for names, addresses, phone numbers and categories.
- Manage your service areas: hiding your address and listing the areas you serve.
- Verify your business on Google: the verification methods and what to do when one fails.
- Edit your Business Profile: the business description and hours.
- Manage your services: listing and grouping the services you offer.
- Create and manage posts: updates, offers and events.
- Manage your Business Profile photos and videos: photo types, sizes and quality.
- Tips to get more reviews and the Maps content policy: how to ask for reviews and what isn't allowed.
Common questions
Does a Google Business Profile cost anything?
No. The profile is free, and Google says there's no way to pay for a better local ranking. Google's ads are a separate product with their own cost.
Can I show up in towns where I don't have an office?
Your service area tells customers and Google where you work, but distance is one of the things Google names for ranking, so you're more likely to show up in searches near your base. Google doesn't say that adding more service areas improves your ranking.
How many reviews do I need?
Google doesn't give a number. It says more reviews and positive ratings can help, and that a mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy to customers. A steady habit of asking after every job matters more than a burst all at once.
Do I need to post updates on my profile?
You can post updates, offers and events, and Google archives posts after six months unless you set a date range. Google's ranking tips don't mention posts, so think of them as a way to show customers you're active, not as a ranking shortcut.
What does my website have to do with my profile?
The profile links to your site, and customers who tap through expect the same name, number and services. AI tools look at both too: in our October test of AI answers, Google's answers to city questions pulled in Business Profile cards with ratings and addresses.