How tradespeople get found on Google in their local area

What Google looks for in local searches

Google itself names three main factors for local results: relevance, meaning whether the business matches what is being searched for; distance to the searcher or the place in the search; and how well known and widely mentioned the business is.

You can't move the workshop closer to the customer. But you can influence the other two. Local visibility is therefore less about technical tricks and more about giving clear, consistent signals about what you do and where you do it.

1. Your Google Business Profile comes first

The Business Profile is what appears on the map and in the info box in search results. For many tradespeople, this is where the customer meets you first, before they even open the website.

Claim the profile

Search for your business in Google Business Profile. There may already be a profile that was created automatically. Claim it and complete the verification. A profile you haven't verified is one you don't control.

Fill in what matters

• Primary category: Choose the one that describes your trade most precisely, such as "Plumber" rather than a broad category. Only add more categories if they genuinely apply.
• Service area: If you work at the customer's premises, you can hide your address and instead list the municipalities and places you cover.
• Services: List the specific jobs you do, in everyday words.
• Contact details and opening hours: Phone, website and opening hours must be correct and match the website.
• Description: Say briefly what you do, where, and what sets you apart. Don't stuff it with keywords.

Keep it alive

Upload your own photos of finished jobs regularly. Answer questions asked on the profile. Update opening hours for holidays. A profile that is in use looks more active to both customers and Google.

Don't put place names or keywords into the business name itself unless that is what the business is actually called. It breaks Google's guidelines and can get the profile suspended.

2. Reviews: ask for them, and reply to them

Reviews affect both whether you are shown and whether people choose you. Many happy customers don't think of writing a review until they are asked.

Ask at the right moment

The best time is when the job is done and the customer is pleased. Ask in person, and send a direct link by text message or email the same day. You'll find the link in your Business Profile. The fewer taps the customer has to make, the more likely it gets done.

Reply to all of them

Thank people briefly and personally for positive reviews, ideally with a reference to the job. Reply calmly and factually to negative ones. Readers pay as much attention to how you handle criticism as to the criticism itself.

Avoid the shortcuts

• Don't buy reviews, and don't ask friends to write about jobs they haven't had done.
• Don't offer discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews.
• Don't ask only the customers you know are happiest.
• Don't write negative reviews of competitors.

All of this breaks Google's guidelines, and fake reviews may also be in breach of marketing law.

3. Use place names where they belong naturally

Google has to be able to read on your website where you work. If it only says "We take jobs across the region", there is little to go on, for Google and for the customer.

• Name your main area in the heading or intro on the front page, for example "Carpenter in Kristiansand and surrounding areas".
• State which municipalities and districts you cover, in a normal sentence or a short list.
• Describe specific jobs with their location, such as "new bathroom in a detached house in Hånes". Ask the customer first.
• Put your address or service area and phone number in the footer, written the same way as in your Business Profile.

Don't overdo it

A long string of place names at the bottom of the page doesn't help. It looks cluttered and can be read as spam. Mention places where it is natural, and only the ones you actually cover.

Don't create lots of near-identical pages with only the place name swapped out, either. If you have plenty to show from one area, with its own projects and photos, a dedicated page can make sense. Otherwise a clear front page is more than enough.

4. External listings must match

Google compares the details about your business across the web. If name, address and phone number are the same everywhere, it is clear that it is the same business. If they differ, it creates doubt for both Google and customers.

Go through these

• The Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities at the Brønnøysund Register Centre, which many other services pull data from.
• Directory services such as Gule Sider, 1881 and Proff.
• Your Facebook page and any other social media.
• Apple Business Connect and Bing Places, which control what appears in other map apps.
• Trade associations, the master craftsman register and any job portals you are part of.

Write name, address and phone number in exactly the same way everywhere. If you have changed number or moved, this is often where old details linger.

Local links

Mentions and links from local websites are also useful: the local paper, the sports club you sponsor, the supplier who showcases projects, or partners in the area. Links like these tend to come naturally when you are active locally. Ask for them when it fits.

A simple plan for the next few weeks

You don't need to do everything in one day. Take it in this order:

1. Claim and fill in your Google Business Profile.
2. Check that name, address and phone are identical on the website, in the profile and in the business register.
3. Ask your most recent happy customers for a review.
4. Write your main area and the municipalities you cover into the front page.
5. Go through the directory services and correct whatever is wrong.
6. Upload new photos after every finished job.

Remember that visibility is only half the job. Once the customer lands on the page, it has to make it easy to get in touch. Read more in Why isn't your website getting enquiries? and Photos that build trust, or review your own page with the front page check.

If you need a front page that says clearly what you do and where, have a look at the industry examples and what we offer, or request a free preview.

Webbit builds ready-made front pages at a fixed price. See prices and terms.