When someone nearby searches for what you do, the first thing they often see isn't your website — it's your Google Business Profile: your name, stars, photos, hours and a big "Call" button in the map results. For a local business, it's one of the most valuable free marketing tools there is.
Here's the checklist we work through for every client.
1. Get the basics exactly right
- Business name: your real-world name, exactly as it appears on your signage. Don't stuff keywords into it ("Joe's Decks Best Deck Builder Thunder Bay") — it breaks Google's guidelines and can get your profile suspended.
- Address or service area: if customers visit you, show your address. If you travel to them (contractors, cleaners, mobile services), set a service area instead and hide the address.
- Phone number: use a local number that's answered during business hours.
- Website: link to your homepage, or to a location page if you have more than one location.
Consistency matters. Your name, address and phone number should match exactly everywhere they appear online — your website, Facebook, directories. Google uses that consistency as a trust signal.
2. Choose the right categories
Your primary category is one of the strongest signals for which searches you show up in. Pick the most specific one that describes your core service ("Deck builder", not just "Contractor"). Then add a few secondary categories for other services you genuinely offer.
3. List your services and products
Add every service you provide, with a short description of each. This helps Google match you to more specific searches, and it helps customers understand what you do before they call.
4. Write a helpful description
You get 750 characters. Use them to explain what you do, who you do it for and where you work, in plain language. Mention your main services and the towns you serve naturally — write for people, not for Google.
5. Add real photos (and keep adding them)
Profiles with photos get more clicks. Upload:
- Your logo and a cover photo
- Your team, vehicles or storefront
- Finished projects — before-and-afters work especially well
Add new photos regularly. It shows the business is active.
6. Set accurate hours
Include holiday hours. Nothing loses a customer faster than showing up — or calling — when Google said you were open and you weren't.
7. Ask for reviews, and reply to every one
Reviews influence both rankings and whether someone picks you. Make asking easy: send happy customers your review link right after a job.
Reply to every review, good or bad. A calm, helpful reply to a negative review often impresses future customers more than the review itself.
8. Post updates
Google lets you publish short posts: offers, news, recent projects, seasonal reminders. They keep your profile fresh and give searchers another reason to choose you.
9. Answer the Q&A
Customers can ask questions on your profile, and anyone can answer them. Check it regularly, answer questions yourself, and consider adding common questions with clear answers.
10. Connect it to your website
Your profile and your website should work together. Make sure your website loudly confirms the same name, address, phone and services, and has a page for each service and area you list. That's what turns a profile view into a confident phone call.
Want a hand?
Setting up and maintaining a Google Business Profile is part of our marketing work. If you'd like us to take a look at yours, get in touch — we'll tell you honestly what's holding it back.
Want more calls from Google?
Send us the details and we'll chat about exactly what we'd improve.