Google Business Profile optimization checklist Fill it in.Play it clean.Check monthly.

Does filling out my whole profile really matter?

Yes, for two reasons. First, the homeowner. Your profile is often the first thing they see, before your website, and an empty one looks like a business that might not show up either. Second, Google. In its local ranking tips, Google says businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results.

That's relevance, one of the three things Google says it ranks on. The other two are distance (where the searcher is) and prominence (how well known you are, which includes reviews). This checklist covers everything you control on the profile itself. For the full ranking picture, read how to rank higher on Google Maps.

Do I need to verify my Business Profile before I optimize it?

Yes. Edits to an unverified profile don't carry much weight, and some features stay locked until Google confirms the business is yours. Claim the profile from the Google account you'll keep using (not a tech's personal account), then verify it.

1. Claim it from the right accountUse an account the business owns. If an old web person or an ex-employee owns the profile, request access before you change anything.
2. Use the method Google offersGoogle lists phone or text, email, a live video call and mail as verification methods, and says the methods are chosen automatically and can't be changed. Have proof of the business ready in case it asks for video.
3. Then work the checklistOnce verified, fill every field below, top to bottom.

Google's verify your business page has the current steps.

What's on the full Google Business Profile checklist?

Open your profile next to this list and tick as you go. Each line says what to do and why it earns its spot.

• Business name: your real-world name, exactly as it's on your truck, website and invoices. Why: Google's guidelines require it, and keyword-stuffed names get edited or suspended.
• Primary category: the single most specific category for what you are. Why: it is the clearest way to tell Google what kind of business you are.
• Additional categories: up to 9, only for work that is a real part of the business. Why: they widen your relevance without muddying it.
• Services: every job you do, from the suggested list plus custom ones. Why: "drain cleaning" and "water heater install" are searches, and the services list says you do them.
• Service areas: the cities or ZIP codes you drive to, up to 20. Why: it shows customers where you work. (It does not make you rank everywhere in it.)
• Address: hidden if customers don't come to you. Why: Google's rules say a service-area business should hide it.
• Hours: your real hours, plus special hours for holidays. Why: a homeowner who calls an "open now" listing and gets voicemail calls the next one.
• Phone and website: a local number that reaches you, and a link to your real site. Why: one tap from the profile should reach the business, not a call center.
• Appointment or quote link: if you book online, add the link. Why: it's one more way to say yes at 10pm.
• Description: up to 750 characters, no links, plain words about what you do and where. Why: it is the one place on the profile written in your voice.
• Attributes: anything that applies, like veteran-owned or women-owned. Why: some customers search for exactly that.
• Photos and videos: real crew, trucks, before-and-afters, finished jobs. Why: Google lists photos among its tips, and homeowners want to see who is coming.
• Posts: an update, offer or event now and then. Why: it shows the profile is alive. Posts archive after 6 months unless you set a date range.
• Reviews and replies: a steady stream of new reviews, each one answered. Why: Google says review count and ratings feed prominence.
• Products and services menu: your main jobs as items with a short description and photo. Why: it gives browsers a quick menu of what you do.

Exact limits come straight from Google's edit your Business Profile page: up to 9 additional categories, up to 2 more phone numbers, and no more than 750 characters in the description, with no URLs or HTML. Posts follow Google's posts rules.

Can I put keywords in my business name?

No. Google's Business Profile guidelines say your name should reflect your business's real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website and stationery. Service words, city names and taglines that aren't part of your actual name aren't allowed.

Which categories should I pick for my trade?

Google's categories help page says to pick a primary category that best describes the business, choose specific over general, and not to add a category for every product or service. You can't create your own. A good test from the guidelines: the category should finish the sentence "This business IS a...", not "This business HAS a...".

Categories say what you ARE. Services say what you DO. A plumber is one category with dozens of services underneath it. Google's services page shows suggested services per category (a plumber might see "Install faucet" or "Repair toilet") and lets you add custom ones. Custom service names can't include prices or phone numbers.

What should my business description say?

Say what you do, who for, where, and why someone should pick you, in plain words. You get 750 characters. No links, no phone numbers, no ALL CAPS, no "best in town". Fill the [brackets] and trim to fit:

What photos and posts should I add?

Real ones. Google's photo guidelines ask for photos that are in focus, well lit and represent reality, without heavy filters (JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB). For a trade, that means the people and the work.

• Your crew: a team shot plus each tech with the truck. Homeowners want to see who will knock on the door.
• Your trucks and shop: wrapped vans, a stocked trailer, the shop if you have one.
• Before and after: a clogged gutter and a clean one, a stained driveway and a bright one, an old panel and a new one.
• On the job: a tech in shoe covers, drop cloths down, tools organized. It answers "will they respect my house?"
• Skip: stock photos, logos on every image, customers' faces or house numbers without permission.

Posts come in three types: updates, offers and events. They archive after 6 months unless you set a date range, so a profile with one post from two years ago looks abandoned. Two you can adapt:

Google's posts page warns that a post with a phone number in the text might be rejected if the number can't be verified as yours. Use the call or book button instead.

What can get my Business Profile suspended?

Breaking Google's guidelines for representing your business. These are the ones trade businesses trip over most:

Running from home and not sure how to set the address and areas? Our service area guide walks through it step by step.

What should I check on my profile every month?

Optimizing once is a project. Keeping it right is a habit. Put 20 minutes on the calendar, first Monday of the month:

• Search your business name on Google and Maps. Does everything look right, including anything Google or the public edited?
• Check hours, and set special hours for any holiday coming up, even if you keep normal hours that day.
• Add three to five new photos from last month’s jobs.
• Publish one or two posts so the newest is never older than a few weeks.
• Reply to every new review, and look at how many came in vs. last month.
• Add any new service you started doing, and remove any you stopped.
• Make sure your phone, website and booking links still work.

Google's special hours page suggests confirming your hours for official holidays even when they match your regular hours. It's the easiest win on this list.

Want more reviews coming in each month? Start with how to get more Google reviews.