Four things:
- The most specific primary category.
- Every service you sell.
- Your products, with photos.
- A plain description of what you do and for whom.
Then keep adding photos of real work. Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local results (Google).
Ashland is adding people and businesses. Construction finished on an 80,000-square-foot Amazon distribution center at the industrial park. The Pump House District is going up a block from Main Street, with a new Hilton planned there (Ohio Magazine). People new to town don’t know who to call yet. They search.
Which category should I pick?
The most specific one that fits your core business. Google’s guidelines ask for “the fewest number of categories it takes to describe your overall core business.”
A bakery picks “Bakery,” not “Store.” A family law office picks “Family law attorney,” not “Lawyer.” Add a second category only for a line of work you really sell. A long list of loose fits blurs what you are.
What services should I list?
All of them, one by one. A customer may search for the job, not the type of business. A sign shop might list wall signs, window graphics and vehicle wraps. A cleaning company might list move-out cleans, carpet cleaning and office cleaning.
Use the words your customers use. Add a sentence to each: what it is, and who it’s for. Only list what you actually sell.
If you travel to customers, say how far you’ll go. People want to know whether you’ll come to them.
Why do products matter if I don’t sell online?
Products show a buyer what you offer before they call. Add your common jobs or packages as products: a photo, a name and a short description. A photo of finished work answers “can they do this?” faster than a paragraph.
What should the description and photos say?
The description says what you do, who for and where. Plain words. No keyword lists.
Photos show what a sentence can’t. Google asks that they be in focus and well lit, without heavy filters. It says the image “should represent reality.”
Shoot finished work in good light. Show the before and the after.
What does a tended profile do?
Yoder Graphics, a wrap and print shop in Northeast Ohio, is where we run our system on our own business. Over 18 months, its Google profile activity went from 96 to 900+ every 30 days. The shop now shows up for “vehicle wraps near me.”
We do this setup on every profile before we manage one: categories, services, products, description and photos. Monthly posts on a profile with the wrong categories and no products are motion without result.
How do I keep it current?
- Add photos of new work as you finish it.
- Post a finished job as an update, with the town and, if the customer agrees, their name.
- Answer every review, good and bad.
- Check your hours and phone number twice a year, and after any change.
A profile that hasn’t changed since the day it was made looks like a business that closed.
If your profile doesn’t appear at all, start with this Google Maps checklist.
Want R7 to keep it current for you? Talk to us or watch the 5-minute demo.
FAQ
What primary category should I use on Google?
The most specific one that describes your core business. Add secondary categories only for work you actually sell.
How many categories should I add?
As few as it takes. Google asks for the fewest categories that describe your core business, so add one only for real work.
Do photos on a Google profile need to be professional?
No. They need to be real, in focus and well lit. Google says the image should represent reality, so skip heavy filters and edits.