7 GBP Mistakes Contractors Make in 2026

Google Business Profile can be one of a contractor's best sources of calls, and it costs nothing per lead. These are the seven mistakes that most often hold a profile back, in rough order of impact, plus the fixes. Where advice is a Google statement we say so; where it's practitioner experience, we say that too.

Primary category determines which Google searches you're eligible for at all. A plumber whose primary category is 'Contractor' won't show up for 'plumber near me', however good the rest of the profile is.

The fix

Pick the most specific category that describes your main business, and add secondary categories (up to 9) only for services you actually offer. Use Google's category picker to see the options. Rankings can wobble for a while after a category change before they settle.

The Services section is widely underused. Listing each service you offer tells Google and customers exactly what you do, and it's quick to fill in. A roofer who lists repair, replacement, inspection, gutters, ventilation, skylights and storm damage gives both a much clearer picture than one generic 'roofing' entry.

The fix

• List every service you actually offer, using the plain words customers use ('emergency leak repair', 'metal roof installation')
• Add a short description to each, and a price range if you're comfortable publishing one
• Update it when you add or drop a service

Reviews are the prominence lever you control most directly: Google says review count and review score factor into local ranking, and that more reviews and positive ratings can improve it. Most customers won't leave a review unless asked, so contractors who ask after every job build a lead that's hard to catch.

The fix

• Automate the ask with Podium, NiceJob, GoHighLevel or similar
• Text soon after the job while it's fresh: 'Hey [Name], thanks for letting [Company] handle your [job]. Would you mind leaving us a quick Google review? [link]'
• Personalise it with the customer's name and the job; personal asks get noticeably more responses than generic ones
• Ask every customer the same way. Don't offer rewards or ask only happy customers: Google prohibits incentivised reviews, and the FTC's 2024 rule bans buying reviews
• Reply to every review, good and bad, ideally within a couple of days; Google recommends it and prospects read the replies

Wrong hours, an old phone number, a service you stopped offering or a holiday closure you never entered all cost calls, and Google's own ranking advice starts with complete, accurate information. Posts are a nice extra for showing recent work, but Google hasn't said posting affects ranking, and there's no evidence of an 'inactive listing' penalty.

The fix

• Check hours, phone, website link and services every month, and set special hours for holidays
• Post recent jobs if you like (a photo and a button such as Call or Book); treat it as a customer-facing extra, not a ranking tactic

Photos are often the first thing a homeowner looks at. Google's guidelines say photos should represent your business, and stock images can be removed. The popular advice to geotag photos doesn't hold up: there's no good evidence photo location data affects ranking, and Google doesn't document any use of it.

The fix

• Upload a solid batch of real photos: finished jobs, before/afters, trucks, team, office
• Add a few new ones each month so the profile looks current to the people browsing it
• Skip the geotagging tools; spend the time on better photos

Google has been phasing out the public Questions & Answers feature on Business Profiles (its API was retired in November 2025), so seeding Q&A is no longer a plan. The questions still need answers where customers, Google and AI assistants can find them.

The fix

• Answer the common questions in your business description, services and a FAQ on your website: 'What areas do you serve?', 'Are you licensed and insured?', 'Do you offer financing?', 'How fast can you come out?', 'Do you charge for estimates?'
• Turn on Business Profile messaging only if someone will reply quickly
• If your profile still shows Q&A, answer anything open

If you don't serve customers at your address, Google's guidelines say to remove it from the public profile and list the areas you serve instead (up to 20). The common belief that the 'centre' of your service areas becomes your ranking location is wrong: local SEO practitioners who have tested this report that service areas don't change where you rank; your verified address still anchors distance.

The fix

• List the cities you actually serve, so customers know you cover them
• Don't use a virtual office or fake address to get closer to a market; it breaks Google's guidelines and gets profiles suspended
• Reach further-away towns with city pages on your website and with ads