To show up on Google Maps as a tradesman you need a verified Google Business Profile that is complete, accurate and inside Google's rules. Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, so your job is to match what people search for, set up your service area properly and keep reviews coming in. The checklist below covers each setting that matters, in the order I would do them.
Why does my Google Business Profile decide whether I show on the map?
When someone types "roofer near me" or "emergency plumber Mansfield", the map results come from Business Profiles. Google explains its local ranking in three parts:
- Relevance: how well your profile matches what the person searched for. Google advises complete, detailed business information.
- Distance: how far you are from the person searching.
- Prominence: how well known your business is. Google says this includes links to your business and your reviews, and that "more reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking."
You can't move the customer closer to you. You can control relevance and prominence, and that is what this checklist does. The same Google page says "there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google." That is why I never promise anyone a number one spot.
What should a tradesman's Google Business Profile include?
Work down this table. The sections below explain the Google rule behind each line.
| Setting | What to do |
|---|---|
| Verification | Finish it. Customers can only find your profile once it is verified. |
| Primary category | The single most specific one, for example "Roofing contractor" rather than a broad trade. |
| Additional categories | A few, only for genuinely separate services. |
| Service area | Set up as a service-area business, hide your home address, add the towns you cover. |
| Business name | Your real name, exactly as on your van, invoices and website. |
| Phone and website | A number you control that rings you, and your own website. |
| Hours | The hours customers can actually reach you. |
| Services | Every job you want to be found for, with a short description. |
| Description | Up to 750 characters about what you do and where. |
| Photos | Real jobs, in focus, added regularly. |
| Posts | A short update when you finish a notable job. |
| Reviews | Ask every customer, and reply to what they write. |
How do I set up my profile if I work from home?
Most trades are what Google calls a service-area business: you go to the customer, they don't come to you. Google's sign-up guide says that if you don't have a storefront where you receive customers, you must hide your business address. You can then add up to 20 service areas, by town or postcode. Google's guidelines for representing your business add that your area shouldn't extend farther than about 2 hours' driving time from your base, though larger areas may suit some businesses.
Pick the towns you actually want work in. A list of 20 places you would never drive to does not help you.
Which categories should I choose?
Google's category help page says to choose a primary category that best describes your business, and to pick a specific category over a broad one. Add extra categories only for distinct services. Google's guidelines say to use as few categories as possible. An electrician who also fits EV chargers might add one relevant extra category. A builder who ticks every trade on the list just blurs what they do.
What am I allowed to put in my business name?
Only your real business name. The guidelines list what a name must not include. For trades, the ones that matter are:
- Service information, such as "Smith Roofing Flat Roof Specialists".
- Location information, such as "Smith Roofing near Nottingham".
- Marketing taglines, phone numbers, web addresses or opening hours.
Google says including unnecessary information in your name "could result in the suspension of your Business Profile." Keep it as it appears on your van and invoices.
What about phone number, hours, services and description?
Phone: Google requires a number "under the direct control of the business", and it must not redirect people to someone else's number. Use your own mobile or landline, not a lead-generation number.
Hours: give your regular customer-facing hours. If you list emergency call-outs, only do it if you really answer.
Services: service businesses can add services, including custom ones, with a price and description. List the jobs you want more of: "Flat roof replacement", "Boiler installation", "Consumer unit upgrade".
Description: Google's rules for the description say not to exceed 750 characters, not to include URLs, and to focus on your business rather than promotions or prices. Say what you do, where you work, and what makes you easy to deal with.
Which photos should a tradesman add?
Photos of your own work. Google's photo guidance says images should be in focus, well lit, without heavy filters, and should "represent reality". Think before and after shots of a roof, a tidy consumer unit, a finished patio, your van with its signwriting. Use JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB. New uploads can take 24 to 48 hours to appear.
Are Google posts worth doing?
Posts let you share updates, offers and events on Search and Maps. They need a verified profile, and Google archives posts older than 6 months unless you set a date range. A short update after a good job ("New slate roof finished in Worksop this week") with a photo takes two minutes and shows the profile is active.
Do my details need to match my website and directories?
Yes. I treat this as basic housekeeping. Use exactly the same name, address and phone number on your profile, your website, Facebook and any directory you're listed in. If you change your number, change it everywhere on the same day. Mismatched details confuse customers, and they make it harder for search engines and AI tools to be sure all those listings are you. More on the AI side in my guide to getting recommended by ChatGPT.
How should I handle reviews on my profile?
Reviews feed prominence. Google's review tips say replies are public and show customers their feedback matters. Keep replies short, polite and personal, and never share a customer's private details. I cover the full routine, with text templates, in how to get more Google reviews.
What are the most common Google Business Profile mistakes?
- Keyword-stuffed names. "Dave's Plumbing 24/7 Emergency Plumber Leeds" breaks Google's name rules and risks suspension.
- A PO box or virtual office as the address. Google's guidelines say PO boxes and mailboxes at remote locations aren't acceptable, and a virtual office isn't eligible for a profile.
- Duplicate profiles. Google says there should only be one profile per business, and a service-area business should have one profile with a service area. A second profile for another town breaks that rule.
- Showing a home address. If customers don't visit you, Google says you must hide it.
- Setting it up once and forgetting it. Old hours, an old number and no new photos for years tell customers nothing good.
The profile is one half of local search. The other half is a website with a page for each service and town you cover. You can see how that works for one trade on my SEO for roofers page.
Want me to check your profile?
I'll go through your Google Business Profile against this checklist, look at how you show for your main searches, and send you a short list of what to fix. It's free and there's no obligation. Request a free audit, or call me on 07494 833710.
Sources
- How to improve your local ranking on Google (Google Business Profile Help)
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google (Google Business Profile Help)
- Sign up for Business Profile (Google Business Profile Help)
- Manage your business category (Google Business Profile Help)
- Manage your services on your Business Profile (Google Business Profile Help)
- Edit your Business Profile (Google Business Profile Help)
- Manage your Business Profile photos and videos (Google Business Profile Help)
- Posts on your Business Profile (Google Business Profile Help)
- Tips to get more Google reviews (Google Business Profile Help)