A free listing on Google Maps and Search is one of the main ways homeowners find a local contractor. This is the ten-step setup for a contractor, with the verification details straight from Google. If you would rather not do it yourself, we do it as part of the build.
The setup
Based on Google's own help pages for verification, service-area businesses, categories and reviews, checked in October 2026. Google changes these pages, so check the current wording as you go.
Create or sign in to a Google account that belongs to the business, such as a business email, not an employee's personal one. Verifying makes that account the owner of the listing. Later you can add managers or other owners.
Search for your business name on Google Maps. If a listing already exists, claim it rather than creating a second one. One listing per business keeps your reviews and details in one place.
Enter the name exactly as customers see it on your truck, invoices and estimates. Leave out extra keywords and city names.
Google advises choosing the most specific category that describes your business as the primary one, then adding only a few additional categories for the services you really offer. "Plumber" beats a broad category, and more categories is not better.
If you travel to customers and do not have a storefront, you are a service-area business. Google says these businesses should hide their address, for example when you work from home, and set a service area instead. Keep it to where you actually work: Google says the area should not extend farther than about two hours of driving from your base.
Use a number that reaches a person or can receive texts, because Google sends a verification code there and automated phone menus cannot receive it. Add your website address so customers can click through.
Set accurate hours, including after-hours or emergency service only if you answer. List the services you want more of, and write a short description of what you do and where.
Upload photos of your work, your truck and your team. Real, recent photos of finished jobs tell a homeowner more than a logo does.
Google decides which methods you get: a phone or text code, email, a video recording or live video call, or a postcard with a 5-digit code. Postcards usually arrive within 14 days and the code expires after 30 days. While you wait, do not change your business name, address or category, and do not request a second postcard, because that invalidates the first. After you finish, Google can take up to 5 business days to review.
Once verified, open Read reviews and Get more reviews to find your review link or QR code, and send it to happy customers by text or email. Google prohibits offering payment, discounts or free work in exchange for a review, and says not to selectively ask only for positive ones. Reply to every review.
Common mistakes
Google lists what is not allowed on its prohibited and restricted content page.
After it is verified
A verified listing helps you show up on Google Maps, but customers who click through want a site that matches it (listing vs. website, side by side): your services, your area and a way to call. Ranking takes weeks to months and depends on your market. That is why FieldTender builds the website and the listing together, with your first citations on Yelp, BBB, Apple Maps and Bing.
Get started →Pick your trade
See the FieldTender version for plumbers, HVAC companies, electricians, roofers, handymen, painters, landscapers, pest control companies, locksmiths, garage door companies, water damage restoration companies, and pool and spa companies. Also: Thumbtack alternative and how we compare.
Common questions
Yes. Google says a Business Profile lets you manage how your business appears on Google Maps and Search at no charge. FieldTender's fee covers us doing the setup for you, not Google.
Yes. A business that travels to customers can have one service-area profile. Google says service-area businesses should hide their address and set the area they serve instead.
It depends on the method Google offers you. After you complete the steps, Google says review can take up to 5 business days, and occasionally longer. A mailed postcard usually arrives within 14 days and its code expires after 30 days. Verification can be instant if you verify your website with Google Search Console.
Pick the most specific primary category, then add only a few additional ones for services you really offer. Google advises against adding a category for every product or service.
Yes. Setting up and submitting your Google listing for verification is included in the $1,197 FieldTender build, along with your website. You stay the owner of the listing, and we are added as a manager for the setup.
More questions? See the full FAQ or email us.
Fill out one form. We build the rest — your Google listing and your website, all handled.
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