When a homeowner needs a tradesperson, the first thing most of them do is open Google and type something like “plumber near me” or “electrician in Bristol.” What they see first — before any websites, before any ads — is a map with three businesses pinned on it. Those three businesses get the majority of calls. Everyone else might as well not exist.
That map section is called the local pack, and it is powered by Google Maps. Getting your business into it is one of the most valuable things you can do as a tradesperson. This guide explains exactly how it works, what determines who appears there, and what you can do about it — all in plain English.
What is the Google Maps local pack?
When you search for a local service on Google, the results page is split into sections. At the very top you might see paid ads. Below that, you see the local pack: a map showing your area with coloured pins marking businesses, and three business listings below it showing their name, rating, phone number, and basic details.
Those three listings are pulled from Google Maps data. They are not regular website results. They come from something called Google Business Profile — a free listing that any business can create. The businesses that appear in the local pack are the ones whose Google Business Profile is strongest and most relevant to what the person searched for.
For tradespeople, the local pack is where the money is. A homeowner with a leaking pipe is not scrolling through ten pages of results. They are calling one of the three businesses Google shows them on the map. If you are not in that top three, you are missing out on the highest-intent leads in your area.
Step 1: Claim or create your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is the foundation of everything. Without it, you simply cannot appear in Google Maps results.
Go to business.google.com and sign in with a Google account. Search for your business name — Google may have already created a basic listing for you if customers have searched for you before or if your details appear in directories. If it exists, click “Claim this business” and follow the verification steps. If not, create a new listing from scratch.
Google will verify that you are the real owner, usually by sending a postcard with a PIN code to your trading address. This takes five to seven working days in the UK. Do not change your business name or address while waiting for the postcard — it can reset the process.
Once verified, you have control of your listing. This is where the real work starts.
Our complete Google Business Profile setup guide goes through every field and setting in detail. What follows here is a focused summary of the steps that matter most for appearing in the local pack.
Step 2: Choose the right categories
Your primary category is one of the biggest factors in which searches you appear for. Google uses it to match your business with what people are searching for.
Choose the most specific category available. If you are a plumber, select “Plumber” — not “Home Improvement” or “Contractor.” If you are an electrician, pick “Electrician.” If you are a roofer, pick “Roofing Contractor.”
You can also add secondary categories for other services you offer. A plumber might add “Drainage Service” and “Water Heater Installation” as secondary categories. An electrician might add “Lighting Contractor” and “Electrical Inspector.” These secondary categories help you appear in more specific searches without diluting your primary listing.
Do not add categories for services you do not actually offer. Google will eventually catch on, and it can hurt your ranking.
Step 3: Fill in every field
Google rewards complete profiles. Every empty field is a missed opportunity to tell Google what you do and where you do it.
Business name: Your actual trading name. Do not add keywords to it — “Smith Plumbing — Emergency Plumber Guildford 24/7” will get your profile suspended. Just use your real business name.
Address or service area: If you work from a home address and travel to customers, set your profile as a service-area business and list the towns or counties you cover. You do not need to display your home address.
Phone number: Use a local or mobile number that you actually answer. A missed call from a Google Maps lead is a missed job.
Website: Link to your website. If you do not have one yet, our article on whether tradespeople need a website explains what kind of site actually helps.
Opening hours: Set realistic hours. If you do emergency work, consider setting extended hours. Google shows “Open” or “Closed” next to your listing, and people are more likely to call a business that is currently open.
Business description: Write a clear, honest description of what you do and where. Include your main services and the areas you serve, but write it naturally — not as a string of keywords.
Step 4: Add real photos
Google profiles with photos get significantly more engagement than those without. And we are not talking about stock images from the internet. Google — and customers — can tell the difference.
Upload photos of your actual work. Completed bathroom refits, new boiler installations, repaired roofs, rewired consumer units. Before-and-after shots work especially well. Also add a photo of your van (people like to know what to look for), and a clear photo of yourself if you are comfortable with it.
