Google Business Profile Optimisation: A Checklist for Trades
Google Business Profile optimisation gets sold as a monthly mystery. For a trade it's mostly a one-off checklist and one good habit. Here's the list, with the right categories for each trade.
Google Business Profile optimisation is one of those things trades get sold every month, often as a package of weekly posts and a report nobody reads. In my view most of it is a one-off checklist you can do yourself in an afternoon, plus one habit that actually keeps paying: getting reviews.
This is that checklist, in the order I'd work through it, with the categories I'd look at for each trade and where keywords belong (and where they'll get you in trouble).
1. The foundations (do these once, properly)
None of the clever stuff matters if these are wrong, and most of them come straight from Google's guidelines for representing your business. A profile with a problem here can be invisible, or suspended, however well the rest is done. If you haven't created yours yet, start with my guide to setting up a Google Business Profile.
- Verified. No "Get verified" button on your profile. If there is one, sort that first with my guide to Google Business Profile verification.
- One profile, and you own it. Search your business name, phone number and any old address on Google Maps to check for duplicates. You should be the owner. Your web person can be a manager.
- Name exactly as on the van. No towns, no services, no "24/7". Google's guidelines ban those extras, and they're a classic route to a suspension.
- Address hidden if customers don't visit. Google's guidelines use a plumber working from home as the example of a business that should clear its address from the profile.
- Service areas set and realistic. Up to 20 towns or postcode areas, within about two hours' drive of your base, according to Google. Only the places you'd genuinely go.
- A phone number you answer. Local if possible, under your control, not a call centre.
- Website link to the right page. Usually your homepage. If you have a strong page for the main job you want, it can go there instead.
- Accurate hours, plus special hours. Set bank holidays and Christmas before they arrive. Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up.
2. Google Business Profile categories: the right ones for your trade
Your primary category is the biggest single setting you control. Google's category help page says your category affects your local ranking, and that you should pick the most specific category that fits rather than a general one.
Some rules of thumb from Google's guidelines:
- Choose the fewest categories it takes to describe your core business.
- A category should complete the sentence "This business IS a", not "this business HAS a".
- Don't use categories as keywords, or add one for every service. That's what the services list is for.
- You can't make up your own. If nothing specific fits, pick the closest general one.
Google My Business categories list for trades
Here are the categories I'd look at for common trades. The names come from Google's English category list. Google's list changes and varies by country, so the wording in your box may differ slightly, and some names use American spelling (Google's "remodeler", for example). Type the start of the word and pick the closest match.
| Trade | Primary category to look for | Additional categories, only if you do the work |
|---|---|---|
| Roofer | Roofing contractor | Gutter service, Gutter cleaning service |
| Plumber | Plumber | Drainage service, Heating contractor, Bathroom remodeler |
| Gas or heating engineer | Gas engineer or Heating contractor | Plumber, Air conditioning contractor |
| Electrician | Electrician | Electrical installation service, Electric vehicle charging station contractor, Security system installation service |
| Builder | Building firm, General contractor or Construction company (whichever suits your work) | Home builder, Masonry contractor |
| Bricklayer | Bricklayer | Masonry contractor |
| Plasterer | Plasterer | (usually none needed) |
| Painter and decorator | Painter | (usually none needed) |
| Joiner or carpenter | Joiner or Carpenter | Cabinet maker, Deck builder |
| Kitchen fitter | Kitchen remodeler | Cabinet maker |
| Bathroom fitter | Bathroom remodeler | Plumber, Tile contractor |
| Tiler | Tile contractor | Flooring contractor |
| Carpet or flooring fitter | Carpet installer or Flooring contractor | The other of the two |
| Landscaper | Landscaper | Paving contractor, Fence contractor, Deck builder |
| Gardener | Gardener | Lawn care service |
| Tree surgeon | Tree service | (usually none needed) |
| Fencing | Fence contractor | Landscaper, if you do wider garden work |
| Driveways and patios | Paving contractor | Landscaper |
| Window fitter or glazier | Window installation service or Glazier | The other of the two |
| Locksmith | Locksmith | (usually none needed) |
| Scaffolder | Scaffolding service | (usually none needed) |
| Window cleaner | Window cleaning service | Gutter cleaning service, Pressure washing service |
| Chimney sweep | Chimney sweep | (usually none needed) |
| Pest control | Pest control service | (usually none needed) |
| Air conditioning | Air conditioning contractor | HVAC contractor, Heating contractor |
| Handyman | Handyman/Handywoman/Handyperson | Only add trade categories you're properly qualified for |
The quickest way to sense-check your choice: search the job you want in your town, open the three businesses on the map, and look at the category shown under each name. If all three say "Roofing contractor" and you've picked "Construction company", that's your answer.
And a warning. Google says that adding or changing a category can mean verifying again. Do it when you've got time to deal with that, and change one thing at a time.
