When someone’s boiler dies at 7am, they do not browse — they tap the first result in the map pack. Here is the exact setup that gets you there. Twenty minutes, in order.
Minutes 0–3: categories, plural
Primary category: Plumber. Not “Contractor”, not “Home services”. Then add secondary categories: Gas engineer, Heating contractor, Drainage service — each one you genuinely do. Categories are the single biggest ranking lever you control.
Minutes 3–8: services, written like searches
Add every service with its own line, phrased the way panicked people type:
- Emergency boiler repair
- Burst pipe repair
- Blocked drain clearance
- Boiler servicing
- Landlord gas safety certificate
Not “Plumbing solutions”. Google matches words; write the words they search.
Minutes 8–13: photos that prove you exist
Upload ten: your van (signage visible), you on a job, before/after shots, your tools, your face. Profiles with real photos get measurably more calls. Stock photos of wrenches do the opposite.
Minutes 13–16: opening hours + emergency line
Set standard hours, then use the description’s first line for the emergency offer: “24/7 emergency call-out across Camden, Kentish Town and Primrose Hill — fixed call-out fee, answered by a plumber.” Specifics again.
Minutes 16–20: seed your Q&A
Yes, you can ask and answer your own questions. Add three:
- “Do you charge a call-out fee?” → your honest answer with the number.
- “How fast can you get to [area]?” → your honest answer with the time.
- “Are you Gas Safe registered?” → yes + registration number.
This pre-answers the three questions every emergency caller has.
The part that is not 20 minutes: reviews
One review a week beats fifty in a month. After every job, same text: “Glad we got it sorted — a Google review genuinely helps us: [link].” The link from your GBP dashboard, saved in your phone.
Or we do it for you
GBP optimisation is £149 alongside any Starter build: categories, services, photos, Q&A and the review flow, done for you via manager access. Verification timing is Google’s — usually days, occasionally weeks — and we say that up front.