GBP Setup Checklist for Home Service Contractors

Start at business.google.com. Before you create anything, search your exact business name and phone number. If a duplicate listing already exists — Google auto-generates them from directory scrapers — you need to claim it, not create a second one. Two listings for the same business trigger a duplicate flag that suppresses both.

If you work from your home or a shop that isn't open to the public, select "I deliver goods and services to my customers" and hide your address. That makes you a service-area business (SAB). Do not use a P.O. box or virtual office address — Google requires a verifiable physical location for storefront profiles and will reject it.

Verification options include video, phone, postcard, or email — availability varies. Video is currently the fastest path for most service-area businesses. If you go postcard, allow 14 days and do not re-request — re-requesting resets the verification clock and adds another two weeks.

Your primary category is the single highest-leverage decision in your entire GBP setup. Google uses it as the primary signal to determine which searches your profile is eligible to appear in. Get it wrong and you're invisible to the queries that send $500–$2,000 emergency jobs.

The rule: pick the most specific category that matches your main revenue source — not your full menu of services.

• Plumber — primary: Plumber. Not "Contractor", not "Home improvement". Plumber.
• HVAC contractor — primary: HVAC contractor. Covers both heating and cooling; don't split it.
• Electrician — primary: Electrician. Not "Electrical installation service" — that's a secondary.
• Drain cleaning focus — if drain work is 80%+ of your revenue, Drainage service can outperform Plumber as primary.
• Locksmith — primary: Locksmith. Emergency positioning comes from attributes, not the category name.

The most common mistake: choosing "General contractor" because it feels broad. It's the worst pick — too vague for Google to confidently rank you for any specific trade search. Pick the word a homeowner types when their pipe bursts at 11pm.

Secondary categories expand the searches you're eligible for — but they are not free relevance. Adding too many dilutes your primary signal. Cap at 4–6 secondary categories, and only add ones that match services you actively want leads for.

Trade-specific secondary picks:

• Plumbers: Drainage service, Water heater contractor, Pipe repair service, Emergency plumber service
• HVAC contractors: Air conditioning contractor, Heating contractor, Furnace repair service, Air conditioning repair service
• Electricians: Electrical installation service, Emergency electrician service, Lighting contractor
• Roofers: Roofing contractor, Gutter cleaning service
• Garage door: Garage door repair service, Garage door supplier

Skip any category for a service you don't actually offer. Google's spam detection cross-references your categories against your reviews and photos — a mismatch can trigger a suspension review that pulls your profile offline while they investigate.

Service areas: Build your list by city name, not radius. A radius around your shop may include cities you never dispatch to and exclude ones you do. Go city-by-city through your actual coverage area. Google caps service-area entries at 20 locations per profile — list your highest-revenue cities first. Also add your county: Google treats county-level entries as additional relevance signals for "near me" searches within that county.

Hours: Set your real hours. If you don't answer Sunday, don't list Sunday hours — a customer who calls during your posted open window and hits voicemail will leave a one-star review. Set holiday hours proactively for major holidays; if you skip this, Google shows a "hours may differ" banner that kills click-through on your highest-volume days.

Attributes: These are the fields most contractors skip entirely — and they directly filter search results. Check every attribute that applies:

You get 750 characters. Use them. Lead with your city and primary service in the first sentence — Google reads the description and so does every homeowner deciding whether to call you or the next result down the list.

The formula: City + primary service (sentence 1) → secondary services (sentence 2) → differentiators: licensed, insured, same-day, 24/7 (sentence 3) → soft action: "Call for a same-day quote" (sentence 4).

Google's description policy prohibits keyword stuffing — write for the homeowner reading it, not an algorithm. The goal is clarity and confidence, not density.

Skeleton copy by trade:

Plumber: "[City] plumber serving [metro area] for drain cleaning, water heater repair, leak detection, and emergency pipe repair. Licensed and insured. Same-day appointments available. We answer every call — no voicemail, no waiting. Call for a free quote."

HVAC contractor: "Licensed HVAC contractor serving [city] and [surrounding cities]. AC repair, furnace replacement, and preventive maintenance plans. 24/7 emergency service available. Fully insured technicians. Same-day diagnostics — call now."

Electrician: "[City] electrician serving [county] for panel upgrades, outlet repairs, EV charger installation, and emergency electrical service. Licensed and insured. Upfront pricing, no surprises. Same-day service calls available — call or text."

The Services section tells Google the full scope of what you do beyond your primary category. Each service you add is a structured signal that makes your profile eligible for more specific queries — "water heater replacement near me", "EV charger installation [city]", "emergency furnace repair" — searches your category alone won't catch.

To add services: Edit Profile → Services. Google pre-populates common options for your category — check every one you actually offer, then add custom services for anything not listed.

For each service entry, fill in:

• Name: Use homeowner language — "Water heater replacement", not "HWH R&R"
• Description: One sentence covering what's included — 300 characters max
• Price: Add a range if you have one ("Starting at $150") — leave blank if it varies

Services to add by trade:

• Plumbers: Emergency drain cleaning, Water heater installation, Sump pump repair, Leak detection, Sewer line repair
• HVAC: AC tune-up, Furnace replacement, Duct cleaning, Emergency AC repair, Thermostat installation
• Electricians: Panel upgrade, GFCI outlet installation, EV charger installation, Whole-home surge protection, Emergency electrical repair

Don't mark your profile complete until every item below is checked. The local 3-pack has three spots. The contractor who ran this audit beats the one who almost did.

1. Business name matches your truck, website, and invoices exactly — no keywords stuffed into the name field
2. Phone number is your direct business line, not a rotating tracking number
3. Website URL points to a live, relevant page — not a broken link
4. Primary category is the most specific trade category matching your main revenue source
5. Secondary categories added — 4–6 max, each a service you actively want leads for
6. Service areas defined as city names, not a radius, covering your actual dispatch territory
7. Hours are accurate, including whether you answer evenings and weekends
8. Holiday hours set or scheduled for the next 90 days
9. Business description uses all 750 characters, leads with city and primary service, no keyword stuffing
10. Services section populated with individual services, descriptions, and price ranges where applicable
11. Photos: minimum 10 uploaded — exterior or vehicle, team, and job work examples
12. Logo uploaded at 250×250 minimum in square format
13. NAP consistency check — the step most contractors skip during setup: your name, address, and phone number on GBP must match exactly on Yelp, Angi, your website, and every other directory where you're listed — a mismatch confuses Google and suppresses local ranking
14. Q&A section seeded with 3–5 common customer questions and your own answers — you can post both question and answer yourself
15. Review pipeline ready: plan to start building review velocity the week your profile goes live — a profile with zero reviews converts at a fraction of one with 20, and the gap compounds fast

Once all 15 are checked, your profile is live-ready. For posting cadence, review velocity rules, and local ranking mechanics, read the full Google Business Profile playbook for home service contractors.