Google Business Profile checklist for UK service businesses

A strong Google Business Profile for a UK service business comes down to a handful of things done properly: the right primary category, accurate contact details and service areas, a full list of services, real photos, steady reviews that you reply to, and regular small updates. Get those right and you give yourself the best chance of appearing in the map results when someone nearby searches for what you do. Use the checklist below to work through your profile section by section.

I have written this for trades and service businesses such as plumbers, electricians, cleaners, tutors, mobile mechanics and similar, because they have a few quirks (especially around addresses) that shop-based businesses do not.

Why your profile matters so much

For local searches like "emergency plumber near me" or "driving instructor Leicester", Google often shows a map with a small group of businesses above the normal results. Those listings come from Google Business Profile, not from your website. Many people call or message straight from there without ever visiting a site.

Google has said publicly that local ranking is based mainly on three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the searcher or the location in the search) and prominence (how well known and well reviewed you are). You cannot change distance much, but the checklist below works on the other two.

Section 1: Getting the basics right

• Claim and verify the profile. If a profile already exists for your business, claim it rather than creating a duplicate. Google will ask you to verify, which may be by video, phone, email or post depending on what it offers you.
• Use your real business name. Use the name you trade under, exactly as it appears on your van, invoices and signage. Do not add keywords or locations ("Smith Plumbing Manchester Boiler Repair") unless they are genuinely part of your registered or trading name. Keyword stuffing breaks Google's guidelines and can get a profile suspended.
• Owner access on a business account. Make sure the owner, not just a past web designer or employee, has owner-level access. Add others as managers.

Section 2: Address and service areas

This is where service businesses most often go wrong.

• If customers come to you (a salon, a garage, a studio), show your address.
• If you go to customers and do not receive them at your premises, Google's guidelines say you should hide your address and set service areas instead. Many trades work from home, and this is exactly what the hidden-address option is for.
• If you do both, you can show your address and add service areas too.
• Service areas: add the towns, cities or postcode districts you genuinely cover. Keep it realistic; listing every town in the county will not make you rank everywhere.
• Do not use a virtual office or PO box as your address. Google does not allow it, and it is a common reason for suspension.

Section 3: Categories

Your primary category is one of the strongest relevance signals you control.

1. Pick the most specific primary category that describes your main service, for example "Electrician" rather than "Contractor".
2. Add secondary categories for other genuine services, for example "Electrical installation service" or "Lighting contractor".
3. Do not add categories for things you do not do. More is not better.
4. Look at the top three businesses showing for your main search term and note their primary categories. It is a useful sense check.

Section 4: Contact details and hours

• Phone number: use a number that is answered. A local landline or mobile is fine. If you use call tracking, keep your main number as an additional number so details stay consistent.
• Website: link to your homepage or the most relevant service page.
• Opening hours: keep these accurate. Add special hours for bank holidays and Christmas. If you offer an emergency service, say so clearly.
• Consistency: your name, address (if shown) and phone number should match what is on your website and in directories such as Yell, Checkatrade or Bark if you use them.

Section 5: Services and description

• Services list: add every service you offer, each with a short plain-English description. Google suggests some services based on your category; add your own too.
• Business description: explain what you do, where, and what makes you different, in normal language. Mention your main services and areas naturally. Avoid links, phone numbers and offers here.
• Attributes: tick any that apply, such as online estimates or on-site services. The options available depend on your category.

Section 6: Photos

Photos help people choose you. Real ones beat stock images every time.

• Upload a clear logo and a cover photo.
• Add photos of real work: before and after shots, finished jobs, your van, your team in uniform.
• Add a few new photos every month or so, rather than 50 at once and then nothing.
• Check that photos customers have added are appropriate. You can report ones that are not.

Section 7: Reviews

Reviews feed into prominence and, more importantly, they are what persuade people to call you rather than the next business.

1. Ask every happy customer. Get your review link from your profile and send it by text or email straight after a job, while the customer is pleased.
2. Make it easy. A short message with the direct link works far better than "find us on Google".
3. Reply to every review. Thank people by name and mention the job briefly. For negative reviews, stay calm, keep it short, and offer to sort it out offline.
4. Do not buy or incentivise reviews. Offering discounts in exchange for reviews breaks Google's policies, and fake reviews can lead to warnings on your profile. In the UK, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 also bans fake reviews; check the current guidance if you are unsure what is allowed.
5. Do not filter. Asking only the customers you think will be positive is known as review gating and is against Google's rules.

Section 8: Posts and updates

• Use posts to share a recent job, a seasonal tip or an offer. A short post with a photo every couple of weeks keeps the profile active.
• Answer the questions people ask about your business, if that feature is available on your profile, and keep answers factual.
• Turn on messaging only if someone will reply quickly. Slow replies are worse than none.

Section 9: Connect it to your website

Your profile and your website support each other. On your website:

• Show the same business name, phone number and (if public) address in the footer and on the contact page.
• Have a clear page for each main service, and mention the areas you cover.
• Add LocalBusiness structured data (your SEO plugin can usually do this).
• Embed a Google map on your contact page if you have a public address.

Section 10: Monthly maintenance routine

In my client work, the profiles that do best are the ones that get a little attention often. A simple monthly routine:

1. Reply to any new reviews.
2. Add two or three new photos of real work.
3. Publish one or two posts.
4. Check that hours, phone number and services are still correct, and that nobody has suggested unwanted edits.
5. Look at the performance figures to see how people are finding and contacting you.

Google changes the profile layout and feature names fairly often, so if a setting is not where you expect, look for it under the edit profile options. Work through this checklist once properly and then keep up the monthly routine, and your profile will be in better shape than most of your local competitors'. Our WordPress SEO course goes deeper into local SEO and linking your profile with your website.

Questions people ask

Should I hide my home address on Google Business Profile?

If you travel to customers and do not see them at your home, Google's guidelines say you should hide the address and set service areas instead. Your profile can still appear in local results for the areas you cover.

Can I add keywords to my business name on Google?

Only if they are genuinely part of the name you trade under. Adding extra keywords or locations to your name breaks Google's guidelines and can lead to your profile being suspended.

How many reviews do I need to rank in the map results?

There is no set number. Reviews are one part of prominence alongside relevance and distance. Focus on getting a steady flow of genuine reviews and replying to them, rather than chasing a target figure.