Google Business Profile Optimisation for Trades Businesses
A lot of Google Business Profile advice online is either outdated or written for retail businesses with a shopfront, which doesn't map cleanly onto a trades business running from a van. Here's what's actually worth getting right first, in roughly the order it matters.
1. Categories, before anything else
Your primary category is one of the strongest relevance signals Google has. Pick the category that most precisely matches your core service — "Plumber" rather than the broader "Contractor" if plumbing is genuinely what you do. Secondary categories can broaden what you show up for, but adding categories that don't reflect real services is more likely to confuse relevance signals than help them. If you don't do a type of job, don't claim the category for it.
2. Service areas that match reality
Describe the places you actually serve and follow Google’s business representation guidelines. Service-area settings explain coverage to customers; they should not be presented as a ranking-radius control.
3. Business description and services list
Write the description in plain language that matches how customers actually search — "emergency boiler repair" rather than vaguer phrasing like "heating solutions." Fill in the services list completely and specifically; each named service is another way your profile can match a relevant search.
4. Photos and ongoing activity
Use photos that help customers understand the business. Completed-job records in Fusion44 for Businesses are a separate publishing feature; do not assume they automatically publish photos to Google Business Profile.
5. Reviews and helpful responses
- Ask customers for honest feedback without dictating a rating
- Make the review destination easy to find
- Reply helpfully where a response would assist the customer
6. Business hours and contact details
Check hours and contact details against the way the business currently operates. Accurate information prevents avoidable confusion for customers.
A profile review and a visibility measurement answer different questions. Use this checklist to inspect your business information, and a location-based check to observe appearances for selected searches. Neither is a substitute for investigating a specific website or profile problem.
Businesses that visit customers can also review service-area profile guidance. For documenting real work, see completed-job records; those records should describe genuine activity without promising a ranking outcome.