When someone in your area searches for an HVAC contractor, a plumber, a roofer, or any other trade — the three businesses that appear at the top of the results with a map are the ones getting most of the calls. That section is called the Local Pack, and getting into it starts with one thing: your Google Business Profile.
If you've never set one up — or you set one up years ago and haven't touched it since — this guide walks through exactly what to do, in plain language, with no assumptions about what you already know.
"The map pack isn't a mystery. It's a result of completing a free listing and consistently maintaining a handful of specific signals."
The 7 Steps to Getting on Google Maps
Check If a Listing Already Exists for Your Business
Before you create anything, search your business name on Google Maps. Many contractors already have a basic listing that Google created automatically from third-party directories — Yelp, the Better Business Bureau, local chamber sites. If one exists, you'll claim it rather than create a duplicate. Duplicate listings can confuse Google and dilute your visibility.
If you find one and it says "Own this business?" or "Claim this business," click that. If you don't find anything, you'll create a new listing from scratch in the next step.
Claim or Create Your Google Business Profile
Go to business.google.com and sign in with a Google account. If you're claiming an existing listing, follow the prompts to confirm ownership. If you're creating a new one, you'll enter your business name, your primary service category, and your location or service area.
If you're a contractor who travels to customers rather than seeing them at a fixed address, choose "service area business" rather than entering a storefront address. You can define the zip codes or cities you work in. This is the right choice for most trade contractors.
Verify Your Business With Google
Google needs to confirm that your business is real and that you're the person who should control the listing. The most common verification method is a postcard mailed to your business address with a five-digit code — you enter that code in your profile to verify.
The postcard typically arrives within five business days. Some businesses qualify for phone or video verification, which is faster. Until you're verified, your listing may not appear in search results.
Use your business address, not a P.O. box. Google sends the verification postcard to a physical address. If you work from home and prefer not to list your home address publicly, you can hide the address from your public profile after verification — but you still need a real mailing address to receive the postcard.
Complete Every Section of Your Profile
Once verified, go through every available field in your profile and fill it in. This includes your business description, services list, hours of operation, phone number, and website link. Add your service area if applicable.
Your business description should say clearly what you do and where you do it. "Licensed HVAC contractor serving Gwinnett County and the Atlanta metro — installation, repair, and maintenance for residential and light commercial customers" is more useful than "We are a family-owned HVAC business that cares about our customers."
Don't leave sections blank because they seem optional. Complete profiles consistently outperform sparse ones in local search.
Choose the Right Primary Business Category
Your primary category is one of the most significant ranking signals in your profile. Be specific. "HVAC Contractor" is better than "Contractor." "Plumber" or "Plumbing Contractor" is better than "Home Services." "Roofing Contractor" is better than "General Contractor."
You can also add secondary categories for additional services — if you do both HVAC and water heater installation, you can list both. But your primary category should match the service you most want to be found for.
Add Real Photos of Your Work
Profiles with photos get meaningfully more views and clicks than profiles without them. This isn't a minor detail — it affects whether someone clicks on your listing at all.
Add photos of completed jobs, your vehicles or equipment, your team, and your logo. Aim for at least 10 to 15 photos to start, and add new ones periodically. Real job photos perform better than stock images. Before-and-after shots are particularly effective for trades where the transformation is visible — roofing, flooring, painting, landscaping.
Start Asking Customers for Google Reviews
This is the step most contractors skip, and it's often the one that most directly affects where they appear in results. Reviews are one of the clearest signals Google uses to rank businesses in the local pack — both the number of reviews and the average rating matter.
The simplest approach: after every job that went well, ask the customer directly. "If you were happy with the work, a Google review would really help us out — I can send you a link if that's easier." Most customers who had a good experience are willing to leave a review when asked. Very few do it without being asked.
You can find your direct review link in your Google Business Profile dashboard. Text it to customers after the job is complete. Make the ask specific and personal, not a generic email blast.
"Reviews don't happen by accident. Every contractor with 80 reviews asked for them. Every contractor with 3 reviews didn't."
What Happens After You Set It Up
Your listing won't appear at the top of results overnight. Google takes time to index and evaluate new listings. For a brand-new profile, expect it to take a few weeks to start appearing in local searches, and several months before you're likely to rank in the map pack for competitive terms.
What you do after setup matters as much as the setup itself. Keep your profile current — update your hours when they change, add photos after jobs, respond to reviews (both positive and negative), and answer questions when people submit them. Active profiles tend to outperform dormant ones over time.
If you want help getting your Google Business Profile set up correctly from the start, that's something CoreX handles for contractors across Metro Atlanta. We set it up, verify it, optimize every section, and walk you through the review process so it's working for you as quickly as possible.
