Your Google Business Profile is the free listing that puts your company on Google Maps and in the three map results that sit above the ordinary search results. For most local contractors it brings more calls than the website does, and it costs nothing but a couple of hours.
This is how to set one up properly, including what to do if you run the business out of your house.
Before you start: what you will need
- The exact registered name of your business
- Your license number, insurance details and a utility bill or lease, in case verification asks for proof
- A phone and a few minutes to record a verification video
- 25 or more photos of your own work, on your phone is fine
- A list of the towns you will actually drive to
Step 1: Check whether a profile already exists
Search your business name and city on Google Maps before creating anything.
A surprising number of contractor listings already exist, created automatically from public records or by a past employee who has long since left. If one is there, claim it rather than making a second. Duplicate listings compete with each other and both end up weaker.
If you find one you cannot access, there is a “Request access” option that sends a message to whoever holds it. If nobody responds within a week, Google lets you take ownership.
Step 2: Claim or create the profile
Go to google.com/business and sign in.
Use an account you intend to keep and control. Plenty of contractors have lost access to their listing because it was set up on an employee’s personal Gmail.
Enter your business name exactly as it is registered. Do not add service or city keywords to it. “Smith Construction” is correct. “Smith Construction - Kitchen Remodeling San Diego” breaks Google’s rules and gets listings suspended.
Step 3: Set your address, or hide it
This is the step contractors get wrong most often.
If customers come to you, at a yard, office or showroom, enter that address.
If you work out of your home, hide the address and set yourself up as a service-area business. Google supports this explicitly for contractors. Your home address stays private, and there is no ranking penalty for hiding it.
Do not use a mailbox rental, virtual office or PO box. Google does not accept them, profiles using them get suspended, and recovering a suspended profile is much harder than setting one up correctly in the first place.
Step 4: Verify the listing
Google will ask you to prove the business is real, usually by video, sometimes by postcard or phone.
How to pass video verification
Record in one unbroken take, without stopping, and show:
- The outside of your location or your lettered vehicle
- Your tools and equipment
- Your signage, license documents or branded paperwork
- Yourself, going from the outside to where you work
The common reason for rejection is a video that does not clearly connect you, your equipment and the place. Walk the camera through it rather than filming separate clips.
Video is usually reviewed within a few days. Postcards take one to two weeks.
Step 5: Choose your categories
Your primary category carries more weight than anything else you will set here.
Pick the most specific one that matches the work you want more of. A general contractor who mostly does kitchens and baths often performs better under a remodeling category than under a general contractor category, because it is closer to what homeowners type.
Then add secondary categories for everything else you genuinely do. You can add up to nine. Adding categories for work you do not do will bring the wrong calls.
A quick way to check: search your main service plus your city, click the companies in the map results, and look at what categories they use.
Step 6: Set your service area
List the towns and cities you will actually drive to.
The temptation is to list the entire county because it sounds bigger. It works against you. An overstretched service area dilutes how relevant you look everywhere in it, including in your own town, where you have the best chance.
Start tight. You can widen it later.
Step 7: Add every service separately
Do not enter one service called “construction.”
List each one as its own item with a short description, in the words a homeowner would use:
- Kitchen remodeling
- Bathroom remodeling
- Home additions
- ADU construction
- Whole-home remodels
Each description is a chance to say what the work involves and where you do it. This is also what Google draws on when someone searches for one specific job rather than for a contractor in general.
Step 8: Upload 25 or more real photos
Photos are a ranking factor and, more importantly, they are what a homeowner looks at before deciding whether to call.
What to include:
- Finished projects, as many as you have
- Work in progress, which builds more trust than people expect
- Your vehicle, especially if it is lettered
- Your team, including yourself
- Equipment and your yard or workspace
Use your own photos. Stock images are obvious to homeowners and add nothing. Then keep adding a few every month, because a profile that stopped being updated in 2023 tells its own story.
Step 9: Write the business description
You get 750 characters. Front-load it.
