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How Do You Set Up a Google Business Profile for a Contractor?

By Ansh Singh · Updated November 8, 2026 · 8 min read

Short answer: To set up a Google Business Profile for a contractor, go to business.google.com/add, enter your business details, then pick a verification option Google offers you. It is free. If you work at customers' homes, remove your street address and list service areas instead. Verification can take minutes or a couple of weeks, depending on the method.

Key facts

Google calls the Business Profile free, and says you cannot pay for a better local ranking.
Contractors who work at customers' homes should remove the street address and list service areas, up to 20.
Use your real business name; adding services or locations to it could get the profile suspended.
Postcard verification codes usually arrive within 14 days and expire after 30 days.
Google chooses which verification methods you can use, and you cannot change that choice.
Google calls offering a discount or free service in exchange for a review strictly prohibited.

What is a Google Business Profile?

A Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows your business on Google Search and Google Maps. It holds your name, phone number, hours, website, photos, services and reviews.

When a homeowner searches "plumber near me," the box of businesses with a map is built mostly from these profiles. Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence, and the profile is where Google reads your details and reviews.

You may already have one. Google has a claim option for existing unverified listings, so check before you add a new one. If you add a duplicate, you split your reviews between two listings.

What do you need before you start?

Have this ready. It will save you from stopping halfway.

Your business name exactly as it appears on your truck, invoices and website.
A phone number you answer. Verification may send a code to it.
Your website address.
A Google Account you will keep. Use one that belongs to you or the business, not a former employee or an agency's login.
Your service areas: the cities or postal codes you work in.
A few real photos of your work and your vehicle.

If you work out of your home and don't want customers to see where, that is fine. Read the service-area step below.

How do you set up a Google Business Profile, step by step?

Step 1: Check if a listing already exists

Open Google Maps and search for your business name and city. If you see a listing, you may be able to claim it. On a computer, select Claim this business, then Manage now, and choose a verification option.

If someone else has already verified it, you can request ownership from the current owner. This is common when a former employee or marketing company set it up.

Step 2: Add your business

If nothing exists, go to business.google.com/add and click Add your business to Google. Then follow the on-screen instructions and enter your business details. Google calls the Business Profile free.

Step 3: Enter your real business name

Use the name customers know you by. Google's rules say the name should reflect your business as it is consistently shown in the real world, such as on signage and stationery. It should not include slogans, phone numbers, website addresses, hours, or service and location information.

So type "Rivera Roofing." Do not type "Rivera Roofing Best Roofer Columbus Ohio." Google says adding unnecessary information to the name could result in the suspension of your profile.

Step 4: Choose your main category

The category tells Google what kind of business you are. Google's help page lists "what kind of business you are" among the details to keep complete. Pick the one that fits your main trade, like plumber, electrician, roofing contractor or HVAC contractor.

You can add more categories later for secondary work. Keep the main one honest and specific. If you are an electrician, see which Google categories electricians should use.

Step 5: Set up your location or service area

This step matters most for trades.

You see customers at a shop or office with a sign: add the address. Google says to include a full address only if customers can visit the location.
You go to customers' homes and don't serve them at your address: Google's rule is to remove your address from your profile and enter service areas only.
You do both: you can show your address, set hours for when staff are there, and also add a service area. Google says without permanent on-site signage you aren't eligible as a storefront and should be listed as a service-area business.

Google lets you set up to 20 service areas, based on cities, postal codes or other areas. You can't set a radius around your business, and the whole area should stay within about two hours of driving from your base. Edits to service areas can take up to 48 hours to appear.

Pick the towns where you want jobs, not every town you would drive to in an emergency.

Step 6: Add your phone, website and hours

Add the number you answer. Add your website. List your regular hours, and add special hours for holidays. If you take emergency calls after hours, say so clearly.

Do not list 24 hours unless a person really answers. Google says inaccurate information can keep a profile from showing for relevant searches.

Step 7: Verify your business

Verification tells Google you are allowed to manage this business. Google chooses which methods you can use, and you can't change that choice. The options include:

Method	How it works
Phone or text	A code is sent to your business phone. A person has to answer or read it, not an automated phone menu
Email	You follow the steps in an email sent to you
Live video call	A support person guides you while you show your location, signs, equipment or keys. Available only in your business hours
Postcard	A 5-digit code is mailed to your address, usually within 14 days, and expires after 30 days
Video recording	Recommended when you are eligible

These details come from Google's verification page. Review after you finish can take up to 5 business days. Verification can be instant if you verify your website through Search Console.

If you get the postcard, do not edit your business name, address or category while you wait, and do not ask for a new code. Requesting a new one cancels the earlier one. Google also says it will never ask for your verification code, so don't give it to anyone, including a person who manages your profile.

Step 8: Add services, photos and a description

After you are verified, finish the profile. Add every service you offer. Write a short description in plain words: what you do, what area you cover, and your license number if your state uses one.

Add real photos: your truck, your crew in uniform, finished jobs, before and after shots. A study by Insites of 10,000 US local businesses found that 88.9% of businesses that ChatGPT and Perplexity surfaced had photos, against 34.8% of those not surfaced. That is a link, not proof of cause, but photos are free.

Step 9: Ask for your first reviews

Google allows you to ask customers to leave a review with a Google link or QR code. Do not give a discount or free service in exchange for a review. Google calls this strictly prohibited.

Text the link to customers on the day you finish the job. Reply to each review. Google's advice is to keep replies professional, polite and brief, and to avoid the same generic "thanks" every time.

What mistakes get contractors in trouble?

Keyword names. Adding services or towns to the business name risks suspension.
Showing a home address you don't want public. Remove it and use service areas.
Several listings for one business. A service-area business can have only one profile for its whole service area.
Fake addresses or virtual offices. Don't use an address where you don't operate.
Offering gifts for reviews. It is against Google's rules.
Logging in with someone else's account. If it is the web designer's login, you don't own your listing.

What should you do after the profile is live?

Keep it current. Change hours for holidays. Add photos each month. Reply to reviews within a day or two. Then make sure your website says the same thing as your profile: same name, phone number and service areas.

Next, claim the free listings on other platforms. Bing and Apple have their own business listings too. See Bing Places for contractors and Apple Business Connect for contractors. For the bigger picture, read local SEO for home service businesses. If you work in concrete, this guide covers a concrete contractor's profile.

To see what a finished site and profile could look like for your trade, see a free demo site.

If you're working through this list, these guides cover the next steps: What Is the Best Marketing for a Home Service Business?, How Do Contractors Claim Their Business on Apple Maps? and What Is the Best Answering Service for Contractors? Live Services and AI Receptionists Compared (2026).

Common questions

Is a Google Business Profile free?

Yes. Google calls the profile free. You can't pay for a better local ranking, either, since Google states there is no way to request or pay for one.

Can I set up a Google Business Profile without a storefront?

Yes, if you travel to customers. You are a service-area business. Remove your street address and enter the cities or postal codes you serve, up to 20.

How long does verification take?

It depends on the method. Phone, text or email may be quicker than a postcard. A postcard usually arrives within 14 days. After you finish the steps, Google's review can take up to 5 business days, sometimes longer.

What if my business already has a profile?

Search for it on Google Maps. If it is unverified, select Claim this business. If someone else verified it, you can request ownership from them, so ask the former owner, employee or agency first.

Sources

About the author

Ansh Singh runs Contractor Websites. He builds websites for electricians, plumbers, roofers and other home service trades, and writes the guides on this site. More about Ansh Singh.

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