Google Business Profile checklist for contractors
Updated November 1, 2026
Make your profile complete, accurate and active: the right primary category, your real service area and hours (including holidays), a phone number someone answers, a link to a page that books jobs, recent photos of real work, a list of your services, and a steady flow of reviews that you reply to. Google says local results depend mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and a complete, accurate profile helps with all three.
Why your profile matters more than your website
76% of people who search on their phone for something nearby visit a related business within a day.
Source: Think with Google, 2016
For a lot of homeowners, your Google profile is the first and only thing they see before they call. If the hours are wrong, the photos are old or the reviews stop in 2023, they move on without ever opening your website.
The basics
Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and that complete, accurate information, real business hours, photos and replies to reviews all help.
Source: Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
- Primary category: the one that best describes the main job you want, for example "Roofing contractor" rather than a general category.
- Service area: the towns you actually serve. Hide your street address if customers don't come to you.
- Hours: the hours someone answers the phone, plus special hours for holidays.
- Phone: a number that rings a person or a text-back, never a dead line.
- Website link: a page that makes booking easy, with tap-to-call at the top on a phone.
Photos and services
- Add photos of real jobs regularly, especially before and after shots.
- Add your logo and a cover photo, and photos of your vehicles and team if you have them.
- List each service you offer, in the words customers search for.
- Keep your business description plain: what you do, where, and who for.
Reviews and replies
Just 4% of consumers say they never read online reviews of local businesses.
Source: BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2025
- Ask every happy customer, the same day the job is done. See the review scripts guide below.
- Reply to every review, good and bad, within a few days. Thank people by name and mention the job.
- Never offer discounts or rewards for reviews. Google's policy does not allow it.
Keep it active
- Post an update when you have news: a seasonal service, a finished job, a holiday schedule.
- Check your profile once a month for edits other people suggested.
- Search your business name on your phone every few weeks and look at it the way a customer does.
Find your biggest leak first
Your profile is one of five places jobs leak. The 60-second quiz checks all of them and ranks the fixes.
Questions owners ask
What is the most important part of a Google Business Profile?
Accuracy first: the right category, real hours and a phone number that gets answered. After that, reviews and recent photos. Google says complete and accurate information, photos and replies to reviews all help local ranking.
Should a contractor show their address on Google?
If customers don't visit you, set a service area and hide the street address. You still need a real address to verify the profile, but it doesn't have to be shown.
How often should I post on my Google Business Profile?
There is no required schedule. Post when you have something useful: a seasonal service, a finished project, or holiday hours. A profile that looks looked-after is more reassuring to customers.
Do Google reviews really matter for home services?
Yes. BrightLocal's 2025 survey found just 4% of consumers say they never read online reviews of local businesses, so most people who find you will read yours.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
- Think with Google, 2016
- BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2025
- Google Maps user contributed content policy: Fake engagement