Google Business Profile for Tradespeople

A Google Business Profile helps a trade business appear in Google Search and Maps. The strongest profile is not the one with the most keywords. It is the one that accurately explains what the business does, where it works and how customers can contact it.

For plumbers, electricians, builders and other trades that travel to customers, the service-area settings are especially important.

What is a Google Business Profile?

A Google Business Profile is the business listing that can appear when someone searches for your company or looks for a local service on Google.

It can display:

Business name
Trade category
Phone number
Website
Working hours
Service areas
Services
Job photographs
Customer reviews
Business updates

The profile is free, although Google may offer paid advertising products alongside it.

Is a trade business eligible for a profile?

Google allows businesses that either serve customers at a physical location or travel to customers. Most mobile trade businesses fall under the service-area business model.

Google describes a service-area business as one that visits or delivers to customers but does not serve customers at its own address. A plumber working from home is a typical example.

If customers do not visit your business address, hide the address and define the service area instead. Do not use a virtual office or mailbox as a pretend storefront.

Step 1: Use your real business name

Enter the name customers genuinely know and see on invoices, vans, workwear and your website.

Avoid adding a list of services or towns to the name unless those words are genuinely part of the business name. For example, use Smith Electrical Ltd, not Smith Electrical Ltd Best Electrician Rewires Bristol Bath.

Keeping the name consistent makes the business easier for customers to recognise across Google and your website.

Step 2: Choose the most accurate category

Your primary category should describe the main business as specifically as possible. Examples might include:

Electrician
Plumber
Painter and decorator
Carpenter
General contractor
Roofing contractor
Landscaper

Add secondary categories only where they represent a real and meaningful part of the business. Do not select every related category available.

Google says categories affect local ranking because they help it understand what the business does.

Step 3: Set the correct address and service areas

If customers visit a staffed workshop, office or showroom with permanent signage, the address may be suitable for display.

If you travel to customers and do not serve them at your address:

Enter the real address when Google requires it for verification.
Hide the address from customers.
Add the towns, cities or postcodes you actually serve.

Google currently allows up to 20 service areas and recommends keeping the overall area within roughly two hours of the business base. It does not support setting a simple radius.

Be realistic. A tightly defined area is more helpful than claiming to cover the whole country.

Step 4: Add accurate contact details and hours

Use a phone number that somebody regularly answers or checks. Link to the main website rather than a social profile or directory listing where possible.

Set normal working hours and update them when they change. If you provide emergency or out-of-hours services, describe them accurately. Do not claim to be available 24 hours unless that is genuinely how the business operates.

Check that the phone number, website and hours agree with the details on your trade website.

Step 5: Write a useful business description

Use the description to explain the business in plain English. Include:

The main type of work
The main customers served
The general area covered
Relevant experience or specialisms
What the business values

Avoid filling the description with repeated town names, promotional offers or unsupported claims such as the best plumber in Manchester.

Example:

Oakfield Plumbing provides domestic plumbing repairs, bathroom fitting and planned maintenance across York and the surrounding area. We work with homeowners and landlords, with a focus on clear communication, tidy work and straightforward advice.

Step 6: Add the services you actually want

List recognisable services using the language customers understand. An electrician might include:

Fault finding
Consumer unit replacements
Rewiring
Electrical inspections
EV charger installation
Landlord electrical work

Keep the list aligned with the website. If you no longer want a certain type of job, remove it rather than continuing to attract unsuitable enquiries.

Step 7: Upload useful photographs

Add genuine photographs that help customers understand the business:

Finished work
Work in progress
The team
Branded vans
Workshop or showroom, where relevant
Clear examples of different services

Avoid filling the profile with stock photographs. Real work builds a more accurate picture of what customers can expect.

Our guide to taking better job photographs with your phone covers lighting, framing and privacy.

Step 8: Create a steady review process

Google provides a review link and QR code that you can share with customers. Add the link to your normal job-completion message rather than waiting until you remember.

Ask every suitable customer for an honest review. Do not offer discounts, gifts or other benefits in exchange for one. Google prohibits incentivised reviews because they can mislead customers.

Reply professionally where a response is useful. Avoid sharing private information when replying to a complaint.

See how to ask customers for reviews for practical message examples.

Step 9: Keep the profile active and accurate

Set a simple monthly reminder to check:

Phone number
Website link
Working hours
Service areas
Services
Recent photographs
New reviews

You do not need to make constant changes. Accuracy matters more than activity for its own sake.

Google Business Profile checklist

Before considering the profile complete, check that:

The business is verified.
The real business name is used.
The primary category is specific and accurate.
The home address is hidden if customers do not visit it.
Service areas reflect the real working area.
Phone number, website and hours are current.
Main services are listed.
The description is clear and factual.
Genuine photographs have been uploaded.
A review request link has been saved.
Reviews are checked and answered appropriately.

Frequently asked questions

Should a sole trader show their home address on Google?

Not if customers do not visit the address. Google allows service-area businesses to hide the address and show the areas they serve instead.

Can a trade business have a profile for every town it covers?

Normally, a service-area business should have one profile for the business and define its real service areas. Creating false locations can breach Google's guidelines.

How many service areas can be added?

Google currently allows up to 20 service areas based on cities, postcodes or other recognised areas.

Do more reviews guarantee a higher position?

No single action guarantees a position. Google says local results consider relevance, distance and prominence. Reviews are one useful part of the overall picture.

Related guides

Sources

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