Google Business Profile Checklist for Home Service Businesses

Set it up correctly

• Claim your profile and complete Google's verification.
• Use your real business name, the same one customers see on your truck, signage, and website. Do not add keywords or service areas to the name.
• Pick the most accurate primary category, then add secondary categories only where they truly apply.
• Add your phone number and your website address.

Handle your address honestly

Many contractors travel to customers and do not serve them at a shop. If that is you, set the profile up as a service-area business and hide your address. Do not use a virtual office, a mailbox store, or a friend's address to look local. Google's guidelines restrict this, and it can get a profile suspended. Set your service areas to the places you really work.

Fill in the details

• Hours, including any holiday hours or emergency availability you actually offer
• A list of your services, described clearly
• A short business description that says what you do and where you work
• Real photos of your work, your crew, and your vehicles

Reviews

• Ask satisfied customers for reviews, and send them a direct link.
• Do not offer discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews, and do not ask only happy customers. Google's policies restrict both.
• Reply to reviews politely, including the negative ones.
• Never write or buy fake reviews.

Keep it consistent

• Match your business name, phone number, and website across your profile, your website, and major directories.
• Search for duplicate listings of your business and deal with them.
• Link your profile to a website page that clearly matches what the profile says.

Maintain it

• Update hours when they change.
• Add new photos of finished projects regularly.
• Check your profile every month for suggested edits and new questions.

Google updates its rules over time. Review the current Google Business Profile guidelines before you make changes. If you would rather have someone handle upkeep, see our Local Presence plan and our approach to local SEO. A good profile helps customers find and trust you, but it cannot guarantee a particular ranking.