Guide
Almost every local trade business already has a profile. Almost none of them have checked it since the day it was created. Here's what actually moves the needle, in order.
Getting the basics right
If you haven't verified ownership (postcard, phone, or email verification), you can't fully control it — and someone else, including a former employee, might already have edit access.
Your business name on the profile should match your real legal/DBA name — not "ABC Fencing — Same Day Service" stuffed with keywords, which violates Google's guidelines and can get a listing suspended. Address and phone should match your website exactly, character for character.
This single field carries more ranking weight than almost anything else on the profile. "Fence contractor" and "Fencing contractor" are different categories with different search behavior — pick the one that matches how people actually search, not the one that sounds most complete. Add secondary categories for every real service you offer.
If you don't have a public storefront customers visit, hide your street address and list service areas by city instead — showing a residential or unstaffed address is against Google's guidelines and can trigger a suspension.
What keeps a profile active
Stock photos and a five-year-old storefront shot don't help. Before/after photos of actual completed jobs do — they're the single best trust signal a trade business can add, and profiles with recent photo activity get shown more.
Not just the bad ones. A short, specific reply to a good review ("Thanks, John — glad the gate install held up through the storms") reads as more credible to the next customer than the review itself. Reply within a few days, every time.
Anyone can ask — and answer — a question on your profile, including competitors. Check it regularly and answer real questions yourself before someone else does it for you, incorrectly.
Google Posts (offers, project highlights, seasonal reminders) are free and they signal an active, maintained profile — a real factor in how much visibility you get relative to a competitor who set theirs up once and walked away.
Common mistakes
Adding services or city names into the business name field is against Google's guidelines and risks suspension, not just a slap on the wrist.
An unanswered bad review reads as confirmation. A calm, specific response reads as a business that takes its work seriously.
Missing a real secondary category (like "Pool cleaning service" alongside "Swimming pool contractor") means you simply don't show up for those searches at all.
Stale profiles lose visibility to competitors who post, add photos, and answer reviews regularly — activity is a real signal, not just good practice.
The paid diagnostic reviews your Google Business Profile against this exact checklist — plus your search visibility and your phones — and hands you a page-by-page strategy for what to fix first.