The 2026 Google Business Profile Checklist for UK Tradespeople

Why Your GBP Decides Whether You Eat or Starve

For most UK tradespeople, the Google Business Profile generates more enquiries than the website, social media, and directories combined. Roughly two out of three trade enquiries on Google now come through the Local Pack, not the blue link results below it. If your profile is half-finished, you are invisible to the majority of paying customers.

This checklist walks through every element that affects ranking and conversion. Work through it once properly, then revisit quarterly to keep it fresh. Most profiles can be transformed in three to four hours of focused work.

Business Information Essentials

1. Business name must match what is on your van, invoices, and Companies House registration. Adding keywords like 'Cheap Plumber Leeds' to your name violates Google guidelines and triggers suspensions.

2. Primary category must reflect your main trade exactly. 'Plumber', not 'Plumbing service'. 'Electrician', not 'Electrical contractor'. The wrong primary category is the single most common ranking killer.

3. Add every relevant secondary category. Plumbers should add Boiler supplier, Drainage service, Bathroom remodeler. Electricians should add Electrical installation service, EV charging station, Solar energy contractor. Each secondary category opens new ranking opportunities.

4. Address: use your real registered address. Service-area businesses (most trades) can hide the address but must still verify it.

5. Service area: list every postcode area or town you cover, up to 20. Be specific. 'Greater Manchester' is weaker than 'Salford, Eccles, Worsley, Swinton, Walkden'.

6. Phone number: use a local landline if possible. Mobile numbers convert fine but local landlines build extra trust.

7. Website URL: link to your homepage, not a tracking URL. Use UTM parameters separately in Search Console.

8. Opening hours: be honest. If you offer 24-hour emergency callout, set 'Open 24 hours'. If you do not, do not lie, Google penalises businesses with mismatched hours.

Services Section (Most Tradespeople Skip This)

9. List every individual service as its own line item. Not just 'Plumbing' but 'Boiler installation', 'Boiler repair', 'Power flush', 'Tap replacement', 'Toilet repair', 'Bathroom installation', 'Emergency callout', 'Leak detection'.

10. Each service needs a 250 to 750 character description. Mention the service and your main town naturally. These descriptions are indexed and used for ranking.

11. Add realistic prices or price ranges where you can. Profiles with prices visible get markedly higher engagement.

12. Repeat the exercise for the Products section if Google offers it for your category.

Photos and Videos

13. Upload a minimum of 30 high quality photos in your first push. Vans, team, completed work, before-and-afters, tools, premises if you have them.

14. Add five new photos per week, every week. Recency is a ranking signal.

15. Geotag photos using a free tool like Geotag Photos Online before upload. Photos with location data give Google additional relevance signals.

16. Add at least three short videos: a 30-second site walkaround, a quick 'meet the team' clip, and a finished job showcase. Video uploads are heavily underused by competitors.

Reviews and Q&A

17. Reply to every review within 24 hours, positive or negative. Use the customer's first name where possible and mention the service and area in your reply.

18. Aim for at least 5 fresh Google reviews per month, sustained. Burst reviews look unnatural and can trigger filtering.

19. Seed the Q&A section with 8 to 12 of your own most-asked questions. Ask a friend or family member to post them, then answer them yourself as the business. Common ones: 'Do you cover [neighbouring town]?', 'Are you Gas Safe registered?', 'Do you offer free quotes?'.

20. Monitor incoming Q&A daily. Customers will ask questions, and Google ranks profiles with active Q&A higher.

Posts and Updates

21. Post a 'Latest Update' at least once per week. Completed jobs, seasonal tips, special offers, or new services.

22. Use posts to promote time-sensitive content: 'Boiler service offers for September', 'EV charger grant ending soon'.

23. Add a clear call to action button (Call, Book, Learn More) on every post.

Messaging and Booking

24. Turn on messaging if you can reliably reply within an hour during working hours. Google deprioritises profiles that ignore messages, so do not enable it if you cannot keep up.

25. If you use a booking tool (Calendly, Servicem8, simPRO), link it via the Booking button. Direct booking converts at 3 to 5x the rate of a phone call form.

Reviewing Your Insights

Check the Performance dashboard weekly. The two numbers that matter most: 'Calls' and 'Website clicks'. A healthy trade profile shows month-on-month growth in both within 90 days of optimisation.

If calls plateau for two months in a row, audit categories, services, and review velocity. If website clicks plateau, audit the photos and posts (these are the elements that drive curiosity-clicks).