Google Business Profile: what makes people pick a tradesperson on the map

The Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business, is the listing that appears on Google Maps and beside the results when someone searches for a business. It is free. For a tradesperson, it is often what decides the call, long before the website.

It isn't my main job: I do advertising. But it is the first thing I check with a local client, because a successful ad sends people to search your name, and this profile is what they find.

What to fill in, properly

The primary category. The most important setting. "Plumber", "Pool contractor", "Kitchen supplier": the category decides which searches the profile can appear on. You can add secondary categories for your other services.

The service area. If you travel to customers without receiving them at premises, you can hide your address and list the towns you cover.

Opening hours, up to date. A profile showing "open" when nobody answers loses the call, and the trust.

Services and their description. Written with the words your customers type: "water heater replacement", "heat pump installation", not a slogan.

Phone number and website. The same name, address and number everywhere the business appears online.

Reviews: the cheapest lever

Between three tradespeople shown side by side on the map, reviews often make the difference. Three habits are enough:

1. Ask for a review after every successful job, while the customer is happy, with the direct link by text message.
2. Reply to every review, good and bad. A calm reply to a negative review reassures more than a perfect profile.
3. Never buy fake reviews. Google detects them and can suspend the profile, and consumer protection law forbids it.

Photos: proof you exist

Photos of finished jobs, the team, the van, the premises. Regularly, not once at setup. A profile with recent photos looks like an active business, which is exactly what someone hesitating is looking for.

The videos I edit for advertising also belong here: a before and after or a talking-to-camera intro fits on the profile.

Mistakes that get a profile suspended

• Adding keywords to the business name ("Smith Plumbing Emergency 24h Cheap").
• Declaring an address where you don't receive customers, or a mailbox.
• Creating several profiles for the same business.

Profile and advertising: how they help each other

The profile captures people searching for your trade nearby. Advertising, on Meta or Google, reaches people who haven't searched yet, or puts you on top when the map is crowded. They reinforce each other: someone sees your video on Instagram, types your name, and lands on a profile full of reviews. How to find customers as a tradesperson.

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Further reading: Meta or Google, which to choose and SEA and SEO, the difference.

Want to know if your profile is ready for traffic from an ad? Book a 30-minute call. We look at it together before talking campaigns.