The 2024 Google Business Profile (Google Maps) Checklist For Home Service Businesses

July 3, 2024

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is a FREE online listing provided by Google. Claiming and managing your Google Business Profile is the first and most important step to marketing your business online.

Importance of Having a Google Business Profile

Over 60% of consumers use Google Maps to call a local business. For many home services businesses, their Google Business Profile (GBP) is the source of a large portion of their leads. Your GBP is shown to people searching on Google in the Maps section (and the Google Maps phone app), which is displayed above all other organic web page search results, and your GBP can be integrated with Google Local Services Ads and Google Ads.

How to Claim Your Google Business Profile

If you haven’t already claimed your GBP, click here and enter your business name and primary industry to get started. If you don’t already have a Google User account (a Gmail account), you will need to create a Gmail account first. Creating a Gmail account is also free.

When you submit your GBP claim application, Google usually asks for the legal address of the business. In order to verify your business really is at this address, Google will usually mail a postcard with a custom code to the address you provide. Once you receive the postcard, you can login to your GBP account and enter the code to finish the verification process and start optimizing your profile.

Optimize Your Home Service Business Google Business Profile

There are many ways to use and optimize your Google Business Profile (GBP) for your home service business. Without getting too far in the weeds, here is a simple checklist of the home service business GBP optimization essentials.

I claimed and verified my Google Business Profile (GBP), and I have the login for the "Primary Owner" user account for my GBP.
• Make sure that your user profile type literally says “Primary Owner”, not “Owner”, “Manager”, or any other title.
I optimized my GBP with all of the following baseline information:
• Business Name
• Logo
• Business Category: Primary category & relevant secondary categories
• Primary phone number
• Description (1 - 5 sentences)
• Selected to show or hide my physical address
- If you operate your business from your home, choose to “hide” your physical location.
• Service area locations
• Description (1 - 5 sentences)
- This is a great place to share something about your quality of work, experience, dedication to your craft, and love of your community. This is often the first introduction a potential lead has to your business, so make sure your message will resonate with your preferred customer.
• Hours of Operation
• Open Date (date company was founded)
• Website Home Page URL
• Additional Social Profiles
• Offerings
- This is usually a list of your core services
• Payment Options Accepted
• Amenities & Accessibility Details (if relevant)
- For most home service businesses, this section is not relevant. However, if you have a location customers can visit, like a showroom, this is a great detail to add.
I have at least 10 reviews on my GBP.
I have my GBP review link saved to share in emails, texts, and other mediums, and have a proactive/automated strategy for gaining new reviews daily.
• You can find your GBP review link by logging into your profile, clicking the “Read Reviews” button, then clicking “Get More Reviews”.
I have the Google Maps app on my phone and I'm logged-in as a Google user account that manages my GBP.
I have at least 10 images that show examples of the types of projects I want to gain more of, and/or show a variety of the types of services you offer.
I post to my Google Business Profile weekly
• All your GBP posts should include an image, a 1 - 3 sentence description with keywords for the type of service provided and the location you want it to rank for, and a relevant call-to-action (CTA) that links back to a relevant page of your website.
I reply to questions, and both positive and negative reviews, in a positive and helpful way.
• We cannot stress enough how important it is to reply to reviews publicly, especially negative reviews. For advice on how to reply to negative reviews, feel free to read our article How To Reply To Negative Home Service Business Reviews on Google & Facebook.