Google Business Profile for contractors: set it up right.
Your Google Business Profile is what puts you on Google Maps when someone searches "remodeler near me". Here's how to set one up as a contractor with no storefront, get through video verification, fill out every part of it, and connect it to a website so it actually brings in calls.
How to create a Google Business Profile for your contracting business
About 30 minutes, plus a few days for Google to review your verification.
Use an account you will keep for years, not a worker's or a nephew's. Losing access to that account is the most common reason contractors lose control of their profile.
Go to business.google.com and search your business name. If a profile already exists, claim it instead of making a second one. Duplicate profiles split your reviews and can get both suspended.
Choose the most specific category for the work you want most: "Remodeler", "Kitchen remodeler", "Concrete contractor", "Drywall contractor", "Handyman". Add a few secondary categories for other services you really offer.
If customers don't come to your office, Google requires you to hide your address. You still enter your real address for verification, then switch off "show business address" and list the cities or ZIP codes you serve.
Use the number you actually answer, and link your website. The website gives Google more about your services and towns, and gives customers a place to see your work before they call.
Most new profiles are asked to verify with a short video now. See the tips below. Until you are verified, the profile will not show up properly on Maps.
Passing video verification without a storefront
Most contractors work from home or a truck, and that's fine. Google mostly wants proof that you're a real, operating business at the location you entered.
What a complete Google Business Profile has
Google favors profiles that are complete, accurate and active. Most contractors fill in the basics and stop. Go through every item.
Your real business name, exactly as on your license and truck. Adding keywords or cities to the name can get the profile suspended.
One specific primary category plus the secondary ones that fit.
The cities or ZIP codes you actually work in.
When you answer the phone. Add holiday hours.
A number you answer and a link to your own website, not a Facebook page.
Every service you offer, each with a short description.
What you do, where, and for how long, in plain words. Mention your license.
Real job photos, before and after, your truck, your crew and your logo. Keep adding new ones.
Ask every happy customer, and reply to every review, good or bad.
A quick post with photos when you finish a job keeps the profile active.
Why your Google profile needs a website behind it
Common questions
Do I need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?
You can get calls from a profile alone, but a website helps it. Google uses your website to understand what you do and where, and customers use it to look at your work before calling. You also own your website; your profile can be suspended or edited by Google.
Can I make a Google Business Profile without a storefront?
Yes. Most contractors are service-area businesses. You enter your real address to verify, then hide it and list the areas you serve.
Will hiding my home address hurt my ranking?
No. Hiding it is what Google requires when customers don't come to you. A complete profile, good reviews and a solid website matter far more.
How do I verify my Google Business Profile with a video?
Record one continuous video showing your location, your truck or tools, and proof you run the business, such as your contractor license or invoices. Google reviews it, which can take several business days.
Should I put my license number on my Google profile?
In California, CSLB requires your license number on all advertising, which includes online listings. Put it in your description and on your website.
Can Launchly set up my Google Business Profile?
We don't log in and edit your profile. With our Local SEO plan, we scan your profile and send you exactly what to add or fix, as text you can copy and paste, and we build the website your profile links to.
Got the profile? Now give it a website.
We build your full website first. You only pay if you like it: $49 a month.