If you’ve read our Handyman Marketing Guide, you know that a handyman’s Google Business Page (officially called Google My Business, or GMB) is a critical component to being found online by potential customers.
When utilized correctly, it’s a powerful tool to grow your organic website traffic, reach more of your target audience, and ultimately grow your business.
Follow this guide and you’ll be able to do just. It will allow you to quickly assess and optimize your GMB so you can focus on what you do best – being a handyman.
2022 Handyman & Contractor Google Business Optimization Guide
Video walkthrough with the handyman journey
Video starts at 1:01 minute mark. We spend quite a bit of time talking about the benefits of the word “handyman” in your business name – I recommend tuning in to that part! We pick up with the other aspects at 9:25.
Step 1: Create And Verify Your GMB
Visit business.google.com and follow the instructions to create your GMB.
Note: There’s a possibility that your business already exists on Google (especially if you’ve been in business a while). If that’s the case, you’ll need to claim the GMB listing, rather than create it.
You’ll receive a postcard in the mail to verify you are the rightful owner of the business. Once you receive this postcard (within 5 days), follow the instructions to verify the business.
Step 2: Input Basic Information And Add Photos
Everything from here will be done within your Dashboard. When logged into your Google account, you can access your dashboard by going to business.google.com.
This step is pretty self explanatory, but, nevertheless, important. Be sure ALL your basic information is filled-in and correct (name, address, phone number, website, etc.). This is done in the Info section.
Also, an easy and often overlooked step is adding photos. I know this seems trivial, but there is a positive correlation between GMB performance and having a minimum of 5 photos. Be sure your Logo and Cover Photo are set, as they are most visible.
Step 3: Service Area
If you have an office where customers regularly visit (more common for remodelers with showrooms), then you should add an address. Most should add their service area.
Here’s where you add your service area(s) for your handyman business:
If you would accept work in a town/city, add it here. There is a limit to how many service areas you can add, so include your primary service areas within that limitation.
Step 4: Select Business Categories
This is one of the most important steps, because it is a key influencer in your business getting into the “Local Pack” when someone searches for your services.
Getting into the Local Pack automatically gets you on the first page of Google – and over 50% of click-throughs on searches with local intent go to the Local Pack.
Here is an image of the Local Pack results for my search query “handyman in longview tx”:
You can see where “Handyman” is noted on the business listing – this is an actual category within your GMB, so be sure to make that your primary category. Of course, if you primarily take on other Skilled Trades work, select the appropriate primary business category (example: Contractor and Electrician are a few options).
Also select a handful of secondary categories. There are many choices here, so take some time to go through them or use “control + F” on this article to search for possible categories. For example: Fence Contractor is an option, so if you specialize in fences this is a great choice. You can also see, from the screenshot in Step 4, that there are options related to construction: Contractor, Remodeler, Kitchen Remodeler, Bathroom Remodeler. These are great secondary categories if you also take on larger projects.
Here’s where you can add or edit your business categories:
Step 5: Add Handyman Services
This section allows you to add service categories and specific services. Couldn’t add or find all your “service categories” from the above step? This section communicates to Google your entire service offering.
Here’s where you go to add and edit your services:
There’s two components to the “Services” section within your GMB: sections and items.
It’s pretty intuitive once you get into the section, but let me explain using an example:
You install a lot of light fixtures for your customers. You could add “electrical” as a section, and “light installation” as an item. Or, you could add “light installation” as a section, and “canned light installation” as an item (along with other lighting styles).
For a simple alternative, create a section titled “Handyman Services” and add all your service offering to that section.
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