Google Business Profile checklist for Knoxville service businesses

For most local service businesses, the Google Business Profile matters more than the website. It's what shows up on the map, in "near me" searches and in Google's AI answers. Here's the checklist I use. You can work through it yourself in an afternoon.

The basics

• Business name: your real business name, exactly as it appears on your truck and invoices. Adding keywords to the name breaks Google's rules and can get the profile suspended.
• Primary category: the single most specific category for what you do, like "HVAC contractor" rather than "contractor."
• Secondary categories: add the other things you really do, and nothing you don't.
• Phone number: a number that gets answered, or texts back when it doesn't.
• Website: link to your site, or to the service page that fits best.

Service area and hours

• Service area: if you go to customers, hide your home address and list the cities and areas you serve instead, such as Knoxville, Farragut, Powell and Knox County.
• Hours: real hours, plus holiday hours each season. Wrong hours are one of the fastest ways to lose trust.

Services and description

• Services: add every service in the words customers search, with a short description and a price where it makes sense.
• Description: two or three short paragraphs. What you do, who you do it for, where, and what makes you different. Write it for people, not for search engines.

Photos

• Logo and cover photo that look sharp at small sizes.
• Real work photos: before-and-afters, your team, your trucks. Add a few every month.

Reviews

• Ask every happy customer. Google gives you a short review link. Put it on a QR card, in your follow-up text and at the bottom of your invoices.
• Reply to every review, good and bad, within a few days. Be specific and keep it short.

Keep it active

• Post weekly: a finished job, a seasonal tip or an offer. Posts show customers you're open and busy.
• Answer questions people ask on your profile.
• Check monthly that nobody has suggested a wrong edit to your hours, phone or address.

Bonus: match your details everywhere

Use the exact same name, phone and website on Facebook, Bing Places, Apple Maps, Yelp and Nextdoor. Consistency helps Google, and the AI tools that recommend businesses, trust your information. More on that in how to get recommended by AI search.