Your Google Business Profile sits there whether you touch it or not. Most contractors claimed it years ago when Google sent that postcard, added a few photos, and haven’t logged in since. That profile either makes you money or costs you money. There’s no neutral.
Here’s what actually moves the needle when someone searches for contractors in your area.
Your Category Choice Controls Who Sees You
Google lets you pick one primary category and several secondary ones. This isn’t about describing every service you offer. It’s about matching the exact words customers type when they need help.
If you’re an electrician who also does some HVAC work, your primary category needs to be “Electrician” if that’s where most of your revenue comes from. Add “HVAC contractor” as a secondary. Google shows your profile to people searching for electricians first, HVAC second.
Wrong category selection is invisible failure. You won’t know why the phone stopped ringing. Check your primary category right now. Does it match what you actually do most, or what you wished you did more of? Be honest. Optimize for reality, not aspirations.
Photos Prove You’re Legitimate
Customers vet you before they ever call. They’re looking at your photos trying to answer one question: can I trust this person in my home or business?
Show them your truck with your company name. Show your team in clean uniforms. Show the organized tools in your van. These aren’t vanity shots. They’re trust signals. Disorganized contractors don’t photograph their chaos. You documenting your professionalism separates you immediately.
Take three photos after every completed job. The finished work, your team at the site, and one detail shot that shows your attention to quality. Upload them that evening. Do this for thirty days and you’ll have 90 photos. That’s more than 80% of your competitors.
Photos Customers Actually Want to See
- Your service vehicle exterior (clean, branded)
- Inside your van showing organized equipment
- Your team at a job site wearing company gear
- The specific problem you solved before you touched it
- The fixed result after your work
- Close-up of your installation or repair showing craftsmanship
Business Information Accuracy Matters More Than You Think
Your business name, address, and phone number appear on dozens of websites. Yelp, Yellow Pages, industry directories, local chambers of commerce sites. If they don’t all match exactly, Google gets confused about which version is correct.
This isn’t theory. Mismatched information directly lowers your ranking. Google trusts businesses that have consistent information everywhere. Inconsistency signals either sloppiness or multiple businesses operating under similar names.
Check your business name format. Is it “ABC Plumbing” everywhere or “ABC Plumbing LLC” in some places and “ABC Plumbing, LLC” in others? Pick one format and make it identical across every single directory. Yes, this is tedious. It also works.
Service Areas: Be Specific, Be Honest
Google wants to show local results to local searchers. If you serve a 30-mile radius, list the actual cities in that radius. Don’t just say “serving the greater metro area.” Name them.
Here’s what matters: your actual service address must stay visible. Google penalized thousands of businesses that hid their address while claiming to serve everywhere. Keep your real business address public. List your legitimate service areas around it. Google rewards this transparency.
If you genuinely serve locations 50+ miles away, add them. But if you’re realistically unwilling to drive that far for a service call under $500, don’t list it. False service areas waste everyone’s time when a customer calls from a place you won’t actually go.
Posts Keep Your Profile Active
Google Posts expire after seven days. This creates natural pressure to keep updating. Profiles that post weekly signal active management. Google’s algorithm notices and responds with better visibility.
You don’t need to write paragraphs. Post a photo from today’s job with two sentences: “Replaced failed water heater in subdivision before family got home from work. Proper venting prevents carbon monoxide issues.”
That post took 30 seconds to create and tells potential customers three things: you work fast, you understand safety, and you’re active right now. Do this twice a week minimum. Set phone reminders if needed.
Post Templates You Can Use Today
- Seasonal reminder: “Furnaces fail when first cold snap hits. Schedule maintenance now before the rush.”
- Problem solved: “Diagnosed intermittent electrical issue in commercial building. Faulty breaker replaced.”
- Educational tip: “GFCI outlets in bathrooms prevent electrocution. Required by code for good reason.”
- Project showcase: “Complete kitchen electrical upgrade for remodel. Added circuits for modern appliances.”
Reviews Need Responses, Every Single One
Somebody took time to write about your business. Acknowledge it. Five-star review? Thank them by name. Three-star review with valid criticism? Address it professionally and publicly.
