Why your Google Business Profile matters
When someone searches "plumber near me" or "electrician Maroochydore", the first thing they usually see is the map with three businesses under it. Those listings come from Google Business Profile, not from websites. For most service trades, a well-kept profile brings in more calls than anything else you can do for free.
Google says local results are based on three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how close you are to the searcher) and prominence (how well known you are, including your reviews and links from other sites). You cannot change distance. Everything in this guide is about relevance and prominence. Google's own summary is in How to improve your local ranking on Google.
This guide is written for service-area businesses: trades that go to the customer rather than having customers come to a shopfront. That covers most plumbers, electricians, carpenters, roofers, landscapers, air-con installers and cleaners.
Before you start: what to have ready
Ten minutes of preparation saves a lot of back and forth. Have these on hand:
- Your business name exactly as it appears on your signage, ute and invoices
- A mobile or landline you answer, under your control
- Your base address (for verification only; we will hide it)
- The suburbs or regions you cover, up to 20
- Your hours, including whether you do after-hours or emergency work
- A list of the services you offer, with a sentence on each
- Your logo, plus 10 or more real photos of your work, your ute and your Team
- Your website address, if you have one
Step 1: Check for an existing profile, then create or claim it
Search Google Maps for your business name and phone number first. Google sometimes creates a listing automatically, and a previous owner or an old marketing company may have set one up. If one exists, claim it rather than starting again. Two profiles for the same business can get your account suspended. Google's help article on adding or claiming your Business Profile walks through both paths.
To create a new one, go to google.com/business, sign in with a Google account you will keep (ideally one tied to your business email, not a personal account a former Team member controls) and follow the prompts.
Step 2: Use your real business name, nothing extra
This is where many trade profiles get into trouble. Your name on Google must match your real-world name. "Smith Plumbing" is fine. "Smith Plumbing - Best Emergency Plumber Sunshine Coast 24/7" is not. Google's guidelines for representing your business say that adding unnecessary information to your name is not permitted and can lead to suspension.
If you want "Sunshine Coast" in your name on Google, it needs to be in your registered business name and on your signage too.
Step 3: Choose categories carefully
Your primary category is one of the strongest signals you control. Pick the most specific one that describes what your business is:
| Trade | Good primary category | Possible secondary categories |
|---|---|---|
| Plumber | Plumber | Gas installation service, Water heater installation service, Drainage service |
| Electrician | Electrician | Solar energy equipment supplier, Lighting contractor |
| Carpenter or builder | Carpenter, or Builder | Deck builder, Home builder, Kitchen remodeler |
| Roofer | Roofing contractor | Gutter cleaning service, Skylight contractor |
| Landscaper | Landscaper | Landscape designer, Lawn care service, Gardener |
| Air-con installer | Air conditioning contractor | Air conditioning repair service, HVAC contractor |
Category names change from time to time, so start typing and pick from Google's list. Add only the secondary categories that match work you do. Google asks businesses to use as few categories as possible and not to use them as keywords.
Step 4: Hide your address and set your service area
If customers do not come to your address, you should not show it. Enter your base address so Google can verify you, then turn off Show business address to customers under Edit profile, Location. Google's help on editing your business address covers the steps. Once it is hidden, your profile shows your service area instead.
Then add your service areas. Google allows up to 20, based on suburbs, postcodes or regions, and says your area should not extend beyond about 2 hours of driving time from your base. You cannot set a radius. See Manage your service areas.
For a Sunshine Coast trade, a sensible list mixes the suburbs you most want work in with a few broader regions, for example: Maroochydore, Buderim, Mooloolaba, Sippy Downs, Nambour, Caloundra, Kawana Waters, Coolum Beach, Noosa Heads and Sunshine Coast. Your service area tells Google where you work, but it does not guarantee you appear in every suburb listed. Distance from your base still counts.
Do not use a PO box, a virtual office that is not staffed during business hours, or a coworking desk as your address. Google's guidelines rule these out, and they are a common cause of suspensions.
Step 5: Phone, website and hours
- Phone: use a number you control and answer. A local mobile is fine.
- Website: link to your homepage. To see how many visits come from your profile, add tracking to the link, for example
?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp. - Hours: show the hours you answer the phone. Only use 24 hours if you do take calls around the clock. Add special hours for public holidays and the Christmas shutdown.