Say what you do, where you work, and how long you have been doing it, in the first two sentences. Keep the rest plain. This is not the place for “committed to excellence.”
A workable shape:
[Business name] has built kitchens, baths and additions for homeowners across [area] since [year]. We handle [the specific work], including permits and inspections, and work on [the kinds of properties common in your area].
Step 10: Ask for your first reviews
A complete profile with no reviews will not win the map results. Reviews are the part that moves you.
Text your last ten happy customers with a direct review link. Ask them to mention the specific job and the town, because “they remodeled our kitchen in Encinitas” tells Google far more than “great service.”
Then reply to every review, good or bad. It takes a minute and shows the next homeowner reading them that someone is paying attention.
You cannot offer anything in exchange for a review. No discounts, no draws. It breaks Google’s rules and can cost you the listing.
After setup: what to keep doing
| How often | What |
|---|---|
| Weekly | One post with a photo of recent work |
| Weekly | Reply to any new reviews |
| Monthly | Add new project photos |
| Monthly | Ask that month’s customers for reviews |
| Quarterly | Check your hours, services and service area are still right |
The weekly post is the part almost nobody does, which is exactly why it is worth doing.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Keywords in the business name. The fastest way to get suspended.
- A mailbox rental as the address. Same outcome.
- A service area covering the whole state. Makes you less relevant everywhere.
- Twelve photos uploaded once, three years ago. Looks abandoned.
- Buying reviews. Google detects clustered reviews, and a wiped review history is much worse than a thin one.
- Letting an employee own the listing. When they leave, it leaves with them.
Where to go next
Once the profile is live and gathering reviews, the next piece is your website: specifically, having a real page for each job type you want more of. We cover that in contractor SEO, along with what the whole thing costs and how long it takes.
If you would rather have someone look at your market first, book a free 15-minute call. We will show you who comes up ahead of you where you work, and whether there is enough there to be worth going after.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a physical address for a contractor Google Business Profile?
No. Contractors can register as a service-area business, which hides the address and shows the areas you serve instead. This is the correct setup if you work out of your home, and it carries no ranking penalty.
Can I use a PO box or mailbox rental for my business profile?
No. Google does not accept mailbox rentals, virtual offices or PO boxes as business locations, and profiles using them get suspended. Recovering a suspended profile is far harder than setting one up correctly, so use a real address or hide it as a service-area business.
How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
Video verification is usually reviewed within a few days. Postcard verification takes one to two weeks to arrive. If a video is rejected, the usual cause is not showing enough connection between you, your equipment and the location, so record the sequence in one continuous take.
What category should a general contractor choose?
Choose the most specific category matching the work you want more of, not the broadest one. A company doing mostly kitchens and baths often performs better under a remodeling category than a general contractor category, because that is closer to what homeowners search. Add the broader ones as secondary categories.
How many photos should a contractor add?
Start with at least 25 and add more every month. Include finished projects, work in progress, your vehicle, your team and your equipment. Profiles that keep adding photos consistently outperform those loaded once and left alone.
Can I offer customers a discount for leaving a review?
No. Offering anything in exchange for a review breaks Google's rules and can cost you the listing. You can ask every customer, make it easy with a direct link, and ask at the moment the job is finished, which works better than any incentive.
Should I post on my Google Business Profile?
It helps, and almost no contractors do it, which is the opportunity. One post a week with a photo of recent work and a line about what it was takes a few minutes and keeps the profile looking active.
What happens if my Google Business Profile gets suspended?
Do not create a second listing, which can get you permanently banned. Gather proof that the business is real, including your license, insurance, vehicle photos and a utility bill or lease, then submit a reinstatement request. Most legitimate businesses are reinstated within a few weeks.
Does a Google Business Profile help more than a website for contractors?
For most local contractors, yes. The map results sit above the ordinary search results and are driven largely by the profile, the reviews and how close you are to the searcher. The website still matters, especially for larger jobs where homeowners research before calling, but the profile is where to start.