Your Google Business Profile is the most important piece of local search infrastructure you have. It controls whether you appear in the Map Pack — the three businesses that show above organic results when someone searches for a contractor near them. Most profiles have at least one configuration problem that limits visibility. Here is how to audit yours in under 10 minutes.
Check your primary category first
Log into your Google Business Profile at business.google.com and look at your primary category. This is the most important field on the profile — it tells Google what type of business you are and determines which searches you're eligible to appear in. If you are a roofer, your primary category should be 'Roofing Contractor.' If you are an HVAC company, it should be 'HVAC Contractor.' A primary category of 'General Contractor' or 'Home Improvement' puts you in a broader, more competitive pool and makes you less relevant for specific trade searches. You can have multiple categories — add secondary ones for related services, but always lead with the most specific match.
Check your service area setting
In GBP settings, look at your service area. If it is set to a state ('Ohio'), a region ('Northeast Ohio'), or left blank, you have a problem. Google's local algorithm ties your business to specific cities and communities — not geographic abstractions. Set your service area to individual cities and counties where you actually work. For most local contractors, that is 8 to 15 specific entries. This change alone can meaningfully expand which local searches surface your profile.
Check your NAP consistency
NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone. These three fields need to be identical on your GBP, your website header and footer, and every directory listing you have. 'St.' versus 'Street,' 'Suite 100' versus '#100,' or a different phone number format across listings creates inconsistency that confuses Google's entity resolution and weakens your local authority signal. Go to your website right now and check that the phone number and address match your GBP exactly — including formatting.
Check your business description
Your GBP description can be up to 750 characters. Most businesses use fewer than 100 and describe themselves in generic terms: 'We provide quality service to homeowners.' That is wasted space. A strong description names your primary service, the specific cities you serve, the years you have been operating, any certifications or manufacturer relationships, and a direct value statement. Write it as if a customer read it on Google and decided in 10 seconds whether to call you or your competitor.
Check your photo count and recency
Profiles with more photos get more engagement. Google recommends a minimum of 10 photos, but 20 to 30 is where you start to see meaningful visibility differences in competitive markets. More important than count is recency — adding photos regularly signals to Google that the business is active. The photos that perform best for contractors are job site photos (before and after), team photos, and photos of completed work with the customer's city in the file name or description.
Check if you are posting regularly
GBP posts are short updates — offers, news, project highlights — that appear on your profile and signal activity to Google. Businesses that post two to three times per week consistently outperform businesses that post sporadically or never. Posts expire after seven days, which means a profile with no recent post looks dormant. The posts do not need to be elaborate: a photo of a completed job, a service reminder, or a seasonal offer is enough. Consistency matters more than production quality.
Next Step
GBP is one of 15 layers we score.
The 15-phase audit includes a scored GBP review — category accuracy, NAP consistency, service area, posting cadence, review velocity — paired with a specific fix list. Most profiles have at least three configuration problems that limit visibility.