The Google Business Profile Checklist Every Contractor Should Run

Many contractors jump straight to chasing reviews and skip the basic setup work. Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local search results (Tips to improve your local ranking on Google, Google Business Profile Help), so run through this list before you spend another dollar on review generation.

Business information

• Business name is your real-world name, as used consistently on your signage, website, and stationery. Google's guidelines don't allow keywords or taglines in the name, such as "Smith Plumbing | Emergency Plumber Springfield", and say it can get a profile suspended (Guidelines for representing your business on Google).
• Primary category is the single most specific match for what you do (e.g., "Plumber," not "Contractor").
• Secondary categories cover real services you offer, not aspirational ones. Google's guidelines say to use as few categories as possible to describe your core business, and not to use categories solely as keywords.
• Service area is set correctly if you don't have walk-in customers: clear your home address from the profile and define the areas you serve, rather than listing a fake storefront. Google's guidelines say a service area shouldn't extend much beyond about two hours of driving time from where you're based.
• Phone number is one you actually answer, and it stays the same across every listing rather than rotating through call-tracking numbers.

Photos and visual proof

• Real photos of completed jobs, your crew, and your vehicles, not stock photography. Around ten is a reasonable starting point for a profile with none. That's our rule of thumb, not a Google requirement.
• A logo and cover photo that match your website.
• New photos added regularly. Google doesn't say how often, so treat monthly as a habit, not a rule.

Reviews

• A simple, repeatable ask: a text or email sent soon after the job, with a direct link. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking.
• Every review gets a response, positive or negative, within a few days. Google says responding shows you value customer feedback and can help your business stand out.
• Negative reviews get a calm, specific reply, never a form response. Future customers may read your reply as well as the review.

Posts

• Post about jobs, offers, or seasonal reminders on a schedule you can keep. We haven't seen evidence that posting frequency affects ranking, so treat posts as a way to keep the profile current, not as a ranking lever.
• Don't build your strategy on a Q&A section. Google discontinued the Business Profile Q&A API on November 3, 2025 while updating its Q&A functionality (Q&A API change log), and industry reports say the public Q&A section is being replaced by AI-generated answers. Answer the questions customers ask before hiring on your own website instead, where you control the wording.

Mistakes that can hold your profile back

Duplicate listings. If you've moved offices, rebranded, or an old employee created a second profile, your reviews and information can end up split across two listings, with conflicting details. Search your business name and phone number in Google Maps and merge or request removal of duplicates.

Inconsistent NAP. Your name, address, and phone number should match across your website, Business Profile, and every directory. Small differences such as "Street" vs. "St." are worth cleaning up too.

No service area pages on your website. Your profile says where you work, and your website should back it up. If you claim you serve a dozen cities but your site only mentions one, customers, and possibly Google, have reason to doubt the claim. A page for each town you serve fixes that.

What Google says moves the map pack

Google says local results are based mainly on three factors: relevance (how well a profile matches what someone is searching for), distance (how far the business is from the searcher), and prominence (how well-known the business is). It doesn't rank one above the others, and it says there's no way to pay for a better local ranking (Tips to improve your local ranking on Google). Your categories and complete information are what you control for relevance, reviews can help your local ranking, and distance is something you can't change. Everything else is maintenance.

Run this checklist once now, then again every quarter. Fixing the basics won't guarantee movement, but it removes the errors that hold a profile back.

Related Guides

• Service Area or Storefront: Setting Up Your Google Business Profile Correctly
• The Contractor's Guide to Reviews That Actually Convert
• What Local SEO Experts Rank as the Top Map Pack Factors, and What Google Says
• Asking Customers for Reviews: What Google and the FTC Allow
• Google Business Profile Categories for Contractors: Choosing the Primary and the Rest
• How to Audit Your Name, Address, and Phone Number in an Afternoon
• The Complete Google Business Profile Playbook for Contractors