Short answer: a Google Business Profile is free. You need a Google account, you find or create your business, and you verify it – Google decides which verification methods you get. HVAC and plumbing businesses that work at the customer's home set a service area and hide their address if customers don't visit it. After that, accurate and complete details and genuine reviews are what you control.
Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence, that complete and accurate information helps, and that you can't pay for a better local ranking. [5] Be skeptical of anyone promising a fixed position.
Before you start
- A business-owned Google account – our recommendation, not a Google rule: don't tie the profile to one employee's private account.
- Your business name exactly as it appears on your signage, trucks, stationery and invoices.
- A local phone number you control and that someone actually answers.
- Your real service area: the cities or ZIP codes you serve.
- Hours, a list of services, your website address and a few of your own photos.
Step 1: Find or create the profile
Search for your business name and city. If a profile already exists, claim it; if not, create one at business.google.com. Google allows only one profile per business; duplicates can cause display problems in Search and Maps. [1]
Step 2: Name and category
Use the real-world name customers know. Leave out taglines, phone numbers, URLs, hours and service or location details. [1] “Rivera Plumbing” is fine; “Rivera Plumbing – 24/7 Emergency Plumber Phoenix” is not. Legal suffixes like LLC or Inc. belong in the name only if signage or invoices consistently show them. [1]
Use as few categories as possible. The primary category should describe what your business is – for example a plumber or an HVAC contractor – not list everything it does. Add secondary categories only for work you regularly do. [1]
Step 3: Service area or address
Most HVAC and plumbing companies are service-area businesses. If you don't serve customers at your business address, Google says to remove the address from your profile. You can list up to 20 service areas by city, ZIP code or other area type – not as a radius – and the overall area shouldn't extend beyond about two hours' driving time from your base. [2]
If you have a showroom or counter that is staffed during your hours and has permanent signage, you are a hybrid business and can show the address and a service area together. [2] Virtual offices and P.O. boxes are not eligible addresses. [1]
Step 4: Verify
Verification is what lets you manage the profile and interact with customers, for example by replying to reviews. Google determines the available methods automatically; you can't choose them. Options include phone or text, email, video recording, a live video call and, for some businesses, a mailed postcard. Codes sent by phone can't be received by an automated phone menu, and sometimes Google asks for more than one method. [3]
Step 5: Complete the profile
- Hours: your normal hours, plus special hours for holidays. Only list times when someone actually picks up.
- Emergency service: Google has no separate field rule for it. Our recommendation: don't set “open 24 hours” unless someone really answers at night. Explain your emergency service in the description instead.
- Services: name them the way customers search – “water heater replacement”, “AC repair”, “drain cleaning”.
- Description: what you do, for whom and where. No links, and no focus on promotions or prices. [1]
- Photos: JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB, 720 × 720 px recommended, sharp, well lit and without heavy filters. [4] Real jobs, your trucks and your team say more than stock photos. Only publish photos from customers' homes with their permission, and with no names or addresses visible.
Step 6: Ask for reviews the right way
Google lets you ask customers for reviews and offers a review link and QR code. [7] Its policy prohibits incentives, selectively asking only happy customers, pressuring people, requesting specific content, staff review quotas, and reviews from employees or family. [6] In the US, the FTC's rule on consumer reviews (in effect since October 21, 2024) also targets fake reviews, insider reviews without disclosure and review suppression. [8] A fair routine: send every customer the same short request with the link after the job, with no conditions and no gift.
The 10-point check
| # | Check | Pass if |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verified | The profile is verified in a business-owned account. |
| 2 | Name | Matches signage and invoices, no added keywords. |
| 3 | Primary category | Describes your core business; few extras. |
| 4 | Services | Listed in customer language. |
| 5 | Address | Hidden if customers don't visit. |
| 6 | Service area | Up to 20 real cities or ZIP codes, within about 2 hours' drive. |
| 7 | Hours | Realistic, holiday hours set. |
| 8 | Phone | Local number you control, no premium-rate number. |
| 9 | Photos | Your own, current, with customer permission. |
| 10 | Reviews | Same neutral request to every customer, no incentives. |
Keep it current
- Update hours before holidays and vacations.
- Reply to reviews factually, without revealing customer details – see How to respond to Google reviews.
- Add photos of finished jobs.
- Once a month, look at your profile performance: calls and website clicks from the profile.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Google Business Profile cost anything?
No. Google offers it for free. Costs only arise if you pay someone to help set it up or maintain it.
Do I have to show my home address?
No. If you don't serve customers at your business address, Google says to remove it and show only your service area.
Can I create a separate profile for every city I serve?
No. Google allows one profile per business location. Add the cities you serve as service areas instead.
Can I put “24/7 Emergency” in my business name?
Not unless it is genuinely part of your real-world business name. Google doesn't allow service or hours details in the name field.
Your next step
See where your profile stands with the free Google Profile Check – nine questions, a traffic-light score and your three most important next steps. If you'd rather hand it off, Profile Setup writes your description, services and photo list from your details and enters them with your manager access. For a do-it-yourself plan, Google Profile in 30 Days gives you 30 short daily tasks.
General information, not legal advice. Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Perplexity change their products and help pages; the linked sources in their current version take precedence.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help, “Guidelines for representing your business on Google.” https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en — Accessed November 3, 2026.
- Google Business Profile Help, “Manage your service area for service-area and hybrid businesses.” https://support.google.com/business/answer/9157481?hl=en — Accessed November 3, 2026.
- Google Business Profile Help, “Verify your business on Google.” https://support.google.com/business/answer/7107242?hl=en — Accessed November 3, 2026.
- Google Business Profile Help, “Manage photos and videos on your Business Profile.” https://support.google.com/business/answer/6103862?hl=en — Accessed November 3, 2026.
- Google Business Profile Help, “Tips to improve your local ranking on Google.” https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en — Accessed November 3, 2026.
- Google Maps User Contributed Content Policy, “Prohibited & restricted content.” https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114?hl=en — Accessed November 3, 2026.
- Google Business Profile Help, “Tips to get more reviews.” https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122?hl=en — Accessed November 3, 2026.
- Federal Trade Commission, “Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials,” 16 CFR Part 465, Federal Register Vol. 89, No. 163 (August 22, 2024), effective October 21, 2024. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-08-22/html/2024-18519.htm — Accessed November 3, 2026.