A Google Business Profile checklist for trade companies

By Gabe Key, founder of Firmkit.

Pick the right categories

Pick the one category that best describes your main job as the primary. Then add a few more that match real services you sell. Do not stuff in categories you do not offer.

• Primary category: the main thing customers hire you for. A plumber picks a plumbing category. An HVAC company picks an HVAC category.
• Secondary categories: only real services, such as a drain cleaning or water heater category if you do that work.
• Review it twice a year. Google adds and renames categories over time.

The primary category carries the most weight, so choose it carefully. If you are torn between two, pick the one that matches the work that pays the bills.

Set the service area correctly

List the towns or areas where you work. Trade companies usually travel to the customer, so a service area is the right setup, not a storefront address.

• Add the towns you serve. Leave out places you will not drive to.
• If you work from home or do not take walk-in customers, hide your street address and use the service area only.
• Check the spelling of each town. A wrong town or a stray one can send the wrong calls.
• Match the list to your website. If your site names ten towns, your profile should agree.

Our Triangle pages show how we write about the local towns we serve.

List the hours you keep

List the hours when a real person answers or when you can take the job. Wrong hours cost trust fast, so keep them true and current.

• Set regular hours for each day.
• Add special hours for holidays before they happen.
• If you offer emergency service, say so in your description and services. Only set 24‑hour hours if you answer 24 hours a day.
• Check that the profile does not default to open all day by mistake.

If you miss calls outside your hours, pair the profile with an automatic reply so the caller still hears from you. We cover that in the missed-call cost post.

Fill out the services list

Add each service you sell, with a short plain description. This helps customers and helps Google understand what you do.

• One entry per service: "Water heater replacement," "Panel upgrade," "AC repair."
• One or two sentences each. Say what is included in plain words.
• Do not invent prices. If you list a price, make sure it is accurate and you will honor it.
• Use the same service names as your website so everything lines up.

Write the business description in the same plain voice. Say what you do, where you work and how long you have been doing it. Do not stuff it with keywords.

Photos that belong on the profile

Use real photos of your team, trucks and finished work. Real beats stock every time, because customers can tell.

• Logo and a cover photo.
• Your crew, with permission, and your trucks with the company name visible.
• Before and after shots of finished jobs. Do not show a customer's home in a way that identifies them without permission.
• A few shots of the work in progress.

Add new photos on a steady schedule, not all at once. Name your files clearly and skip heavy edits. If you want help getting a library of real job photos, see Content Days.

Posts, Q&A and messaging

Posts show the profile is active. Q&A lets you answer common questions in public. Messaging lets customers write to you, but only turn it on if someone will reply.

• Posts. Share a recent job, a seasonal tip or an offer you stand behind. Keep them short and add a photo.
• Q&A. Seed it yourself with the questions you hear most, and answer them clearly. Check it now and then, since anyone can ask.
• Messaging. If you switch it on, answer fast. An unanswered message looks worse than no message option.

Google changes these features over time, so check what is available in your profile today.

Reviews, and the same name, address and phone everywhere

Ask every happy customer for a review, reply to all of them, and keep your name, address and phone number the same everywhere. NAP stands for name, address, phone.

Reviews. Reply to each one, good or bad, in a calm and polite way. Follow Google's rules: no paying for reviews and no filtering who you ask. See our guide on asking for Google reviews in the blog for wording.

Name, address and phone. Compare the profile to:

• Your website header and footer
• Your contact page
• Facebook, Yelp and other listings
• Your invoices and estimates

Small differences, like "Suite" versus "Ste" or an old phone number, create confusion. Pick one format and use it everywhere. For a real example of a profile audit, read the Secur-Tek case study.

How often to review it

Look at it once a month, and fix anything that has drifted. Profiles break quietly, and no one tells you.

1. Open it in a private browser window and view it as a customer would.
2. Check the name, address, phone number, hours and website link.
3. Check that the service area still lists only places you serve.
4. Read new reviews and replies. Answer anything you missed.
5. Look for suggested edits. Other people can propose changes to your listing, and some are wrong.
6. Add a few new photos and one post.

Keep a simple log of what you changed and when. If something odd shows up, such as a wrong category or a new phone number you did not add, you will know when it started. Fix it, then check again a week later.

Curious how your own profile and site stack up? Take the free 60‑second leak audit. It takes a minute, needs no email and shows you where calls may be slipping away.

Questions