Think about the last time you needed a tradie. You probably didn't open a phone book or ask around for a week. You picked up your phone, typed something like "electrician near me" or "lawn mowing Hamilton", and rang one of the first businesses you saw.
Those first businesses usually aren't websites. They're the map, with a handful of local businesses pinned on it, each with star ratings, opening hours and a phone number. Every one of those listings is a Google Business Profile. If you haven't got one, you aren't on that map.
What a Google Business Profile actually is
It's a free listing from Google for your business. Once it's set up and verified, it can show up in Google Search and on Google Maps with:
- Your business name, phone number and website
- The suburbs and towns you work in, or your address if customers come to you
- Your opening hours, including holiday hours
- Photos of your work, your team and your vehicles
- Your Google reviews and star rating
- Buttons to call you, get directions or visit your site
You don't need a shop front to have one. Tradies, cleaners and mobile businesses can set up a service area and keep their home address hidden.
Why it's worth more than almost anything else you can do
- It costs nothing.Google doesn't charge for a Business Profile. There aren't many places where a small business can show up next to the big operators for free.
- It's where local customers look first.When someone searches for a local service, the map results usually sit above the normal list of websites. A good profile puts you in the spot people see before they scroll.
- It catches people who are ready to buy.Someone searching "plumber near me" at 7am isn't browsing. They want someone today. Your profile gives them a Call button right there, so they can ring you in one tap.
- Reviews do your selling for you.Most people read reviews before they pick up the phone. A row of genuine five-star reviews from locals does more to win a job than anything you can write about yourself.
- Photos show the work.Before and after shots, a tidy ute, a finished job. Customers want to see what they're getting, and your profile is often the first place they see it.
- It tells you what's working.Your profile shows how many people found you, called you, asked for directions or clicked through to your website. It's plain proof of where your enquiries are coming from.
Your profile and your website work as a team
A Business Profile gets you found. A website is what convinces people once they've found you. When someone taps through from your profile, they want to see your services, where you work, what other customers say, and an easy way to get in touch.
The two also back each other up with Google. When your business name, phone number and area match on your profile and your website, Google can be more confident that you're a real, local business. That trust helps you show up for more searches.
A profile on its own is good. A profile linked to a proper website is better. One gets you on the map. The other turns the people who find you into bookings.
How to get the most out of yours
Setting up a profile takes an afternoon. Keeping it working is a few minutes a month. Here's what makes the difference:
- Verify it. An unverified profile won't show up properly. Google will check you're the owner before it goes live.
- Pick the right main category. "Electrician", "Plumber", "Lawn care service". It's one of the biggest things Google looks at when deciding which searches to show you for.
- Set your service area. List the suburbs and towns you actually want work in.
- Keep your hours and phone number right. Nothing loses a customer faster than ringing a number that's out of date.
- Add photos regularly. Real photos of real jobs. Phone photos are fine.
- Ask every happy customer for a review. The best time is right after the job, while they're pleased. Send them the link so it takes them 30 seconds.
- Reply to every review. Thank people for the good ones. Answer the bad ones calmly and fairly. Future customers read your replies too.
- Post updates now and then. A seasonal special, a job you're proud of, a new service. It shows the business is active.
Mistakes that hold a profile back
- Stuffing extra words into the business name. "Dave's Lawns Best Cheap Lawn Mowing Hamilton" breaks Google's rules and can get the profile suspended. Use your real business name.
- Losing access to it. Plenty of owners find out a past web designer or an old staff member set up the profile and they can't log in. Make sure it's in your name.
- Setting it up and forgetting about it. Old hours, an old phone number and unanswered reviews tell customers you might not be around any more.
- Never asking for reviews. Happy customers rarely leave one on their own. The businesses with dozens of reviews are the ones that ask.
The short version
A Google Business Profile is free, it puts you on the map where local customers are looking, and it hands people who are ready to book a button to ring you. Pair it with a proper website and keep the reviews coming, and it becomes one of the hardest-working things your business has.
How SiteMate helps
Every SiteMate website comes with your Google Business Profile set up and linked to your site, with your name, area, hours, services and photos matching on both. It's set up in your name, and if you ever leave SiteMate, you keep it. On the Growth plan, Review Robot also texts your customers from your own number asking for a Google review, so the stars keep coming in without you having to chase them. See what's in each plan.
Photos in this post are stock images from Unsplash.
