Did you know the importance of having an effective online presence, especially when you are running a home service business? For sure, you may be offering the best painting, plumbing, HVAC, or any home service in your locality, but it doesn’t make a big impact unless you have an effective online optimization, your client will be limited.

We are living in a generation of the digital world, so more and more people rely on online search engines to discover not just information but products and services.

Using the power of Google and being the leading search engine, it’s very important and necessary that your home service business is listed for more visibility. Setting up a Google My Business (GMB) profile for your business has become as essential as setting up a business website.

SocialMediaToday’s study says, 46% of all searches on Google are seeking local information. Whereas 97% of search engine users searched online to find a local business. The effect of ranking high whenever your service is searched in Google and Google Maps will make an immense difference on your business. And with the use of Google My Business (GMB), you are in control of the information users see.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to set up Google My Business for your Home Service Business.

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Step number 1: Sign-in/Create a Google Account

You need to sign in to your Google account and make sure it is the Google account you want to be associated with your business. If you don’t have one, you will need to create one specifically for that purpose.

After creating your Google account and logging in, you are automatically logged into Google My Business Profile Manager. To access this page, simply type “Google My Business” into the search box. It should be the first result you see. Once you are on the page. Click “Manage Now.”

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Step Number 2: Add Your Business Name

To add your business name, there are two ways to do that. First, input your business name in the dialog box where it says so to know whether someone has already listed you on Google. This is quite common, especially if your business has a physical office space.

Now, if your business name does not pop up, you can create a listing by clicking the prompt. “Create a business with this name” or “Add your business to Google”  at the bottom.

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Step Number 3: Categorize Your Business

After adding your business name, make sure that you categorized your business, why? Because it determines whether your business shows up whenever a user searches for the services you offer on Google and Google Maps. You must get this step right so that your business shows up whenever home services are searched.

Please Note: Choose the primary category that best suits your home service business. What if you are unsure which business category to choose? Oh, don’t be sad! There’s an easy way to find out which business category your home service falls under. You need to search for “HVAC services near me” on Google and you will see the categories your competition chooses.

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Step Number 4: Add Business Address

On the page Add Business Address, you need to fill in your address which is your country, state, city, ZIP code, and street address. Yeah! You’re an owner of a home service business and your business is a Service Area Business (SAB). Yeah, it is! Because you deliver services to your clients in their homes or offices, contrary to having customers visiting your store or office for your services. All you need to do is to “Click No” and proceed to the next page.

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Step Number 5: Setting Your Service Area

Setting Your Service Area would help your visitors understand the extent you can go in delivering your service. You need to choose specific areas by entering the cities or zip codes you provide services. Be sure to enter the zones one at a time, or the whole county if your service is capable to cover it.

Please Note: Setting your service area does not help your listing rank in those areas. It merely assists Google in showing your area coverage on your listing – so do not add areas unnecessarily.

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Step Number 6: Set Contact Information

It doesn’t mean it’s optional you disregard this step. It is highly recommended that you input contact details. Your contact details are displayed on your business listing panel for visitors, so they can get in touch with you.

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Step Number 7: Finish and Verify Your Business

When you reach this step, your basic GMB listing is almost completed; simply click on the “Finish” button. This will take you to the verification process, which is the final step before you can manage your listing. To verify your GMB listing, you would need to enter your physical mailing address, as Google will send you a postcard that includes a code to verify your listing. Once completed, click on “Next”. The next page will give you options for verifying your business listing.

The options available are:

• Verify by mail (postcard)
• Verify by phone
• Verify by email
• Bulk verification
• Instant verification

Congratulations! You have successfully created your Google My Business (GMB) listing for your home service business.

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Managing Google My Business for Home Services Business

The initial setup process provides you with a basic listing. However, it is not enough to optimize your Google My Business (GMB) listing. You still need to maximize your listing by giving your visitors as much information as possible about your business. If you want your listing to be in a higher ranking. You should optimize and manage your home service business and attract more clients.

Here are the tips on how to optimize and manage your home service business

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Manage Your Info

On your GMB dashboard at the left-hand navigation section, you will see the “info” label, then click on it. In this “info” section you can manage all the info you provided initially and more like the following:

• Business Hours of Operation
• Business Description
• Business Category
• Appointment URL (if applicable)
• Services you offer
• Website Address
• Business Address
• Phone number
• Photos

To edit info, click the “Pencil” icon next to each section. It is strongly recommended that you supply the information where applicable.

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Add Secondary Business Category

Also, you can add a secondary category to the primary one selected during your initial setup. It is highly recommended to add secondary categories, as it will boost the visibility of your business. How you can do that? Simply click on your primary category, and options for related secondary categories will be available.

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Add a Business Description

Towards the end info section, you will find the business description box. It is just like an “About us” on a website page. Keep it simple, direct, and targeted. Keyword stuffing is not necessary as it does not affect the ranking of your listing

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Manage Your Services

How can you optimize your services? Simply click on “Services” in the left-hand navigation section on your GMB dashboard. After you are redirected to the “Add your services” page. You would be selecting some of the services you offer depending on the primary category you chose during the setup process.

Google uniquely adds some relevant services automatically. But you can remove and add more services of your choice by clicking “Add Custom Service.”

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Add Business Attributes

In this section, you will know the importance of adding business attributes. This is a great way to let your potential clients know additional features about the service you offer. It is great for your GMB listing, as it enables your business to be ranked higher in searches requesting those attributes. For instance, your acceptable payment options, a list of services and pricing, health and medical requirements, etc.

Add Photos

Adding photos is very simple, to add photos, simply click on the “Photos” label on the navigation section of your GMB dashboard. What photos you can add? Business logo, Cover, photos, and even videos of the services you can provide, and photos of works done for previous clients.

Please take note: Use genuine photos of your services instead of stock photos, as potential clients are more likely to trust them than stock images.

Here’s the ideal size for your photos:

• Logo: 1:1 aspect ratio or 720px by 720px
• Cover photo: 16:9 aspect ratio or 1024px by 576px
• Format: JPG or PNG
• High-quality images and simple look images are perfect

Don’t forget to rename your photo filename to fit the image description. Do not upload photos with generic file names. It will improve your ranking.

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Welcome Reviews

Reviews have a big role in your GMB listing. It affects the lead conversion rate to your business. So don’t ever think “Oh, it’s okay that my clients have no reviews as long I provided them high-quality services” Nope! Don’t ever do that! Instead, encourage your clients to leave a review on your GMB listing whether it’s good or bad reviews. You will benefit from both of these Good or Bad reviews.

Good reviews make your listing shine and shimmer and it will help your listing rank high. Bad reviews are bad for your listing but it will help you know that you need to improve some of your services and also try to remedy things where possible on the negative ones.

Please take note: Do not argue with someone leaving a bad review

It’s a bad thing that you can’t remove bad reviews on Google but you can dispute fake reviews. How to dispute fake reviews? Simply click on the three dots on the top right corner of the review and “Click flag as inappropriate” and follow the processes.

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Finally

Always make sure your business information is updated whenever changes occur, like a change in your potential operational hour or area of service, etc. It is very important that your GMB listing reflects an up-to-date representation of your home service business.