Why this comes before almost everything else
For a local trade, the map results often appear above every website — including yours. A complete, active Google Business Profile is the single highest-value hour of local marketing most trades can spend, and it's free. Your website and profile work as a pair: the profile gets you found, the site closes the enquiry.
The setup essentials
Claim and verify the profile at google.com/business. Choose your primary category carefully — it's the strongest relevance signal you control ('Electrician', not 'Contractor'). Add every service you genuinely offer, your real opening hours, your service area, and a description written for customers, not keywords.
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Photos are proof, not decoration
Real photos of your work, your van and your team outperform stock imagery and logos alone. Add a handful at setup and a new one every week or two — recency signals an active business. Customers notice, and so does the algorithm.
Reviews: ask, and reply to all of them
Ask every happy customer, make it easy with your review link, and reply to every review — including the awkward ones, politely. Never buy reviews or offer incentives for them; it's against Google's terms and customers can usually tell. Steady, genuine reviews beat a one-off flood.
Keep your details identical everywhere
Your business name, phone number and address should match exactly across your profile, your website and any directories — inconsistency dilutes trust. Our local SEO checklist covers the wider routine, and our local SEO service handles it for businesses that would rather it was simply done.
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