If someone searches "plumber near me," "hair salon in [your area]," or "home renovations [your town]" right now — does your business show up? For a lot of tradespeople, home-service businesses, and hair & beauty pros, the honest answer is no. Here's exactly how to fix that, in plain English, for free.
Start the guide ↓You're busy doing the job, not sitting behind a marketing desk. This is written for the people who are usually too slammed to figure this stuff out — not for marketers.
Plumbers, electricians, handymen, builders, painters, landscapers — anyone who drives to the customer rather than the other way around.
Cleaning services, appliance repair, pest control, movers, pool maintenance — the businesses people search for the moment something breaks.
Salons, barbers, nail techs, mobile beauticians — where "who's nearby, open, and good?" decides where the booking goes.
This is the free listing that shows your business on Google Maps and in local search results — separate from having a website. Work through these in order.
Go to google.com/business and sign in with a Google account made for the business — not your personal Gmail. This matters if you ever need to hand the listing to a partner, employee, or an agency later.
Enter the name exactly as it appears on your signage, van, or invoices. Don't stuff in keywords like "Dave's Plumbing Randburg 24/7 Emergency" — Google can suspend listings for this, and it looks unprofessional anyway.
"Hair salon" beats "Beauty salon" if that's your main service. "Electrician" beats "Contractor." Google uses this to decide which searches you show up for, so vague categories mean fewer of the right customers finding you.
You can add extra categories later — start with the one that's most true.This trips a lot of people up. If customers come to you (a salon, a showroom), show your address. If you go to customers (plumber, electrician, mobile groomer), mark yourself as a service-area business and hide your address — you'll set the suburbs or towns you cover instead.
Google will offer you a way to verify — usually postcard, phone call, email, or video, depending on your business type. Don't skip this step; unverified listings won't show properly in search or Maps.
Hours (including public holidays), phone number, website, the services or products you offer, and a short description written in your own words — not copied from your Facebook page. An incomplete profile reads as an inactive business.
Finished jobs, your premises, your van, your team, before-and-afters. Skip stock photos; people can tell. Add a few new ones every couple of months so the listing looks active.
Ask happy customers directly: "Would you mind leaving us a quick Google review?" is enough. Then reply to every review you get, good or bad, in a calm and professional tone. Replies show up publicly and matter as much as the review itself.
A great profile sends people somewhere next — and for a lot of tradespeople and salons, that "somewhere" is an outdated Facebook page or nothing at all. If you don't have a proper website yet, that's the other half of getting found — and it's what we build.
