Google Business Profile for Tradesmen: A Setup Checklist

When someone searches "plumber near me" or "electrician Galway", the first thing that usually appears is a map with three businesses under it. Those listings come from Google Business Profiles. If you don't have one, or yours is half filled in, you're missing the most valuable spot on the page.

It's free, and you can do most of it in an evening. Here's the checklist I'd follow.

1. Claim your profile

Search for your business name on Google. If a listing already exists, claim it. If not, create one at business.google.com. You'll need to verify it, which can be a postcard, a phone call, an email or a short video, depending on what Google offers you.

2. Get the basics exactly right

• Name: your real business name, as it appears on your van and invoices. Don't stuff keywords into it. Google can suspend profiles for that.
• Phone: a number you answer. A mobile is fine.
• Website: link your actual site.
• Hours: be honest. If you offer emergency callouts, say so.

3. Set your service area, not just an address

Most tradesmen work from home and travel to the customer. If that's you, set up as a service-area business and hide your home address. Then list the towns or counties you cover. Be realistic: pick the areas you actually want jobs in.

4. Choose the right categories

Your main category matters most. Pick the one that best describes the core of your business ("Electrician", "Roofing contractor", "Plumber") and then add secondary categories for other things you do. Look at the profiles of the top businesses in your area to see what they've chosen.

5. List your services

Add each job you do as a service, with a short, plain description: "Fuse board upgrades", "EV charger installation", "Flat roof repairs". This helps Google understand what to show you for, and it helps customers see you do their job.

6. Add real photos

Upload photos of your work, your van, your team and yourself. Real ones, from your own phone. Profiles with plenty of photos look active and trustworthy. Add a few new ones each month.

7. Get reviews, and reply to them

Reviews are the biggest thing customers look at. Ask every happy customer, ideally the same day you finish, and send them a direct link so it takes ten seconds. Then reply to every review, good or bad, politely. We wrote a full guide on how to get more Google reviews.

8. Post updates

A short post with a photo of a finished job every couple of weeks keeps the profile fresh. It doesn't need to be clever. "New fuse board in Oranmore, finished today" is perfect.

9. Make sure it matches everywhere else

Your business name, phone number and area should be the same on your website, Facebook page, Instagram and any directories. Small differences confuse Google about whether these are the same business.

What it won't do on its own

A good profile gets you into the running. Where you actually appear depends on how relevant you are to the search, how close you are to the customer and how well known you look to Google, which is where reviews and a decent website come in. Nobody can guarantee a number one spot, and be wary of anyone who does.

Setting up Google Business Profiles is part of every website we build for tradesmen across Ireland. If you'd rather have it done for you, get in touch.