Google Business Profile for Trades: A Simple Setup Guide

Published 7 November 2026

When someone searches "roofer near me" or "emergency electrician", Google often shows a map with three local businesses before any website. Those listings come from Google Business Profile, a free profile that shows your name, phone number, reviews, photos and service area. For many trades businesses it brings as many calls as the website does. Here is how to set one up properly.

Step 1: Check you are eligible

You need a real business that deals with customers in person, either at a location they visit or at their homes and sites. Trades usually qualify as service-area businesses, because you travel to the customer.

Step 2: Use your real business name

Use the name customers know you by, exactly as it appears on your van, invoices and website. Do not add keywords or towns ("Best Cheap Roofer London"), because this breaks Google's rules and can get the profile suspended. Avoid adding legal endings like LTD unless they appear on your signage.

Step 3: Choose the right categories

Pick the one primary category that best describes your main work, for example Roofing contractor, Electrician or HVAC contractor. Then add a few secondary categories for other services you offer. Do not add categories for work you do not do.

Step 4: Set your address and service area

• If customers never visit your address, hide it and show a service area instead.
• You can add up to 20 service areas. Use named towns, cities or postcodes, and list only places you actually work. Fewer, well-chosen areas work better than a long vague list.
• Keep the area realistic. Google suggests staying within roughly two hours' drive of where you are based.
• Do not use a virtual office, mailbox or PO box. Google states these are not eligible unless the business genuinely operates from there. A home address can be used for verification and then hidden from the public.

Step 5: Add your phone, website and hours

Use the same phone number and website address you show on your site. Add your opening hours, including emergency call-out hours if you offer them. Keep them up to date, including bank holidays.

Step 6: Write your description

You get 750 characters. Say what you do, where you work and what makes you different, in plain language. Do not stuff it with keywords, add website links or mention special offers.

Step 7: Add services and real photos

List your main services. Upload your own photos of finished jobs, your team and your vans. Real photos are more trusted than stock images, and they are yours to reuse on your website too.

Step 8: Verify the profile

Google asks you to confirm the business is real. Depending on your case, that can be a video, a phone call, an email or a postcard. Follow the steps Google gives you, and do not pay anyone for a "pre-verified" profile.

Step 9: Collect reviews and keep it active

Reviews are a big part of how local profiles are ranked and judged. Read our guide to getting more Google reviews for the rules on asking. Add new photos regularly and reply to every review.

Mistakes that get profiles suspended

• Keywords or towns added to the business name
• A virtual office or fake address
• Creating more than one profile for the same business
• Choosing categories that do not match your work
• Fake reviews or offering rewards for reviews

Make your website match

Google compares your profile with your website, so keep your business name, phone number and areas consistent. Make sure your site has a page for each service and for the areas you cover. See our SEO service, our area pages and our guide on why trades websites lose jobs.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a website to have a profile?

A website is not required, but having one gives customers more to trust, and Google a way to check your details.

Can I have a profile if I work from home?

Yes, as a service-area business. Use your home address to verify, hide it from the public, and list your service areas.

How long does verification take?

It varies. Some methods are quick and others, like a postcard, take longer. Follow the instructions Google gives you.