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The Contractor's Google Checklist: 7 Things Killing Your Rankings Right Now

If your phone isn't ringing the way it used to, your Google Business Profile is probably a big part of why. This checklist covers the 7 mistakes we see on almost every contractor profile we audit. None of it is technical. All of it is fixable. Work through it and you'll know exactly where you stand.

Your Primary Category Is Too Vague

Google uses your primary GBP category as one of its strongest ranking signals, and "Contractor" is about as useful as writing "human" on a job application. If someone searches "roofer near me" and your primary category is something generic, Google won't connect the dots. You're competing against people who got this right on day one.

Fix it: Go to your GBP dashboard, click Edit Profile, and find Business Category. Search for the most specific match Google offers: "Roofing Contractor," "HVAC Contractor," "General Contractor." Not the broad parent category. If you do multiple trades, your primary category should match the service that drives the most revenue.

You Haven't Posted in Over 30 Days

Google treats a dormant profile the same way a customer does: if nothing's happening there, you're probably not the busiest shop in town. Competitors who post weekly look more active to the algorithm. That freshness signal matters, and it's one of the easiest wins available to you.

Fix it: Post something this week. A job photo with two sentences about what you did. A quick tip. A before-and-after. It doesn't have to be polished. Set a reminder to do it every week, Monday morning, five minutes, done.

You Uploaded Photos Once and Haven't Touched It Since

Most contractor profiles have 10-12 photos, all uploaded during setup, none added since. Photos are a freshness signal. A profile that went dark on photos in January looks the same to Google as one that stopped working in January. Real job-site photos beat stock every time — Google's systems can tell the difference, and so can every homeowner reading your profile.

Fix it: Shoot two to four job photos per month and upload them. Before-and-after, your crew working, the finished product. Keep it real. One good photo per week is enough to stay active — the habit matters more than the volume.

Your Review Response Rate Is Under 80%

Google surfaces businesses that engage. Not responding to reviews, positive or negative, tells the algorithm you're not paying attention. It also tells every prospect who reads your profile the same thing. One unanswered 2-star review sitting there for six months does more damage than most contractors realize.

Fix it: Respond to every review, starting today. Positive ones get a brief thank-you with a mention of the work done. Negative ones get a calm, professional reply that shows you take it seriously. Set a weekly calendar block to check for new reviews and respond within 48 hours.

Your Review Velocity Has Flatlined

Two hundred reviews built up over five years looks worse than 40 reviews from the last six months. Google weights recency heavily. If your most recent review is three months old, you're sliding in the rankings even if your total count looks solid. A profile that stops getting reviews looks like a business that stopped getting customers.

Fix it: Build review collection into your close-out process. After every completed job, text the customer a direct link to your GBP review page. Timing matters: ask within 24 hours while the job is fresh. One new review per week is enough to maintain momentum.

Your Service Descriptions Are Blank, Generic, or Written for Nobody

GBP lets you list and describe every service you offer. Most contractors either leave them blank or write one line that says nothing. Those descriptions are indexed by Google and read by Google's AI, which now answers homeowner questions directly in search results. When someone types "best roofer in [city]," Gemini pulls from your services section to build its answer. Thin descriptions get skipped. Competitors with real, specific language get named instead. This is a ranking signal and an AI visibility signal in the same field. Most contractors haven't touched it since they set up the profile.

Fix it: Go to Services in your GBP dashboard and write 2-3 sentences for every service you actually perform. Describe what it includes, who it's for, and what problem it solves. "Full roof replacement for Arizona homeowners after storm damage" beats "Roofing services available." Write like you're explaining it to a customer, not filing a form.

Your Business Name, Address, and Phone Number Don't Match Across the Web

Google cross-references your GBP against every other place your business appears online — Yelp, BBB, Angi, your website, Facebook, Apple Maps, directories. If your name is "Johnson Roofing" on Google and "Johnson Roofing LLC" on Yelp, that's a mismatch. If your phone number has a different area code format on your website, that's a mismatch. These discrepancies bleed ranking authority slowly, over months, and most contractors never notice. It's called NAP consistency — Name, Address, Phone — and it's one of the top local ranking factors Google measures.

Fix it: Search your business name on Google. Check every listing that comes up — Yelp, BBB, Angi, Facebook, Apple Maps, your own website footer and contact page. Your name, address, and phone number must be identical everywhere. Punctuation, abbreviations, and spacing included. "St." and "Street" are different entries to Google.