Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the panel that appears on the right of search results and in Google Maps. For local trades, it is often the first thing a customer sees. Get it right and you will win more calls and messages without spending a penny on ads.
Quick start checklist (do these first)
- Claim and verify your profile at business.google.com
- Exact business name as used on your website and paperwork
- NAP set correctly: Name, Address, Phone
- Primary category chosen, plus 1 to 3 relevant secondary categories
- Hours added, including special hours for bank holidays
- Service areas set to the towns you cover
- Description written in plain English with services and locations
- Services and products added with short summaries and prices if possible
- Photos uploaded: logo, cover, team, vehicles, tidy work, before and after
- Review link saved and ready to send to customers
- Reply to every review with a short, friendly response
- Posts added for recent jobs, offers or tips
- Messaging turned on if you can reply quickly
- Website button points to the right page on your site
- Weekly updates of recent job photos or written posts
- Monthly check on Insights to see calls, views and popular searches
Step by step set up
1) Claim and verify
- Go to business.google.com and search for your business name.
- If a listing exists, request access. If not, create one.
- Choose Storefront if customers can visit, or Service area business if you visit customers.
- Complete verification by post, phone or video. If you get stuck, use the Help community to request a manual review.
2) Set your NAP exactly
- Name: use your real trading name. No taglines or keyword stuffing.
- Address: match your website and invoices. For service area businesses, hide the address and set service areas instead.
- Phone: use a number you pick up fast. If you use call tracking, keep your main number in the primary field and put the tracking number as an additional phone.
3) Choose the right categories
- Primary category does the heavy lifting. Pick the one that best describes your main service.
Examples: Plumber, Heating contractor, Electrician, Roofer, Landscaper, Joiner. - Secondary categories support extras. Keep to a short list, for example: Boiler supplier, Bathroom fitter, Emergency plumber.
4) Add accurate hours
- Standard working hours.
- Add special hours for bank holidays or seasonal changes.
- If you take emergencies, add a line in your description or posts explaining how to reach you out of hours.
5) Set service areas
- List the towns you will travel to.
- Keep to realistic travel times. Ten to twenty towns is usually enough.
6) Write a helpful description
Use 2 to 4 short sentences. Speak to the customer.
Template:
“[Business name] helps homeowners in [areas] with [top services]. Gas Safe registered and fully insured. Clear pricing, tidy work and quick communication. Call for today’s availability.”
7) Add services and products
- In Services, add each job you want more of, with a one line summary.
Example: Boiler installation. Fixed price swaps with warranty. - In Products, create simple tiles for popular packages.
Example: Landlord gas safety check. Includes certificate and boiler service.
8) Upload quality photos and short clips
Aim for at least 15 to start.
- Logo and cover image that match your website
- Team and vans in uniform and clean
- Work examples that show neat finishes and safety
- Before and after pairs for high impact jobs
- Short clips walking through a finished job or tidy consumer unit
Keep everything bright, sharp and upright. Avoid heavy filters or stock images.
9) Turn on messaging
If you can reply within business hours, enable Messages. Set quick replies like:
- “Thanks for your message. Please share your postcode and a photo if you can. We reply within one hour during working hours.”
10) Add booking or quote links
If you take bookings, add your booking URL. If not, link to your Contact or Quote page.
11) Questions and answers
Add three to five common questions and answer them yourself from your personal Google account.
Examples:
- Do you charge a call out fee
- How soon can you visit my area
- Are you Gas Safe or NICEIC registered
- What payment methods do you accept
12) Posts that prove you are active
Post weekly if you can. Use one photo and two or three lines of text.
Ideas:
- Recent job with town name
- Seasonal reminder, for example boiler servicing
- Limited time slots for next week
- Safety tip relevant to your trade
End with a call to action: Call, Message or Visit website.
13) Reviews and replies
- Get your review link from the GBP dashboard and save it as a phone snippet.
- Ask at handover, then send the link by text the same day, with a friendly reminder a week later.
- Reply to every review. Keep it short and human.
Positive reply template:
“Thanks, [Name]. Glad you are happy with the [job]. We are here if you need anything.”
Negative reply template:
“Sorry to hear this, [Name]. Please call [number] so we can put it right.”
14) Keep details consistent everywhere
Make sure your Name, Address, Phone match your website and your listings on Apple Maps, Bing Places, Yell, FreeIndex and other key directories.
Advanced optimisation
If you want to go further, these steps unlock extra performance and better tracking.
A) Tag your buttons for tracking
Add UTM tags to your Website link in GBP so you can see traffic inside GA4 and in your form system.
Example URL parameters:?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp_profile
Create a short redirect on your site, for example /gbp, that points to your tracked URL. Easier to manage later.
B) Use Rank Math for schema
In Rank Math, enable Local SEO and set your company details. Choose Local Business type and add opening hours, phone and logo. This helps search engines understand your business and supports your website pages.
C) Add service pages by location
On your site, create a page for each profitable service and town. Keep it simple.
Mini template:
- H1: Boiler installation in Swindon
- Short intro and the problems you solve
- Three bullet benefits that match your values
- Two photos with one sentence captions
- One short local review
- Clear call to action with phone and form
Link these pages from your GBP Website button if they match the user’s intent, for example a boiler page during winter.
D) Monitor Insights and act on it
In GBP, open Insights each month.
Track:
- Calls and messages
- Direction requests by town
- Profile views by Search vs Maps
- Popular search phrases
Use the data to guide your Posts, photo choices and which service pages to build next.
E) Fight spam fairly
If competitors stuff keywords in their names or use fake addresses, use the Suggest an edit option and attach proof. Clean maps help everyone.
Copy you can reuse
Business description, universal version:
“We help homeowners in [areas] with [services]. Fully insured, tidy and on time. Clear pricing before work starts. Call or message for a fast quote.”
Post caption, recent job:
“New [service] completed in [town]. Neat finish and full cleanup. Limited slots next week. Call or message to book.”
Review request SMS:
“Thanks again for choosing [Business]. If you can spare 30 seconds, a quick review helps us reach local customers. [Review link] Many thanks.”
Maintenance timetable
Weekly
- Add one new photo or post
- Reply to any reviews and messages
Monthly
- Check Insights and note calls and views
- Update hours if anything has changed
- Rotate your cover photo to a fresh one if quality improves
Quarterly
- Refresh your description and services list
- Add new location pages on your site for towns you now cover
- Audit directories for NAP consistency
Common mistakes to avoid
- Keyword stuffing the business name
- Hiding your phone number
- Letting messages sit unanswered
- Posting only stock photos
- Forgetting bank holiday hours
- Never updating photos or posts, which makes the profile look abandoned
Helpful links on your site
- Build or refresh a site that shows your proof clearly: Starter website £19 per month
- Compare plans or ask a question: Pricing and Contact
- More guides and downloads: Free stuff
Set aside one focused hour to complete the quick start section above. Your profile will look professional, match your website, and begin to generate more calls from nearby customers. When you have time, work through the advanced items and you will be ahead of most competitors in your patch.
