A Google Business Profile checklist for contractors

How to use this list

This is the order we work through a contractor's Google Business Profile in the first month. Tick items off as you go; the ticks are only in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere. Items marked Suspension risk are the ones that get profiles taken off the map, so read those twice.

1. Safety first

Fix these before optimising anything, because each one can undo all the rest.

• Name matches your real signage or registered name Suspension riskNo towns, keywords or taglines added. “Fraser Heating”, not “Fraser Heating Best Furnace Repair Abbotsford”.
• The address is real and staffed Suspension riskNo mailbox, PO box or unstaffed shared-office desk. [1]
• Home-based? Address hidden Suspension riskIf customers do not come to you, hide the street address and list service areas instead.
• One profile per real location Suspension riskDuplicates and “branch” profiles with nobody working there get removed. Keep one, ask for the others to go.
• No review gating or incentives in place Suspension riskIf a tool only sends happy customers to Google, switch that screen off.

2. The core settings

These decide which searches you are even considered for.

• Primary category: the most accurate oneThe single strongest ranking factor you control. How to choose it.
• Secondary categories: only true onesFewer is better. Only what the business is, never what it merely does.
• Services: every service you want calls forUse Google's predefined services where they exist, then add your own in plain words: “Perimeter drain replacement”, “Pot light installation”.
• Service areas: the real towns, within about two hours' driveSuch as Surrey, Langley and Abbotsford. The list does not make you rank there; it tells customers where you go.
• Hours, exactBeing open at the time of the search is a top-five factor in the 2026 expert survey. [2] Claim 24/7 only if someone really answers.
• Holiday hours set aheadBefore each statutory holiday, not the morning of.
• Phone number that is answeredThe number customers should call, identical to your website and directories.

3. What customers read

These mostly help people choose you once they have found you.

• Website link to the most relevant pageNot automatically the home page. Tagging it (for example with utm_source=google) lets you see those visits separately.
• Description, up to 750 charactersWhat you do, where, for whom, and what is true about you: licences, warranties, response times. No links, no keyword lists, no prices that will go stale.
• Attributes that are trueOnline estimates, languages spoken, accessibility, and so on. Only what applies.
• Real photosJobs, crew, vehicles, signage. Skip geotagging: Google strips the location data, so it does nothing.
• Quote or booking linkIf you take bookings or quote requests online, link straight to the form.

4. Every month after

The profile is not a one-time job. This is the upkeep.

• Ask every customer for a reviewEvery completed job, the same day, one reminder. The rules.
• Reply to every review within a couple of daysThank the good ones, take the bad ones offline, never argue.
• Flag a three-week gap in new reviewsRankings slipped after about 18 days without a review in a 2025 study. [3]
• A post a week, for customersA recent job, a seasonal reminder or an offer, with a real photo. Posts help people choose; tests have not shown them moving rankings.
• Check for edits you did not makeGoogle and the public can suggest changes to hours, category, phone or the map pin. Revert anything wrong.
• Answer new questionsThe old public Q&A has been replaced by Google's AI answers about places, which draw on your reviews and your website. Keep the facts on your site current.

5. The other maps

The same details, in the places other assistants read.

• Apple BusinessFeeds Apple Maps and Siri. It replaced Apple Business Connect in April 2026.
• Bing PlacesFeeds Bing and Microsoft's Copilot.
• The core Canadian directoriesSame name, address and phone as the profile. The list, in order.

What not to pay for

Once the profile is right, the next question is how far its reach goes across your area. That is what a geo-grid shows, and the free scan runs a small one in about a minute. For HVAC, roofing and most other wide-area trades, the gap between how you look at home and how you look two towns over is where the work is.