The Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) drives most of your local lead flow if it is set up right. Here is the playbook we use for every WaaS client.
The map-pack is the prize
When someone searches a service plus a location ("HVAC repair Eau Claire"), the top three local results show as a map with three pinned businesses. That is the "map pack". Around 40 percent of clicks for local searches go to the map pack, not to the blue links below. Getting into the map pack is the goal.
Step 1: Claim and verify
Go to google.com/business. Search for your business. If it exists, claim it. If not, create it. Google sends a verification postcard to your business address. Wait for it (5 to 10 days), enter the code, you are verified.
Step 2: Fill every field
Business name, address, phone, website. Categories (primary + secondary). Hours. Service area (the towns you cover). Description. Attributes. Photos. Services list. Products if relevant. Booking link if you take online bookings.
Most profiles we audit have 40 percent of fields filled. The ones that rank have 95 percent of fields filled.
Step 3: Choose the right primary category
This is the single biggest ranking signal in the profile. Pick the category that matches exactly what people search for. "HVAC contractor" outranks "air conditioning contractor" for "HVAC near me" searches, even if both are accurate.
Step 4: Upload real photos every month
Profiles with fresh photos rank higher than static profiles. Add 2 to 5 photos every month: completed jobs, before-and-afters, your crew, your trucks, your office. Real photos. No stock.
Step 5: Collect reviews
Ask every happy customer for a Google review. Make it easy: send them the direct review link in a follow-up text the day after the job. Aim for at least 50 reviews to be competitive in most markets.
Step 6: Respond to every review
Every single one. Good reviews get a short thank-you. Bad reviews get a calm, professional response that addresses the specific issue without arguing. Future customers read your responses to bad reviews more carefully than they read your good reviews.
Step 7: Post regularly
Google Business Profile has a posts feature like a mini blog. Post once a week: a recent job, an offer, a seasonal reminder. The posts disappear after a week but their effect on ranking does not.
What you cannot fake
Distance. Reviews. Time-in-business. You cannot move your business closer to a searcher. You cannot fake reviews (federal law, 2024, $51,000 fine per fabricated review). You cannot fake how long you have been in business. The rest is in your control.
Bindingstone handles this for WaaS clients
Google Business Profile setup, monthly post publishing, photo refreshes, review prompt automation. Included in the $497/month, no extra retainer.