Google Business Profile for contractors in Canada: a step-by-step guide

Published October 2026 by Six Points Media. Prices in Canadian dollars.

When someone in Canada searches "plumber near me" or "roofer in Hamilton", Google usually shows a map with a few local businesses before the regular results. Those listings come from Google Business Profiles. The profile is free, and for a trades business it's often the first thing a new customer sees, before your website and before they call.

This guide walks through setting one up and keeping it in shape, using Google's own rules, so you don't waste time on tricks that can get your profile suspended. It applies to contractors anywhere in Canada.

The short answer

Claim or create one profile, verify it, use your real business name, pick the most specific category for your main trade, hide your home address and list the areas you actually serve, then keep adding real job photos and asking every customer for a review. Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence, and that there's no way to pay for a better local ranking (Google Business Profile Help).

What Google looks at, and what you control

Factor (Google's term)	What it means	What a contractor can do
Relevance	How well your profile matches the search	Fill in every field, choose accurate categories, list your services
Distance	How far you are from the person searching	Not much. Keep your service area honest and accurate
Prominence	How well known you are, including links and reviews	Earn reviews, reply to them, get listed on real local and trade sites

Source: Google, "Tips to improve your local ranking on Google".

Step 1: Claim or create your profile

Search your business name on Google first. If a profile already exists, claim it instead of making a new one. Google's guidelines say there should be only one profile per business (Google guidelines). Sign in with an email you will always control, not a past employee's or your web person's account. You can add managers later.

Step 2: Use your real business name

Write the name exactly as it appears on your truck, invoices and signage. Google doesn't allow extra words like taglines, service keywords or locations in the name, and says this "could result in the suspension of your Business Profile" (Google guidelines). "Smith Roofing" is fine. "Smith Roofing | Best Roofer Brampton" is not.

Step 3: Pick the right category

Your primary category tells Google what your business is. Google asks you to use "as few categories as possible" and to pick ones that are "as specific as possible, but representative of your main business". A handy test from Google: the category should complete the sentence "This business IS a…", not "This business HAS a…" (Google guidelines). For most trades that means something like Plumber, Electrician, Roofing contractor or HVAC contractor. Only add a second category if it's a genuinely separate line of work.

Step 4: Hide your address and set service areas

Most trades go to the customer, which makes you a "service-area business" in Google's terms. If customers don't come to your address, Google says to remove it from your profile. A plumber working from home is Google's own example (Google guidelines). Then add your service areas:

You can list up to 20 service areas by city, postal code or other area. You can't use a radius.
Google says the whole area "shouldn't be more than about 2 hours of driving time" from where you're based.
Edits to your service area can take up to 48 hours to show.

Source: Google, "Manage your service areas". Virtual offices and mailbox addresses aren't eligible (Google guidelines).

Step 5: Get verified

You need to verify the profile to manage it. Google chooses which verification methods you're offered, so you can't pick. Options can include phone or text, email, a video recording, a live video call or a postcard. Google recommends video if you're eligible. For video, be ready to show:

where you are (signage or a street sign),
your equipment, tools or branded vehicle, and
proof you run the business, such as keys or non-sensitive business documents.

If you're mailed a postcard, don't edit your name, address or category while you wait, or the code won't work. Once you submit, Google says reviews take up to 5 business days (Google, "Verify your business").

Step 6: Fill in everything else

Phone: Google asks for a local number where possible, under your direct control, not a call-centre or referral number (Google guidelines). If calls go to your cell while you're on a job, think about what happens when you can't answer. Our guide to missed calls covers that.
Hours: add your regular hours, plus holiday hours before each long weekend. Seasonal trades can set seasonal hours or mark the business temporarily closed in the off-season (Google guidelines).
Website: link to your own site. If you don't have one, a simple one-page website is enough to start.
Description: say plainly what you do and where. Google doesn't allow links, prices or sales promotions in the description (Google guidelines).
Services: list each service you offer so the profile matches more of the searches people actually make.

