Google Business Profile
Set Up Guide

If you’re a tradesman or run a small local business, one of the easiest ways to improve your visibility online is to set up a Google Business Profile. And it’s completely free.

A Google Business Profile can help your business appear when somebody searches Google or Google Maps for services in their area.

For example: “Plumber near me”, “Electrician Liverpool”, “Roofer in Aintree”

Having a profile doesn’t guarantee you’ll appear at the top of Google, but it gives Google important information about your business and gives potential customers another way to find you.

This guide will take you through setting one up properly, step by step.

No download. No email address required. No paywall. Just follow the guide.

Step 1: Create or claim your Google Business Profile

First, sign into the Google account you want associated with your business and go to Google Business Profile.

If Google already has a listing for your business, you may be given the option to claim the existing profile instead.

Once you’ve created or claimed your profile, Google may ask you to verify that you’re authorised to represent the business.

Follow the verification method Google provides.

Step 2: Enter your real business name

This sounds obvious, but don’t be tempted to stuff keywords into your business name.

If your business is called: Smith & Sons Plumbing Ltd. Use that.

Don’t change it to: Smith & Sons Plumbing | Best Emergency Plumber Liverpool Merseyside, just because you think it might help you rank.

Use the name your customers actually know your business by.

There are other places on your profile to tell Google what you do and where you work.

Step 3: Choose the right business category

Your category helps Google understand what your business actually does. Be specific.

If you’re a plumber, choose the most appropriate plumbing category rather than something vague like “Contractor”.

Depending on your business, you may also be able to add additional categories covering other services you genuinely provide.

Don’t add loads of unrelated categories just because you’d like to appear in more searches. Keep it accurate.

Step 4: Decide whether to show your address

This is particularly important for tradesmen.

Ask yourself: Do customers actually visit my business address?

If you’ve got genuine business premises where customers visit you, displaying your address may be appropriate.

But if you’re a plumber, electrician, builder or another tradesman running the business from home and travelling to your customers, you’re likely operating as a service-area business.

In that situation, you can hide your address and show the areas you serve instead.

Don’t display your home address simply because you think it’ll help you rank.

Step 5: Add your service areas

Now tell Google where you actually work.

For example, a Liverpool-based tradesman might genuinely cover areas such as:

• Liverpool

• Aintree

• Maghull

• Bootle

• Crosby

Only add places you genuinely serve. There’s no point telling someone 30 miles away that you cover their area if you’re going to turn the job down when they call.

Step 6: Add your contact details

Make it as easy as possible for a potential customer to contact you.

Add your:

• Telephone number - Use a number that genuinely connects customers to your business.

• Website - Link directly to your business website.

• Opening hours - Enter the hours during which customers can realistically contact or visit your business.

And remember to update them if anything changes.

Step 7: Write your business description

This is your opportunity to explain what you actually do.

Don’t fill it with something like:

BEST PLUMBER LIVERPOOL | CHEAP PLUMBER | EMERGENCY PLUMBER | PLUMBER NEAR ME

Write for the customer.

For example:

Smith & Sons Plumbing is a family-run plumbing business covering Liverpool and the surrounding areas. We provide domestic plumbing services including repairs, installations, bathroom plumbing and general maintenance. We pride ourselves on reliable service, clear communication and quality workmanship.

It tells people: Who you are. What you do. Where you work.

That’s much more useful than filling the description with keywords.

Step 8: Add your services

Don’t skip this part. Add the individual services your business genuinely provides.

For a plumber, that might include:

• Plumbing repairs

• Tap installation

• Leak repairs

The services available will depend on the categories you’ve selected, and you may also be able to add your own services. Be specific.

Someone might not simply be searching for a “plumber”. They might be looking for somebody to repair a leaking tap, replace a radiator or install a toilet.

Help Google and your customers understand exactly what you do.

Step 9: Add good quality photos

Don’t upload your logo and then forget about the profile. Show people the actual business.

For tradesmen, we’d recommend regularly adding things such as:

• Before and after photos

• Completed jobs

• Work in progress

• Your van

• Photos of you actually doing the work

You don’t need professional photography for every picture. A good phone photo of a genuinely completed job can be far more useful than a generic stock image.

Real photos help potential customers see that there’s a genuine business behind the profile.

Step 10: Add your social media profiles

If the option is available on your Business Profile, connect your business social media accounts.

That might include: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok

Make sure you’re linking to the actual business accounts and ideally keep them active.

It’s another opportunity for someone researching your business to see your work and get a feel for who they’re dealing with.

Step 11: Start collecting Google reviews

This is a big one. Don’t be afraid to ask happy customers to leave you a Google review.

After you’ve completed a job and the customer is happy, send them your review link. Make it easy for them.

Don’t offer money, discounts or freebies in return for positive reviews. You want genuine feedback from genuine customers.

And respond to the reviews you receive. If somebody leaves you a great review, thank them. If somebody leaves a negative one, respond professionally rather than getting into an argument online.

Potential customers aren’t only looking at the star rating. They’re also looking at how you deal with your customers.

Step 12: Keep your profile up to date

Setting up your Google Business Profile is only the beginning. Don’t create it and then forget it exists for three years.

Keep your:

• Opening hours accurate

• Services accurate

• Contact information accurate

• Photos current

• Business information up to date

If you’ve completed a great job recently, add a photo. If you’ve started offering another service, update the profile.

Think of your Google Business Profile as another shop window for your business. Keep it looking current.

How do you get your Google Business Profile higher on Google?

There’s no magic button. Google primarily looks at three things when deciding which local businesses to show:

1. Relevance

How well does your business match what somebody is searching for?

This is why accurately completing your categories, services and business information matters.

2. Distance

How far is the business from the person searching, or the location they’re searching around?

You can’t really optimise your way around geography. If somebody in Manchester searches for a plumber near them and you’re based in Liverpool, Google has little reason to show them your business.

3. Prominence

Essentially, how established and well-known is the business?

Your reviews, website and wider online presence can all help Google understand your business.

That’s why your Google Business Profile shouldn’t exist on its own. Your website, reviews, social media and wider online presence should all work together.

Google Business Profile Checklist for Tradesmen

Before you finish, check that you’ve completed:

☐ Correct business name

☐ Business verified

☐ Most appropriate primary category

☐ Relevant additional categories

☐ Address hidden if customers don’t visit you there

☐ Genuine service areas added

☐ Correct telephone number

☐ Website added

☐ Opening hours added

☐ Business description completed

☐ All relevant services added

☐ Logo added

☐ Good quality job photos uploaded

☐ Social profiles connected where available

☐ Review link ready to send to customers

☐ Reviews being responded to

☐ Business information regularly checked and updated

And if you don’t want to do it yourself, we can do it for you.

Toucan Do Business can help set up and optimise your Google Business Profile, making sure your business information, services, service areas, description and profile are properly set up from the start.

We also help tradesmen and small local businesses with the other things happening behind the scenes, including customer communication, admin and social media.

You absolutely can do it yourself. But if you’d rather spend your time doing the work that actually pays, we’re here to help.

Fancy a Brew? ☕ Book your free coffee consultation and let’s talk business.