How do I set up Google Business Profile as a tradesperson without a shopfront?
Create your profile at business.google.com and choose to serve customers at their location, which makes you a service-area business. Google's own help pages use plumbers and cleaners as examples of this type of business.
If customers never come to your address, remove it from the profile so it is not shown. Google still needs an address privately for verification, but the public profile will only show your service areas. If you have a signed workshop or yard that customers do visit during set hours, you can show it and add service areas as well; Google calls this a hybrid business.
Use your real business name exactly as it appears on your signage, vans and invoices. Use a phone number you control that rings your business directly, ideally a local or mobile number rather than a call centre.
Which Google Business Profile category should a tradie choose?
Choose the primary category that completes the sentence "this business is a..." for your main source of work, such as Roofing contractor, Electrician or Concrete contractor. It is rated the single most important ranking factor in Whitespark's 2026 survey of local SEO experts.
Then add a few additional categories for other genuine parts of the business, such as Gutter cleaning service for a roofer. Google asks you to use as few categories as possible and not to use them as keywords. If you rarely do something, leave it out.
Pick the category that matches the work you most want, not just the work you do most. If you want more bathroom renovations than general plumbing, that is a decision worth making deliberately.
A quick way to check: search your main service in your area and see which primary category the top three businesses use. Tools and browser extensions can show this, or you can often see it under the business name on the profile.
How do I add services and service areas properly?
Add services in the Services section, picking Google's suggested ones for your category and adding custom ones for anything missing, each with a short plain description. This helps Google match you to specific searches like "switchboard upgrade" or "colorbond fencing".
For service areas, you can list up to 20 suburbs, towns, cities or postcodes. Google no longer allows a radius, and asks that areas generally stay within about two hours' drive of your base. List the places you actually want work in, closest and most valuable first in your planning.
What hours should a trade business show on Google?
Show the hours you actually answer the phone and take bookings. Being open at the time someone searches is a ranking factor, so if you genuinely take calls from 7am to 6pm, say so.
Only list 24 hours if someone really answers 24 hours, for example an emergency plumber or electrician. Customers who ring at midnight and get voicemail leave poor reviews. Add special hours for public holidays and the Christmas shutdown so people are not caught out.
How do I verify my Google Business Profile in 2026?
Most trade businesses are now asked to verify by recording a short video, and Google recommends video when you are offered it. You cannot choose the method; Google assigns it based on your business type, location and other information. Other options include a live video call with Google support, phone or text, email and postcard, though postcards are offered to fewer businesses than they used to be.
For a service-area business, Google's video guidelines ask you to show three things in one live, unedited recording of at least 30 seconds:
- Where you operate: street signs or landmarks at your business address.
- That the business exists: your tools, equipment, branded clothing or business cards.
- That you manage it: for example unlocking your signwritten van, or showing a business permit, invoice or utility bill in the business name.
- Avoid filming other people's faces or sensitive information, and do not edit or cut the video.
What photos should a tradie put on Google Business Profile?
Upload real photos of your work, your team and your vehicles, and keep adding new ones. Google lists photos and videos among its tips for improving how your profile performs.
A good starting set is your logo, a cover photo of a strong finished job, 10 or more recent job photos, a couple of before and after pairs, your signwritten van, and you or your crew on site. Then add a few every month. Skip stock photos and images with text or phone numbers stamped across them.
How should I ask for and reply to Google reviews?
Ask every satisfied customer, in person when you finish the job, then text them your review link the same day. Find the link under "Ask for reviews" in your profile. Reviews with written detail about the job carry more weight than a bare star rating.
Reply to every review. Google says replying shows customers you value their feedback, and BrightLocal's 2026 survey found 89% of US consumers expect owners to respond. Keep replies short, thank people by first name, and mention the job. For a bad review, stay calm, state the facts once and offer to sort it out offline.
Do not offer discounts or gifts for reviews, do not ask only happy customers (known as review gating), and as of Google's 2026 policy update, do not set targets for staff to collect a certain number of reviews or reviews that mention particular words or names. Google now pauses reviews on profiles that get a sudden suspicious spike.
Are Google Business Profile posts worth doing?
Yes, in moderation. Posts (shown as updates on your profile) are a quick way to show recent jobs, seasonal offers or news, and they show customers the business is active. They are not a major ranking factor on their own.
One post every week or two is plenty: a photo of a finished job with two or three sentences about what you did and where. Google has also started showing content from connected social profiles on some Business Profiles, so linking your Facebook and Instagram is worth doing.
What happened to Q&A and messaging on Google Business Profile?
Both have gone, so do not spend time looking for them. Google switched off the Business Profile chat (messaging) feature on 31 July 2024, so customers now contact you by calling, visiting your website or using your booking link.
The public Questions and Answers section was removed from profiles from late 2025. Owners can no longer add or answer questions there. In the Google Maps app in some countries, including the US, it has been replaced by an AI "Ask" feature that answers questions using your profile details, reviews and website. Availability varies by country and category, so check your own listing. The practical lesson: put the answers to common questions on your website and in your profile, because that is where the AI reads them.
Why do tradie Google Business Profiles get suspended?
Most trade suspensions come from breaking Google's guidelines on names and addresses, often by accident. These are the common triggers to avoid:
- Keyword stuffing the name, such as "Smith Plumbing | Emergency Plumber Brisbane". Google bans extra information in the name.
- Using a virtual office, mailbox, PO box or unstaffed co-working desk as your address.
- Creating more than one profile for the same business, or fake profiles in nearby towns.
- Using a call-tracking or redirect number that is not under your direct control.
- Changing your name, address and category all at once, especially soon after verification.
- Buying reviews or posting reviews for yourself.
What should I do if my profile is suspended?
Fix whatever breaks the guidelines first, then submit an appeal through Google's Business Profile appeals tool with evidence such as a business licence, signwritten vehicle photos and a utility bill. Do not create a new profile to get around a suspension, which makes things worse.
Appeals can take days or weeks. If your profile matters to your income, getting the setup right at the start is far cheaper than fixing it later. Every Mago Labs build includes Google Business Profile setup alongside the website, and you see a free working preview of the site in 48 hours.