Step 7: Photos and reviews, every month

Google lists adding photos and replying to reviews as ways to improve your local ranking. It also says more reviews and positive ratings can help (Google). Customers care too. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults, 97% said they read reviews for local businesses, 74% said they look for reviews from the last three months, and 47% said they won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews (BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026). It's a US sample, but it's the most recent large survey we could find.

Photos: real before-and-after shots, your crew and your trucks. Skip stock photos.
Ask every customer: text your direct review link when the job wraps up. In the same survey, 83% of people who were asked for a review went on to leave one (BrightLocal).
Reply to every review, good or bad, and write each reply yourself. 80% said they're likely to use a business that responds to all its reviews, and 50% said templated replies make them less likely to choose a business (BrightLocal).

Mistakes that get profiles suspended or ignored

Keywords or city names stuffed into the business name.
Showing a home address customers don't visit, or using a virtual office.
Duplicate profiles for the same business.
Paying for reviews or offering discounts for them. Google doesn't allow offering "payment, discounts, free goods and/or services" for reviews. It also doesn't allow asking only happy customers (Google Maps content policy).
Setting it up once and never touching it again.

Be careful with anyone who guarantees a top spot on Google Maps. Google says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking (Google).

Do it yourself or get help?

Everything above is free and you can do it yourself in an afternoon, then spend a few minutes a week on it. If you'd rather hand it off, we keep profiles current as part of our plans, and our Google Business Profile service explains what's included. For ranking beyond the profile, see local SEO.

What Six Points Media charges

We work with local service businesses on monthly plans. Prices are in CAD, plus HST.

Get Found: a one-page website with your domain (registered in your name at no charge), hosting and up to 2 edits a month. $399 setup + $119/mo with a 12-month minimum, or $0 down at $169/mo for the first 12 months, then $119/mo. Live within 7 days of receiving your payment and content, or your first month is free.
Never Miss a Call: everything in Get Found plus missed-call text-back, a lead pipeline and a monthly report on the missed calls we texted back. $499 setup + $269/mo, 6-month minimum.
Full Service: everything in Never Miss a Call plus follow-up sequences, Google Business Profile upkeep (hours and info kept current), and review requests and replies. $797 setup + $397/mo, 6-month minimum.
Limited founding offer: our full Tier 3 bundle, first 3 clients only: Everything in Full Service (Tier 3, our most complete plan) at a founding price, with a 6-month minimum. Tier 3 is normally $797 setup + $397/mo. Tier 3 only, contract only, limited to 3 spots. Not available to regulated health or legal practices. The Local SEO add-on stays at its regular price. Founding price: $497 setup · $297/mo · 6-month minimum.
Local SEO add-on: up to 4 Google Business Profile posts, 1 new service or service-area page, 3 new directory listings and a monthly report. No setup fee + $349/mo, 3-month minimum.

We register your domain in your business's name at no charge, so it's yours, and it stays with you if you leave. We build, host and run the website for you as part of your plan. If you leave and want to keep the website itself (its design and files), there's a one-time buyout of $2,499 + HST, the same on every plan, once all fees owed are settled.

A no-contract option is available on request for every plan.

Common questions

Is a Google Business Profile free?

Yes. Creating and managing a Google Business Profile costs nothing. Paid Google ads are a separate product.

Should a contractor show their home address?

No, not if customers don't come to you. Google says service-area businesses that don't serve customers at their address should remove it and list service areas instead.

How many service areas can I add?

Up to 20, by city, postal code or other area. Google says the whole area shouldn't be more than about 2 hours of driving time from your base.

How long does verification take?

Google says verification reviews take up to 5 business days after you complete the steps, and occasionally longer.

Can I offer a discount for Google reviews?

No. Google's policy doesn't allow offering payment, discounts or free goods or services in exchange for reviews.

Sources

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