Your responses show up on your profile for everyone to see. Future customers read them. How you handle both praise and problems reveals your character. Contractors who ignore reviews signal they don’t value customer feedback.
Keep responses short and genuine. “Thanks Mike, glad we could get your AC running before the heat wave hit” works better than “We appreciate your valued feedback and look forward to serving your future needs.” Talk like a human.
Negative reviews happen. Don’t panic. Respond within 24 hours. State what you’re doing to fix it. Follow through. Then ask the customer to update their review after you’ve made it right. Many will. Even if they don’t, your public response shows you stand behind your work.
Questions and Answers Section Needs Your Attention
Anyone can post questions on your profile. Anyone can answer them, including your competitors. Check this section weekly and answer every question yourself with accurate information.
Better strategy: answer the common questions before anyone asks them. Post and answer “What areas do you service?” yourself. Post and answer “Do you offer emergency calls?” yourself. Control the narrative instead of reacting to it.
Questions Worth Answering Proactively
- What areas do you serve?
- Do you offer free estimates?
- Are you licensed and insured?
- Do you offer emergency service?
- What payment methods do you accept?
- How quickly can you respond to service calls?
Hours Must Stay Current
Few things frustrate customers more than showing up to a “closed” business that should be open according to Google. Update your hours the moment they change. Adding Saturday hours for spring? Update it Friday. Taking off for the holiday? Mark it a week ahead.
Special hours exist for a reason. Use them. Customers planning their day around your availability will appreciate accuracy. Google notices when businesses keep information current and rewards that reliability in rankings.
Attributes Are Search Filters
Those little tags like “offers free estimates” or “emergency service” aren’t decorative. They’re literal search filters. When someone searches for “emergency plumber,” Google only shows profiles tagged for emergency service.
Review your attributes monthly. Are you marked for all services you actually offer? Did you add a new service but forget to update your profile? Missing attributes mean missing calls from customers specifically searching for what you do.
Insights Show What’s Actually Working
Google Insights reveals how customers find you. Search views, direction requests, phone calls, website clicks. This data tells you whether your optimization efforts are working or wasting time.
Check insights monthly. Look at trends, not individual days. Is search visibility climbing? Are more people requesting directions? Did phone calls increase after you started posting regularly? Let data guide your decisions instead of guessing.
Pay attention to search terms customers used to find you. If you’re showing up for irrelevant searches, your category or description might need adjustment. If you’re not showing up for your core services, you’ve got optimization work to do.
Consistency Beats Perfection
You don’t need a perfect profile. You need a profile that’s better than it was last month and better than your competitors’ profiles today. Small improvements compound over time.
Commit to weekly maintenance: upload three new photos, write one post, respond to any new reviews, check for new questions. Thirty minutes a week prevents your profile from going stale and keeps you competitive.
This isn’t about becoming a marketing expert. It’s about maintaining the digital storefront where customers decide whether to call you. You maintain your equipment, your vehicle, your licenses. Your Google profile deserves the same regular attention.
When DIY Stops Making Sense
Some contractors have time for this. Some don’t. If you’re booked solid with fieldwork and weekends disappear with family time, paying someone to manage your profile might generate more revenue than doing it yourself.
The question isn’t whether you can do this. You can. The question is whether your time generates more value doing this or doing actual contractor work. Run the math honestly.
Get a Free Profile Audit
If you want to know exactly where your profile stands right now and what specific changes would drive more calls, Digital Meshworks offers free SOAR audits. No sales pitch, just straight assessment of your current situation and recommendations you can implement yourself or hire out.
We work exclusively with service contractors nationwide from our Texas base. We understand your schedule constraints and business reality because we’ve lived it. You’ll get honest feedback, not marketing speak.
Contact Information:
Website: www.digitalmeshworks.com
Phone: 832-537-5980
Email: digitalmeshworks@gmail.com
Request your free audit. See exactly what needs fixing. Decide whether to handle it yourself or hand it off. Your call, your business, your timeline.
