How to Get More Calls From Google Maps

First, how Google picks who shows up

When somebody types "electrician near me" or "AC repair" into their phone, Google shows a short list of businesses on a map. Google says local results are "mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity," and it explains three factors (Google Business Profile Help):

• Relevance: how well your profile matches what the person searched for.
• Distance: how far your business is from the person searching. If they don't share their location, Google uses what it knows about where they are.
• Prominence: how well-known your business is. Google says this is based partly on how many reviews you have and how many websites link to you.

Two things to keep in mind. First, Google says flat out: "There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google" (source). Second, you can't move your shop closer to every customer. Your effort goes into relevance and prominence, and into making your listing the one people pick. Nobody can promise the phone will ring, but the steps below fix common reasons a customer scrolls past you.

Step 1: Claim and verify your profile

If you never claimed your listing, or someone else set it up, start here. Google says verifying "tells Google that you're authorized to represent the business, so it's more likely to show up in search results" (source). You also need a verified profile to edit your info, reply to reviews and see your numbers (verification help, reviews help).

Google decides which verification options you get (phone, text, email, video or mail), and its review can take up to 5 business days (source).

Step 2: Pick the right primary category

Your category is the biggest piece of relevance you control. Google says "The categories you select affect your local ranking on Google," and tells you to pick the most specific category that fits your main business (source). If you're a plumber, use the plumber category, not a general contractor one.

Add extra categories only for real parts of your business. Google's guidelines say to choose "the fewest number of categories it takes to describe your overall core business" (source). One heads-up: changing categories can make Google ask you to verify again (source).

Step 3: List every service you actually do

Service businesses can add a list of services to their profile. Google says when local customers search for something you offer, "that service may be highlighted on your profile." The editor suggests job types for your trade. Google's own example for a plumbing business is "Install faucet" or "Repair toilet," and you can add custom services too (source).

Go through it like you're writing up an estimate: panel upgrades, EV charger installs, water heater replacement, AC tune-ups, roof leak repair, fleet maintenance. Don't put prices or phone numbers in custom service names; Google says those get rejected (source).

Step 4: Set your service area the honest way

Most trades are what Google calls a service-area business: you go to the customer. Google's rules (guidelines, service area help):

• If customers don't come to your address, hide it. Google's own example is a plumber who runs the business from home: clear the address from the profile.
• You can list up to 20 service areas by city or ZIP code.
• Your whole area shouldn't be more than about 2 hours of driving from where you're based.

So a business based in Seguin might list Seguin, New Braunfels, Schertz, Cibolo and the parts of San Antonio it really works in. If you have a real shop with signage where customers come in, like most auto and diesel shops, you're a "hybrid" business and can show your address and a service area (source).

Step 5: Make it easy to call you

• Phone number: put a number on the profile that somebody actually answers. Google lets you add up to 2 extra numbers (source).
• Hours: set accurate hours, plus special hours for holidays. Google says businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local results, and hours are on its list (source).
• Business name: use your real name, the way it's on your truck, sign and invoices. Stuffing extra words into it ("[Your Name] Electric Best Electrician Seguin") isn't allowed and can get your profile suspended (source).

Step 6: Add real photos of real work

Google recommends adding photos and videos to show customers what you offer (source). Use your own: your trucks with the logo, your crew, a finished panel, a clean condenser install, before-and-after roof shots. Google wants photos in focus, well lit and without heavy filters. They only show after your profile is verified and can take 24 to 48 hours to appear (source). Skip stock photos.

Step 7: Keep reviews coming, and answer them

Google says prominence is partly based on how many reviews you have, and that "More reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking." It also says replying to reviews "shows that you value their feedback" (source). The trick is asking every customer, the right way, with no discounts or freebies in exchange. Google prohibits those (source). We wrote a full walkthrough: how to get more Google reviews as a contractor.

Step 8: Link a website that backs up your listing

A profile can work without a website, but a site gives people a place to check you out before they call. Google also says it builds business info partly from "crawled web content (e.g., information from a business' official website)" (source). If you link one, Google says to enter the full URL and make sure Googlebot isn't blocked on your site (source). More on that here: do contractors need a website if they have a Google Business Profile?

Step 9: Check your numbers once a month

In your profile's Performance section, Google shows how many people viewed your profile, the searches they used to find you, website clicks, direction requests and calls (source). A few things to know:

• The Calls number is "the number of times a customer clicked on the call button," not finished phone calls.
• The numbers include activity from Google Ads, if you run them.

Check the Searches list: if it's almost all your business name, there's room to show up for your trade too. Be patient after you make changes: Google says profile edits usually show in about 10 minutes but can take up to 30 days (source).

What to stay away from

• Keyword-stuffed names. They break Google's rules and can get you suspended (source).
• A second profile for the same business. Google says a profile it considers a duplicate "won't show on Google Search or Maps" (source).
• Buying reviews or trading discounts for them. Google calls that fake engagement and removes it (source).
• Anyone selling a guaranteed #1 spot. Google says you can't pay for better local ranking (source).

If your listing doesn't show up at all, that's a different problem. Start with why isn't my business showing on Google Maps. And if you want to see how this applies to your trade, we have pages for electricians, plumbers, HVAC and roofers, plus every trade and city we cover.