Aim for at least ten to fifteen photos to start, and add a new one every time you complete a job you are proud of. Profiles that receive regular new photos signal to Google that the business is active, which is a ranking factor.
Step 5: Get reviews — and keep getting them
Reviews are one of the three most important ranking factors for the local pack. The more genuine reviews you have, and the higher your average rating, the more likely you are to appear in the top three.
But it is not just about the total number. Google also looks at how recently your reviews were posted. A steady flow of new reviews — one or two per week — tells Google your business is actively serving customers and earning their trust. A burst of twenty reviews followed by six months of silence looks less convincing.
The simplest way to get consistent reviews is to ask every satisfied customer at the end of the job. Hand them a card with a QR code that links directly to your Google review page, or send a text with the link right after you leave. Most happy customers will leave a review if you make it easy. Our guide on how to get more Google reviews covers the exact process and the messages that work.
Step 6: Post regularly
Google Business Profile has a built-in posting feature that most tradespeople do not use. You can publish short updates — similar to social media posts — that appear directly on your profile in search results.
A post can be a photo of a job you just completed with a short description: “Just finished a full bathroom refit in Sevenoaks — new thermostatic shower and wall-hung vanity. Get in touch if you are planning a project.” That post does three things: it shows Google your profile is active, it adds local keywords to your listing, and it gives potential customers visual proof of your work.
Posting once or twice a week is plenty. You do not need to write essays. A photo and two sentences is enough.
Step 7: Build citations to reinforce your listing
Citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on other websites — directories like Yell, Thomson Local, FreeIndex, and dozens of others. When Google sees your details listed consistently across multiple trusted websites, it gains confidence that your business is legitimate and established.
The word “consistently” is crucial. If your Google Business Profile says “J. Smith Plumbing Ltd” but your Yell listing says “J Smith Plumbing,” that mismatch creates doubt. Make sure your business name, address, and phone number are identical everywhere.
Building citations across forty or more directories takes time, but the cumulative effect on your Google Maps ranking is significant. It is one of those jobs that is tedious to do yourself but makes a measurable difference once it is done.
What determines your position in the local pack?
Google uses three main factors to decide which businesses appear in the local pack:
Relevance: How well your profile matches what the person searched for. If someone searches “emergency plumber” and your primary category is “Plumber” with mentions of emergency services in your description and posts, you are relevant.
Distance: How close your business (or service area) is to the person searching. You cannot change this one — a searcher in Canterbury will see Canterbury-area businesses. But having a broad service area and location-specific content on your website helps you appear for searches across a wider radius.
Prominence: How well-known and trusted your business is online. This is where reviews, citations, website quality, and overall online presence come in. A business with sixty reviews, forty directory listings, and a thirty-page website will outrank a business with four reviews and no website, even if they are the same distance from the searcher.
How to track where you actually rank
One important thing to understand about Google Maps rankings is that they vary by location. You might rank number one when someone searches from the centre of your town, but drop to number seven when someone searches from three miles away. Google personalises local results based on the searcher’s exact position.
This is why a tool called a GeoGrid is useful. It shows your ranking across a grid of points around your area — like a heat map of your visibility. Green squares where you rank in the top three, amber where you are close, red where you are not showing up. It gives you a realistic picture of your reach rather than a single position that only applies to one spot.
Tracking your rankings monthly helps you see what is working and where you need to improve. Without it, you are guessing.
Start showing up
Getting on Google Maps is not complicated, but it does require consistent effort. Claim your profile, fill in every field, add real photos, collect reviews steadily, post regularly, and build your citations. Each step reinforces the others, and over time your position strengthens.
If you want all of this handled for you — the Google Business Profile management, the directory listings, the review system, the GeoGrid rank tracking, and a proper website to support it all — Localengine does exactly that for three hundred pounds per month. One tradesperson per county, everything included. Check whether your area is available.