Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the single most important free marketing tool available to any tradesperson. Get it right and you appear in the top three results when local customers search for your trade. Get it wrong — or leave it incomplete — and your competitors take those spots instead.
This guide covers everything, step by step.
It's the box that appears on Google when someone searches for your business or a trade service in your area. It shows your name, phone number, opening hours, reviews, photos and a map pin. It appears in Google Maps and in the "local pack" — the three businesses shown at the top of local search results.
Getting into the local pack is worth more than any ad you could buy. Those three spots get 68% of all clicks in local search results.
Go to business.google.com and search for your business. If it exists, claim it. If not, create it. You'll need to verify via a postcard sent to your address, or instantly via video verification. This takes 1–7 days.
Google ranks more complete profiles higher. Fill in: business name (your real trading name — don't keyword-stuff it), address or service area, phone number, website, categories (primary + secondary), description (use your trade and location naturally), opening hours including emergency availability, and services.
Profiles with 10+ photos get 35% more clicks. Add: your van with signage, your team on a job, before/after project photos, your certifications, and your own face. Real photos convert far better than stock images. Update them monthly — Google rewards active profiles.
Reviews are the #1 ranking factor in Google Maps. Businesses with 50+ reviews rank significantly higher than those with 10. You need a system, not just asking occasionally.
The most effective approach: send an SMS review request 2 hours after every completed job, with a direct link to your review page. This removes all friction and catches customers at peak satisfaction.
Always reply to every review — positive and negative. Google counts this as engagement and rewards it with better rankings.
Most tradespeople don't know Google Business Profiles have a posts feature. It works like a social feed — you can post offers, project updates, seasonal availability notices. Profiles that post weekly rank higher than those that don't. One photo and two sentences is enough.
TWD sets up and optimises your Google Business Profile as part of every plan — and manages your review automation so your rating builds on autopilot.
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