A Field-by-Field Guide to Your Contractor Google Business Profile

When a homeowner types "general contractor near me" or "kitchen remodel [city]", the three map pack results they see are pulled from Google Business Profiles — not websites. Your site matters for organic rankings below the map, but the map pack is where the majority of local service clicks go.

Google decides which profiles appear in those three spots based on three things: relevance (does your profile match the search?), distance (are you close to the searcher?), and prominence (does Google trust your business?). You can't control distance, but you control almost everything that drives relevance and prominence.

Industry benchmarks suggest that a fully optimized, actively maintained GBP consistently outperforms a neglected one — even when the neglected profile has a stronger website behind it. In our experience working with local service contractors, the gap between a complete profile and an incomplete one is often the difference between appearing in the map pack and appearing nowhere on the first page.

The good news: most of your local competitors have incomplete profiles. They're missing service lists, using the wrong category, or haven't touched their profile in years. A disciplined optimization pass and a consistent monthly routine puts you ahead of most of the field without any technical SEO work required.

Business Name

Use your real, registered business name. Do not add keywords like "Best Contractor" or your city name unless it's legally part of your business name. Google flags keyword-stuffed names and competitors can report them.

Primary Category

This is the most important field in your profile. For most general contractors, "General Contractor" is the correct primary category. If you specialize heavily in one area — say, home additions — you might test "Home Builder" instead. Add secondary categories for the services you want to rank for: "Roofing Contractor", "Bathroom Remodeler", "Kitchen Remodeler".

[Service areas](/resources/accountant/google-business-profile-accountants) matter: list every city or zip code you actively serve, not just your office location

List every city, town, or zip code where you actively complete jobs. Google allows up to 20 service areas. Be honest — listing areas two hours away where you rarely work can dilute your relevance signal in the cities that matter.

Business Description

You get 750 characters. Use the first two sentences to describe what you do and where. Mention your key services and the types of projects you handle. Avoid generic language like "quality work at fair prices" — that describes every contractor. Write what makes your jobs different: project size, specialization, or the type of client you work best with.

Services

Google lets you build a services menu with descriptions and prices (optional). Add every service you offer. This directly feeds relevance matching — if you don't list "deck building" as a service, Google is less likely to show you for that search.

Hours

Keep these accurate and up to date. Incorrect hours generate negative reviews and erode trust signals. Update holiday hours proactively.

Phone and Website

Use a phone number you actually answer. Your website URL should point to your homepage or a location-specific landing page — not a PDF or a social media profile.

GBP photos are not decoration. Google uses them to understand your business, and users use them to decide whether to call you. A profile with 5 stock images and a logo will lose to a competitor with 40 real job-site photos every time — both in ranking signals and in conversion rate.

What to Upload

• Before and after shots from completed projects — these are the highest-performing photos for contractors
• In-progress work showing your crew and methods
• Exterior shots of completed renovations, additions, or new builds
• Team photos to build familiarity and trust
• Your logo and a cover photo that represents your best work

How Often

Upload at least 2-4 new photos per week. Consistent activity signals to Google that your business is active. A profile that hasn't had a new photo in six months looks dormant, even if you're busy.

Metadata and File Naming

Before uploading, rename your photo files descriptively: kitchen-remodel-austin-tx.jpg rather than IMG_4823.jpg. Take photos with your phone's GPS enabled so images carry location data. This is a small detail that compounds over time as you build a library of geo-tagged, accurately named project photos.

What Not to Upload

Avoid watermarked stock images, images with promotional text overlaid, and blurry or dark photos. Google can and does remove photos it identifies as low-quality or policy-violating. One strong photo is worth ten mediocre ones.

Reviews influence your map pack ranking and your conversion rate simultaneously. A profile with 80 reviews averaging 4.7 stars will earn more clicks and more calls than a competitor with 12 reviews at 5.0 — even though the star rating is lower. Volume and recency both matter.

How to Ask for Reviews (the Right Way)

The most reliable approach is a direct, personal ask at project closeout. Walk the client through the finished space, confirm they're happy, and then say: "If you have two minutes, a Google review would mean a lot to us — it's how other homeowners find us." Follow up with a text message containing your direct review link.

Your review link is at: https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=YOUR_PLACE_ID. Include this link in your post-project follow-up email or text template. Remove any friction and you'll see a significantly higher completion rate.

What Google Prohibits

• Offering discounts, gifts, or payment in exchange for reviews
• Asking only satisfied customers (review gating)
• Posting fake reviews from employees or agencies

These practices violate Google's policies and can result in your profile being penalized or suspended. Build reviews the slow, honest way — it compounds.

Responding to Reviews

Respond to every review, positive and negative. For positive reviews, thank the client by name and mention the project type: "Thanks, David — that deck addition was a fun project." For negative reviews, respond calmly, acknowledge the concern, and offer to resolve it offline. Your response is read by future prospects, not just the reviewer.

Google Business Profile posts function like a lightweight social feed attached to your listing. They appear in your knowledge panel and, in some searches, within the map pack itself. Most contractors never use them. That's an opportunity.

What to Post

• Completed project highlights — one photo, a brief description of the work, and the city where it was completed
• Seasonal service reminders — "Heading into storm season? We handle emergency roof repairs in [city]."
• Offers or promotions — if you run a seasonal discount, a GBP offer post is a direct way to surface it
• Process explainers — short posts explaining what a specific project involves build authority and answer pre-sale questions

Posting Frequency

Aim for at least two posts per month. More is fine, but two is the floor for signaling an active profile. Posts expire after seven days for the "offer" post type, but standard posts remain visible longer. Build a simple monthly habit: one project highlight at the start of the month, one service or tip post mid-month.

Post Copy Tips

Keep posts between 100-200 words. Include the city name naturally — not stuffed awkwardly, but as part of describing where the project took place. Add a call-to-action button ("Call Now", "Get a Quote", or "Learn More") to every post. Use a real project photo, not a stock image.

Consistent posting over 90 days tends to coincide with improved map pack visibility in our experience. It's not a designed to ranking lever, but it's a free activity signal that costs you 15 minutes twice a month.

Setting up your GBP correctly is the foundation. Maintaining it is what keeps you in the map pack as your market and competitors change.

Monthly Tasks

• Publish at least two posts
• Upload 8-12 new project photos
• Respond to any new reviews within 48 hours
• Check that your hours, phone number, and website URL are still accurate

Quarterly Tasks

• Review your category selection — Google adds new categories periodically, and a more specific one may now exist for your specialty
• Update your services list if you've added or dropped offerings
• Review your business description and refresh any outdated language
• Check the Q&A section — Google allows anyone to ask and answer questions on your profile. Answer any outstanding questions and seed a few common ones yourself

Watch for Unauthorized Edits

Google allows the public to suggest edits to any GBP. These can be accepted automatically. Check your profile monthly for any changes you didn't make — incorrect categories, wrong phone numbers, or altered hours. If you notice an unauthorized change, revert it immediately through the GBP dashboard and flag it if it recurs.

A profile that gets consistent monthly attention compounds over time. The contractors who dominate map packs in competitive markets aren't doing anything exotic — they're just consistent in ways their competitors aren't.