# Google Business Profile for tradesmen: the complete setup

> A trade-specific guide to Google Business Profile: the right categories, services, photos, posts and service areas for plumbers, electricians, builders and more.

- Source: https://nerdsharks.com/blog/google-business-profile-for-tradesmen
- Publisher: Nerdsharks (Exeter, Devon, UK)
- Updated: 2026-09-19

**Short answer:** A strong Google Business Profile for tradesmen has the most specific primary category for your trade, your home address hidden with service areas set, every service you do listed in plain words, real photos of real jobs, accurate hours including emergency cover, and a steady stream of replied-to reviews. It is free and usually brings more calls than the website.

Published 2026-09-19. 7 min read. Category: Local SEO.

For most tradespeople, the Google Business Profile is the first thing a new customer sees - before your website, before your van, often before they have decided who to ring. Getting your Google Business Profile right as a tradesman is the highest-return hour you can spend on marketing, and most trade profiles are about half-finished.

This is the trade-specific version. If you have not created a profile yet, start with our guide to getting on Google Maps, then come back.

## Categories: be specific, not broad

Your primary category is the strongest relevance signal on the profile. Google asks you to choose as few categories as possible to describe your core business, and to pick what the business is rather than every task it does. Choose the most specific one available, then add secondaries for genuine other core services.

**Example category choices for common trades**

| Trade | Sensible primary category | Possible secondary categories |
|---|---|---|
| Plumber doing mostly boilers | Heating contractor or Boiler supplier | Plumber, Gas engineer |
| General plumber | Plumber | Drainage service, Bathroom remodeler |
| Domestic electrician | Electrician | Lighting contractor, EV charging station contractor |
| Roofer | Roofing contractor | Gutter cleaning service |
| Tree surgeon | Tree service | Landscaper, Gardener |
| Builder | Builder or General contractor | Home improvement store is wrong - pick services, not unrelated types |

> Category names in Google's list change over time and differ slightly from the examples above. Type your trade into the category box and pick the closest exact match on offer.

## Service areas and your home address

If customers do not come to you, hide your address. Google's own example is a plumber working from home. Then add service areas - towns, postcode districts or areas - up to 20. Keep them to where you genuinely work, and within roughly two hours' drive of your base, which is the limit Google's guidelines set.

A service-area business can only have one profile for its whole area. Do not set up separate profiles for Exeter, Exmouth and Crediton; that is a guideline breach and a fast route to suspension.

## Services: list the actual jobs

The services section is where you tell Google - and customers - exactly what you do. Many trades leave it blank or accept the defaults. Instead, add the jobs customers actually search for, in their words, with a one-line description each:

- Plumber: boiler repair, boiler installation, leak repair, bathroom fitting, blocked drain clearance, outside tap installation.
- Electrician: consumer unit replacement, EICR, rewires, extra sockets, outdoor lighting, EV charger installation.
- Roofer: slipped tile repairs, flat roof replacement, chimney repairs, fascias and soffits, gutter repairs.
- Tree surgeon: tree felling, crown reduction, stump grinding, hedge cutting, emergency storm clearance.

## Photos: real work beats stock every time

Customers look at photos to decide whether you are real, tidy and competent. Stock photos of smiling models in hard hats tell them nothing. Take your own:

- Before and after shots of finished jobs, taken from the same angle.
- Your van with the signwriting visible.
- You or your team at work, in workwear.
- Tidy work areas - dust sheets down, tools organised. It sells more than you would think.
- Close-ups of the details you are proud of: neat pipework, a clean consumer unit, straight pointing.

> Never photograph a customer's house number, car registration or anything personal without their permission.

## Hours, emergency cover and contact details

Set hours you actually answer the phone. If you do emergency call-outs, say so in the description and services - and only if you genuinely pick up at 2am. Add special hours for bank holidays and Christmas. A customer who rings during your listed hours and gets no answer will not ring back.

Use a phone number that is answered, ideally the same one on your van and website. If you miss calls on jobs, a text-back or a clear "leave a message and we'll call within the hour" voicemail rescues a lot of enquiries.

## Posts, questions and reviews

Updates (posts) let you share a recent job, a seasonal reminder ("book your boiler service before winter") or a change to your hours. They are not a ranking cheat code, but they show the business is active, and a recent photo of a finished job is useful to anyone comparing trades.

Google has been winding down the public questions-and-answers section on profiles in favour of AI-generated answers drawn from your profile, website and reviews. If you still see it, answer the common questions there. Either way, put those answers on your website's FAQ page - that is where they will keep working.

Reviews are the part of prominence you most influence. Ask every customer, send a direct review link, reply to every review, and never offer anything in exchange. Our guide to getting more Google reviews covers the rules in detail.

## Keep it maintained

A profile is not a one-off job. Update hours, add photos every few weeks, reply to reviews within a day or two, and check nobody has suggested an edit that changes your details. If you would rather hand this off, our Google Business Profile management bolt-on is £29/month - but it is entirely doable yourself with twenty minutes a week.

## Questions

### Should tradesmen show their address on Google Business Profile?

Tradesmen who do not have customers visit their premises should hide their address and set service areas instead. Google's guidelines use a plumber working from home as the example of a business that should clear its address.

### How many service areas can I add to my Google Business Profile?

You can add up to 20 service areas, based on towns, postcodes or other areas. Google says they should not extend farther than about two hours' driving from where the business is based.

### Can I put my town in my Google Business Profile name?

Only if the town is genuinely part of your registered, real-world business name as used on your signage and paperwork. Adding locations or keywords that are not part of your real name breaks Google's guidelines and can lead to suspension.

## Sources

- Guidelines for representing your business on Google, Google Business Profile Help, 2026: https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177
- Manage your service areas for service-area & hybrid businesses, Google Business Profile Help, 2026: https://support.google.com/business/answer/9157481
- Tips to improve your local ranking on Google, Google Business Profile Help, 2026: https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091
- Maps user-generated content policy: prohibited and restricted content, Google, 2026: https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114