3. How to add keywords to your Google Business Profile
"How do I add keywords to Google My Business?" is a fair question, and the honest answer is: not in the places most people try. Here's where they belong.
| Where | Keywords? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Business name | No | Against Google's guidelines and a common reason for suspension. Use your real name. |
| Categories | Indirectly | Pick the right ones from the list. That's the strongest relevance setting you have. |
| Services | Yes | List every job you do, in the words customers type: "boiler repair", "flat roof replacement", "EICR". |
| Description | Yes, naturally | Up to 750 characters. Say what you do and where, like you would on the phone. |
| Your website | Yes | The page your profile links to should clearly say what you do and where. |
| Reviews | Not from you | Customers often mention the job and the town on their own. Google's policy says not to ask for reviews with specific content, so don't script them. |
Say you're an electrician in Chesterfield. A keyword-stuffed name like "Chesterfield Electrician EV Charger Fitting" risks the whole profile. Proper services for "EV charger installation", "Consumer unit replacement" and "EICR for landlords", a description that mentions Chesterfield and the villages you cover, and a website page about EV chargers do the same job without breaking any rules.
A worked example: one plumber's profile, before and after
Here's a made-up example, but every mistake in it is a common one. Say you're a plumber in Doncaster who mostly wants boiler and bathroom work, and you set your profile up in a hurry three years ago.
| Setting | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Doncaster Plumber 24/7 Boilers | The name on the van and invoices |
| Primary category | Construction company | Plumber |
| Additional categories | Eight, including ones for work you don't do | Heating contractor, Bathroom remodeler |
| Address | Home address on show | Hidden, with service areas set |
| Service areas | All of South Yorkshire | Doncaster, Bentley, Armthorpe, Thorne, Bawtry and the other places you actually go |
| Services | None | Boiler repair, boiler installation, bathroom fitting, leak repairs, each with a sentence of description |
| Photos | Three stock images | Real jobs, the van, you |
| Reviews | Eleven, the newest from 2023 | A steady few every month, each one replied to |
Nothing on the "after" side is clever, and none of it costs money. It's just a profile that tells Google and customers the truth clearly. That's most of what optimisation really is.
4. Services, products and attributes
- Services. Choose Edit services on your profile. Tick Google's suggested services that fit, then use Add custom service for the rest. Add a sentence or two of description to each. Google says custom services that break its policy are rejected automatically, and advises keeping prices and phone numbers out of service names.
- Products. Google only offers these for some business types and regions. If yours has them, fixed-price jobs work well here: a boiler service, a landlord gas safety check, an EICR.
- Attributes. The tick boxes, like online estimates. Two minutes. Tick the ones that are true.
- Description. 750 characters, no web addresses, no HTML, and Google says to focus on the business rather than promotions or prices.
- Opening date. Month and year. A long-established business looks it.
5. Photos
Google accepts JPG or PNG between 10 KB and 5 MB, recommends 720 by 720 pixels, and asks for photos that represent reality. For a trade, that means:
- a clear logo and a cover photo
- finished jobs, ideally before and after
- your van with the name on it
- you or your team at work
Add a few new ones every month from your phone, rather than forty on day one and nothing after. Stock photos fool nobody.
6. Reviews: the habit that matters most
Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. They're also what customers read before they ring. If you only do one thing from this checklist every week, make it this one.
- Ask every customer, not just the ones you think are happy. Asking only happy customers is called review gating, and Google's policy bans selectively asking for positive reviews.
- Ask on the day, with a link they can tap. My guide to getting your Google review link shows where to find it and how to make a QR code.
- Never offer anything for a review. Not a discount, not a prize draw. Google bans incentives outright.
- Reply to every review, good and bad, briefly and politely.
There's a full guide, with word-for-word scripts, in how to get more Google reviews. And if you'd rather the asking happened without you remembering, that's what review automation is for.
7. Posts, questions and the bits that keep changing
Google changes the extras on profiles often, so here's where things stand as of October 2026.
- Posts (updates). Still available. Useful for a seasonal note ("booking boiler services for autumn") or a recent job. I wouldn't expect them to move you up the map on their own, and I'd never pay someone just to post weekly.
- Questions and answers. Google began replacing the old Q&A section with an AI "Ask" feature in Maps in December 2025, so don't build your plan around it. Put the answers to common questions (insured? free quotes? cover my area?) in your description, services and website instead.
- Chat. Google's own chat feature closed in 2024. You can add a WhatsApp or text chat link to your profile if you use one.
- Phone checks. Google has told owners it may check details by automated call, text or WhatsApp to the profile's verified number. Another reason to keep that number current.
8. Monthly upkeep (fifteen minutes)
- Reply to new reviews.
- Add two or three new photos of real jobs.
- Check nobody has changed your details. Google lets the public suggest edits, so look at your name, hours, phone and website.
- Set special hours for the next bank holiday.
- Check who has access, and remove anyone who shouldn't.
- Log in now and then. Google's policy says owners who don't access their profile for long periods can lose access.
Google Business Profile optimisation I wouldn't pay for
- Packages of weekly posts. Busywork that looks like activity.
- Extra categories "for SEO". More isn't better. The wrong ones bring the wrong enquiries.
- Fake addresses in other towns. Virtual offices break Google's guidelines and get profiles suspended.
- Bought reviews. Against Google's rules and, since April 2025, illegal in the UK.
- Anyone who guarantees a top three position. Distance alone makes that impossible to promise.
When the profile is done but the phone still isn't ringing
If you've worked through all of this and you're still not appearing, the problem is usually one of a small number of things, from the wrong primary category to plain distance. My guide to why a Google Business Profile isn't showing up goes through them in order.
The profile also works best with a website that backs it up, which is the subject of my local SEO guide for tradespeople. If you'd like a second pair of eyes on your profile, your website and who you're up against, the free Search Opportunity Review on my local SEO for tradesmen page covers all three. I'll tell you what's worth doing, and what isn't.