Step 6: Verify your profile
Your profile will not show properly until it is verified. Google decides which verification methods you are offered based on your business type, location and history, and you cannot pick. According to Google's verification help, the options include:
- Video recording (the most common option for trades now)
- Phone call or text message
- Live video call with Google support, during business hours
- Postcard by mail, with a code that can take up to 14 days to arrive
Google can take up to 5 business days to review a verification.
Video verification tips for service trades
Google asks to see your location, your business or equipment, and proof you manage the business. For a trade without a shopfront, a one-take video on your phone that works well usually shows:
- A street sign or landmark near your base, then your ute or van with signage
- Your tools, gear or stock in the vehicle or shed
- Something that shows you run the business, such as branded invoices, your licence card or a business document with sensitive details covered
Keep it continuous (no cuts), steady and in daylight. If the vehicle has no signage yet, a magnetic sign or branded shirt and paperwork helps.
Step 7: Add services and a description
Under Services, add each job you want to be found for: "Hot water system replacement", "Blocked drain clearing", "Switchboard upgrade", "Hardwood deck build". Add a short description to each. This helps Google match your profile to specific searches.
Your business description can be up to 750 characters. Say what you do, where you work and why people choose you, in plain words. Mention your licence (a QBCC number for building and plumbing trades). Skip links, prices that change and all-caps sales lines.
Step 8: Add real photos, and keep adding them
Profiles with plenty of recent photos look active and trustworthy. Start with:
- Your logo and a cover photo
- 5 to 10 photos of finished jobs (before and after shots work well)
- Your ute or van with signage
- You and your Team on site, in uniform
Then add a few new job photos every month. Use your own photos, not stock images. Take them in landscape, in good light, and leave out customers' house numbers and number plates.
Step 9: Set up your review link and ask every customer
Reviews are the single biggest thing you can keep improving. Google's help article Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews explains how to get your link: on a computer, open your profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews, and copy the link or save the QR code.
Then make asking a habit:
- Text the link to every customer when you send the invoice, with a one-line thank you
- Put the QR code on your business card, invoice and a sticker in the ute
- Reply to every review, good or bad, within a few days. Keep replies short and polite
Two rules keep you out of trouble. Google's prohibited content policy bans offering discounts or freebies in exchange for reviews, and bans "selectively soliciting" positive reviews, so ask every customer, not just the happy ones. The ACCC's guidance on online reviews makes it clear that writing fake reviews, or having friends, family or Team members post reviews without disclosing the connection, is against the law.
Step 10: Post updates regularly
Posts let you share a recent job, a seasonal tip or an offer straight on your profile. Google's guide to creating posts covers the formats. A simple routine works:
- Once a week or fortnight, post one recent job with a photo and a line about the suburb and the work
- Before storm season, post about gutter cleans, roof checks or surge protection, depending on your trade
- Add a "Call" or "Get quote" button that links to your website's quote form
Posts are unlikely to move rankings on their own, but they show customers you are active, and they give people a reason to call you rather than the next listing.
Common reasons trade profiles get suspended
Suspensions are stressful because your listing disappears while Google reviews it. Most come from a short list of avoidable mistakes:
- Keywords in the business name, such as adding a suburb or "emergency plumber" that is not part of your real name
- Showing a home address when you do not see customers there, or using a PO box or virtual office
- Duplicate profiles for the same business, including old listings set up by a previous agency
- A service area that is far too big, such as all of Queensland
- Changing lots of details at once soon after verifying, such as name, category and address in one go
- Sharing an address with another business profile
- Review problems, such as bursts of reviews from family or paid reviews
If your profile is suspended, do not create a new one. Fix whatever breaks the guidelines, gather proof of your business (licence, ABN registration, a photo of signed vehicles, a utility bill) and request reinstatement through Google Business Profile support.
How your website and profile work together
Your profile gets you into the map results. Your website backs it up. When your profile's name, phone number and service area match your website, and your site has a page for each main service and the suburbs you cover, Google has more to go on. A site with a quick, phone-friendly quote form also turns more of those profile clicks into actual jobs. Our local SEO checklist covers the website side.
Every WilJam Digital plan includes Google Business Profile setup, from $990 one-off or $79 a month. See how it fits into a site for plumbers, electricians or roofers, or read about web design on the Sunshine Coast.