A free Google tool that controls how a business appears in Google Search and Google Maps results.
Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is a free tool from Google that lets business owners control how their company appears in Google Search and Google Maps. For home service contractors, a complete and active Google Business Profile is the foundation of local marketing — it's what determines whether and where your business shows up when homeowners search for your trade in your area.
A Google Business Profile includes your business name, address, phone number, website, hours, photos, services, and customer reviews. Google uses the information in your profile — combined with your review count and recency — to determine your ranking in local search results and the Google Maps Pack.
The most impactful elements of a Google Business Profile for contractors: the primary business category (should be as specific as possible — "Roofing Contractor" not just "Contractor"), the services list (every service you offer should be listed explicitly), photos (updated at least monthly with recent job photos), and reviews (the most important ranking signal).
Contractors who treat their Google Business Profile as a living document — updating photos, responding to reviews, posting seasonal offers — consistently outperform those who set it up once and forget it. Google rewards active profiles with higher visibility, interpreting regular activity as a signal that the business is open, operating, and engaged with customers.