- If customers do not come to your address, hide it and set service areas instead; Google allows up to 20.
- Your primary category matters most, so pick the one that best describes your core service, then add services and real photos.
- Ask every happy customer for a review and reply to all of them, but never offer incentives or keyword-stuff your business name.
If you are a contractor, cleaner, mobile trainer, landscaper or any business that goes to the customer, Google treats you as a service-area business. That changes how your Google Business Profile should be set up. Getting it wrong can mean a profile that shows your home address to strangers, ranks for the wrong area, or gets suspended for breaking guidelines you did not know existed.
This guide covers the setup step by step, using a Halton business as the example, though it applies anywhere.
Address and service areas
Google needs an address to verify your business, but that does not mean it has to be shown. Google's guidelines are clear: if you do not serve customers at your location, you should not display that address.
Hide your address if customers do not visit
If you run your business from home, or from a yard or office that customers never visit, hide the address in your profile settings. Customers see your service area instead of a pin on your house.
If you do have a storefront or office where customers are served during posted hours, such as a showroom or a studio, you can show the address and also list service areas.
Set your service areas
Google lets you add up to 20 service areas, entered as towns, cities or postal codes. Google's own guidance suggests keeping your service area within a reasonable distance of where you are based.
For a business based in Oakville, a realistic list might be Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Halton Hills and the Mississauga neighbourhoods you actually travel to. Listing the whole Greater Toronto Area because you once did a job in Scarborough does not help you rank there, and it attracts enquiries you will turn down.
Categories and services
Primary category
Your primary category is one of the strongest signals for which searches your profile appears in. Choose the one that best describes your core business, not everything you do. A company that mainly does kitchens and bathrooms might choose "Kitchen remodeler" or "Bathroom remodeler" rather than a broad "Contractor". Start typing in the category field and Google will suggest options; pick the most specific one that fits.
A quick way to sense-check your choice: search for your main service in your town and look at which categories the top local profiles use.
Secondary categories
Add secondary categories for other significant services you genuinely offer. Keep them relevant. Adding categories for work you rarely do can blur what your profile is about.
Services
Within the services section, list your specific services and add short descriptions in plain language. Write them for customers: what the service includes, who it suits and where you offer it. This is not the place to stuff keywords; it is a place to answer the question "do they do what I need?"
✓Free lessonWork through the Google Business Profile checklistOpen lesson →Photos, booking link and details
A complete profile gives customers what they need to choose you without leaving Google. Work through each section.
- Logo and cover photo. Use your real logo and a cover photo of your team, vehicle or work.
- Work photos. Upload real photos of completed jobs, your team on site and your branded vehicles. Add new ones regularly through the year. Avoid stock images.
- Business description. A few clear sentences on what you do, who you serve and what makes you different. Google's guidelines say not to include links here or use the field mainly for special offers.
- Hours. Set accurate hours, including holiday hours, so people know when to expect a reply.
- Website link. Point it to your homepage or the most relevant page.
- Booking or quote link. Where available, add a link to your online booking or quote request page so customers can take the next step straight from your profile.
- Attributes. Fill in any that apply to your business type.
Whatever link you add, the page it opens should load quickly and make the next step obvious. Our guide to contractor website design covers what that page should include, and our website builds are set up with this in mind.
Reviews: ask, reply, never incentivise
Reviews influence whether people contact you, and they are one of the factors Google lists as affecting local ranking, under what it calls prominence. The good news is that the right approach is also the simplest.
Ask every customer
Ask every customer for a review shortly after the job is finished, while the experience is fresh. Use the review link from your profile so they land directly on the review form. A short, personal message works best.
If you send review requests by text or email, make sure your messages follow Canada's anti-spam rules. Our guide to AI follow-up and CASL explains what applies.
Never offer incentives or filter
Google's policies prohibit offering money, discounts, gifts or anything else in exchange for reviews. They also prohibit selectively asking only customers you expect to leave positive reviews. Reviews that break these rules can be removed, and the profile can face restrictions. Do not write reviews for yourself or ask staff and family to do it.
Reply to every review
Reply to every review, positive or negative. Thank people by name and mention the job if it is appropriate. For a negative review, stay calm, acknowledge the concern, avoid sharing private details and offer to sort it out offline. Future customers read your replies as much as the reviews.
Posts and updates
Google Business Profile lets you publish updates, offers and events directly on your profile. They are a simple way to show that your business is active and to give customers a reason to get in touch.
Ideas that work for service-area businesses:
- A recently finished project, with photos and the town it was in.
- Seasonal reminders, such as fall eavestrough cleaning, furnace checks before winter or spring yard clean-ups.
- A limited-time offer with a clear end date.
- Booking availability for the coming season.
Keep posts short, use your own photos and include a clear button that leads to your quote or booking page.
Stay within the guidelines
Two common mistakes can undo all the work above.
No keyword stuffing in your business name
Your business name on Google should match your real-world name, as it appears on your signage, vehicles, invoices and registration. "Smith Renovations" is fine. "Smith Renovations | Best Kitchen Contractor Oakville Burlington" goes against Google's guidelines. Competitors can suggest edits to remove it, and it can lead to your profile being suspended.
Keep your NAP consistent
NAP stands for name, address and phone. Your business name, contact details and service area should be the same on your Google Business Profile, your website, your social profiles and the directories you are listed in. Inconsistent details confuse customers and make it harder for Google to be confident about your business. If you hide your address on Google, do not publish it elsewhere either.
- Address hidden if customers do not visit your location
- Service areas set to towns you genuinely serve, up to 20
- Primary category chosen for your core service, with relevant secondary categories
- Services listed with plain-language descriptions
- Logo, cover photo and real work photos uploaded
- Hours, website and booking or quote link added
- Review request message ready to send after every job
- Every review replied to
- Business name matches your real-world name, with no added keywords
- Name and contact details match your website and directory listings
What happens after the enquiry
A well-built profile brings in calls, messages and form submissions. What happens next decides whether they turn into work. If a customer messages three businesses from Google Maps, the first useful reply often wins. Our article on speed to lead explains why, and automated follow-up can make sure no enquiry sits unanswered while you are on a job.
If you would like help setting up or auditing your profile, book a call and we will go through it with you.
Questions owners ask
Do I need a physical address for a Google Business Profile?
You need an address to verify the profile, but if you do not serve customers there, Google's guidelines say to hide it and list service areas instead. Your home address will not be shown publicly once hidden.
How many service areas can I add to Google Business Profile?
Google allows up to 20 service areas. You can enter towns, cities or postal codes, so a Halton business might list Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills plus nearby areas it genuinely serves.
Can I offer a discount in exchange for a Google review?
No. Google's policies prohibit offering incentives for reviews, and reviews obtained this way can be removed. Ask every customer the same way, without rewards and without screening for only happy ones.
Can I add keywords like my city to my business name?
Only if they are part of your real business name as it appears on your signage, branding and paperwork. Adding extra keywords or locations to the name goes against Google's guidelines and can lead to suspension.