Having a strong online presence is crucial for home service businesses, especially since they often don't have a brick-and-mortar storefront to generate walk-in business.
Whether you're a contractor, plumber, electrician, HVAC technician, landscaper, or cleaner, your potential customers are likely to search online for services you offer.
For these types of home service businesses, optimizing Google Business Profile (GBP) can significantly increase visibility in local search results, ultimately attracting more nearby customers.
Below, we'll go over some best practices for optimizing Google Business Profile for different types of home service businesses to improve local search rankings and generate more local leads.
What Home Service Businesses Are on Google Business Profile?
There are many different Google Business Profile categories that cover different types of home service businesses. Here are some of the main ones:
- Plumber
- Contractor
- HVAC contractor
- Heating contractor
- Air conditioning contractor
- General contractor
- Flooring contractor
- Fence contractor
- Dry wall contractor
- Tile contractor
- Countertop contractor
- Siding contractor
- Roofing contractor
- Landscaper
- House cleaning service
- Electrician
Special Considerations for Listing Home Service Businesses on Google Business Profile
Optimizing Google Business Profile for home service businesses follows many of the same best practices as doing so for other types of service providers, especially service-area businesses (SABs), since providing home services requires actually going to people's homes.
In addition to filling out all business information, ensuring it's accurate and consistent, and choosing the most relevant categories, selecting the right service area on Google Business Profile is one of the most important factors in determining which local searches the business shows up in.
While service areas have not previously been considered a direct ranking factor for Google Search and Google Maps rankings, there is some recent evidence suggesting that service areas might be a new Google ranking factor, making selecting the right service area(s) more important than ever.
You can define your service area(s) by adding cities or ZIP codes to help Google show your business to users searching for services specifically in those areas.
How To Optimize Google Business Profile for Home Service Businesses: Step-by-Step
1. Claim and Verify Your Business Profile
The first step in optimizing your Google Business Profile is to claim and verify it. If you haven't already done so, go to Google Business and create an account. Once your account is set up, search for your business on Google and claim your profile to take ownership of it.
GBP verification is typically done via postcard, phone, email, or even video. This process ensures that you are the rightful owner of the business and can therefore rightfully manage the information displayed on your profile.
2. Complete Your Profile Information
A complete and accurate profile not only helps Google understand your business, but also builds trust with potential customers. Ensure that all your business information is up-to-date on GBP and consistent with the info on other relevant listing sites. Key information includes:
- Business Name: Use your official business name without adding extra keywords.
- Address: Provide a precise and accurate address. If you only offer services at customers' locations, you can choose to hide your address and select a service area.
- Phone Number: Use a local phone number to build trust and improve local SEO.
- Categories: Choose the best primary category to describe your business and add all other applicable secondary categories to appear in relevant local searches.
- Website: Include your website URL to drive traffic to your site.
- Business Hours: Ensure your hours of operation are accurate and update them for holidays or special events.
- Services: List all the services you offer. Use specific terms that potential customers might search for.
3. Add High-Quality Photos and Videos
Visual content is a powerful tool to attract and engage potential customers. According to Google, businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for directions and 35% more clicks to their websites. Here are some tips for adding high-quality photos and videos:
- Profile and Cover Photos: Use clear and professional images that represent your business.
- Service Photos: Show before-and-after photos of your work to demonstrate your expertise.
- Team Photos: Include photos of your team members to create a personal connection with potential customers.
- Videos: Upload short videos showcasing your services, customer testimonials, or behind-the-scenes footage of your business operations.
4. Collect and Respond to Reviews
Reviews play a crucial role in building your online reputation and improving your local search ranking (they're a direct ranking factor for Google). Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on your Google Business Profile. Here's how to manage reviews effectively:
- Ask for Reviews: After completing a job, politely ask your customers to leave a review. Provide them with a direct link to your Google Business Profile to make it easy.
- Respond to Reviews: Show appreciation for positive reviews and address negative reviews professionally. Responding to reviews demonstrates that you value customer feedback and are committed to providing excellent service.
- Regularly Monitor Reviews: Make it a habit to check your reviews regularly and respond promptly. Use feedback to improve your services, which will ultimately help you get more positive reviews.
5. Use Google Posts
Google Business Profile Posts allow you to share updates, offers, events, and more directly on your GBP listing. These posts appear in the Knowledge Panel and can attract the attention of potential customers. Here's how to make the most of Google Posts:
- Create Engaging Content: Share news about your business, promotions, or seasonal offers. Use compelling headlines and clear calls-to-action.
- Include Images and Links: Posts with images and links perform better. Include relevant images and direct links to your website or specific landing pages.
- Update Regularly: Keep your profile fresh by posting regularly. GBP Posts expire after seven days, so make sure to add new content frequently.
6. Utilize Attributes
Google allows you to add attributes to your Business Profile, providing more detailed information about your business.
For example, select relevant attributes such as "Women-led," "Veteran-led," or specific service-related attributes like "24/7 availability." These attributes help your business stand out in more specific local search results.
7. Optimize for Keywords
Keyword optimization is essential for improving your visibility in local search results. Identify the keywords your potential customers are using to find home service businesses like yours and incorporate them naturally into your profile. Here's how to do it:
- Business Description: Write a detailed and engaging business description that includes your primary keywords. Focus on what sets your business apart and the services you offer and incorporate keywords only where it makes natural sense to do so.
- Services Section: List all your services with detailed descriptions, using relevant keywords for each service.
- Posts and Updates: When creating Google Business Profile Posts, include keywords that are relevant to the content and your business.
8. Monitor Insights and Analytics
Google provides valuable insights and analytics about how users interact with your Google Business Profile. Regularly reviewing these insights can help you understand what's working and where there's room for improvement.
Key metrics to monitor include search queries, which let you see what search terms users are using to find your business, and customer actions, which track how many users visited your website, requested directions, called your business, or took other desirable actions directly from your GBP listing.
Additionally, you should track your ranking for different keywords in local search results using Local Falcon to gain valuable insights into your performance and competitors, which you can use to help guide your GBP optimizations and overall local SEO strategy.
Final Words
Optimizing your Google Business Profile is a powerful way to enhance your online presence and attract more local customers to your home service business.
By following these steps as part of your overall local SEO strategy, you can improve your visibility in local search results and grow your business in all the areas you serve!