Trades and construction marketing
Google Business Profile
for tradies.
For most tradies, the Google Business Profile is the single most valuable free listing they have: it's what shows on Google Maps and in the map box when someone searches 'plumber near me'. Google ranks it on relevance, distance and prominence, and reviews feed the last one. Get the basics right (the exact business name, the most specific category, your real service areas, your address hidden if customers don't come to you), then put your effort into a steady flow of reviews.
Written by Dan Picken, a marketer who checks the sources. Last checked 2 November 2026.The rules that
catch tradies out.
Google's guidelines say unnecessary information in your business name isn't permitted. 'Bluegum Plumbing' is fine. 'Bluegum Plumbing | Emergency Plumber 24/7 Cheap' breaks the rule and can get the profile suspended.
If you go to your customers, Google says a service-area business should hide its address, and a virtual office can't be listed unless it's staffed in business hours. Then add the areas you work: Google allows up to 20, roughly within two hours' drive of your base.
For categories, Google asks you to use as few as possible, and the most specific ones. 'Electrician' as the main category, then a couple of genuine extras, beats a long list.
Reviews: the part
you control.
Distance is fixed and relevance is mostly set-up. Prominence is where effort pays, and Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. For a trade, reviews also do the selling: people read the recent ones before they ring.
Ask every customer, at the same point, the same way: a text with the review link the day the job's done. Google's rules ban paying for reviews or only asking the happy ones, and since April 2026 also asking staff to collect a set number of reviews, or reviews with specific content. So don't script what customers write. Reply to reviews yourself instead, and mention the job and the area there.
Review gap
How long to catch
the top three?
Search your trade and suburb on Google Maps, and add up the reviews of the top three. Then put in how many jobs you do and how often you ask. Most tradies are surprised how much the asking changes it.
Months to catch up (if they stand still)
0
Photos, services
and updates.
Add real photos of jobs, the van and the team, not stock images. List your services in the profile with a line on each, so Google has more to match searches against.
Keep hours honest, especially public holidays. A customer who rings because the profile said 'open' and gets no answer is a worse result than no profile at all.
What I see most often
What I see on
tradie profiles.
- 1
Suburbs stuffed into the business name
It sometimes works for a while, then a competitor reports it and the profile drops or gets suspended.
- 2
Home address on show
A sole trader's home address visible on Maps, when it should be hidden and service areas used instead.
- 3
A burst of reviews, then nothing
Twenty reviews in the month the profile was set up, none since. Recent reviews are the ones people read.
- 4
Unanswered reviews
Good and bad ones left without a reply. The reply is part of what the next customer reads.
The honest bit. A great profile won't beat distance on its own. If you're based in one town and want work in another, you'll usually need your website, reviews from that area and some patience as well.
Questions
people ask.
Should I show my address on Google Business Profile?
Only if customers come to you. Google says service-area businesses should hide their address and list the areas they service instead.
Can I put my suburb in my business name?
Only if it's genuinely part of the name you trade under, on your signs, vehicles and website. Google says unnecessary information in a business name isn't permitted, and profiles that break the rule can be suspended.
How do I get more Google reviews as a tradie?
Ask every customer the same way, the day the job finishes, with a direct link. Don't offer rewards or only ask happy customers: Google's review rules ban both.
How many service areas can I add?
Google allows up to 20 service areas, and says the area generally shouldn't stretch past about two hours' drive from your base.
Related
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going.
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