GBP Optimization Guide for Plumbers

1. What is a GBP? And why does it matter?

A Google Business Profile (GBP) is a free tool from Google that allows you to claim, verify, and edit your listing in Google Maps, as well as other places that it’s shown, most notably in the regular Google search results when searching for local services.

Commonly referred to as a GMB (from the former name Google My Business), or the 3-pack (referring to the top 3 listings shown in the regular Google search results).

The why is rather simple, so we’ll keep this section short.

Depending on the size of your city, the top listed GBP will typically get somewhere in the region of 40-200+ calls per month. More than organic SEO results, and typically even more than Google Search Ads. With each lower position receiving less and less calls, drastically dropping below the 3-pack.

So, it’s free, it’s faster than organic, and with Google holding a monopoly over search (90.82%) and everyone’s heads in their phones all day, it drives serious levels of business for plumbers.

2. GBP Targeting

Adding or claiming a Business Profile is straightforward, Google themselves have guides for that, but the real leverage comes from strategic targeting. Here’s how…

There are 3 essentials to targeting:

1. Business Category
2. Location
3. Service Area

2.1. GBP Category

Your chosen category is key for the types of keywords you can rank for. As a plumber you’ll want to use “Plumber”, which is rather obvious.

But depending on your services, there may be others, such as:

• Water damage restoration service (if you offer this service)
• HVAC contractor (only if you also do heating/cooling)
• Heating contractor (if you install/repair heating systems)
• Septic system service (if you service septic systems)
• Drainage service (if you specialize in drainage work)

Add all the relevant categories, but only add the relevant ones. Adding irrelevant ones may get you flagged, damaging your rankings.

Finding the right categories for your market

The fastest way to build a winning category list is to look at what your top-ranking competitors are already using.

Open Google Maps and search for your service without typing a location (e.g., just “plumber”). Enable “Update results when map moves” in the sidebar, then pan around your target area. Open the top-ranking listings one by one and check their categories.

To pull a competitor’s full category list in one click, save this bookmarklet to your bookmarks bar. Right-click your browser’s bookmarks bar, select “Add bookmark” or “Add page”, give it a name like “GBP Categories”, then paste the code below into the URL field:

javascript:(function(){try{var src=document.documentElement.innerHTML;var categories=[];var gcidMatch=src.match(/gcid:([a-z_]+)/i);if(!gcidMatch){alert('No gcid found. Make sure you are on a business listing page.');return;}var primary=gcidMatch[1].replace(/_/g,' ');var searchTerms=[primary,primary.split(' ').map(function(w){return w.charAt(0).toUpperCase()+w.slice(1);}).join(' ')];var found=false;searchTerms.forEach(function(term){if(found)return;var escapedTerm=term.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g,'\\$&');var patterns=[new RegExp('\\["'+escapedTerm+'"[^\\]]{1,1000}\\]','gi'),new RegExp('\\[\\\\?"'+escapedTerm+'\\\\"[^\\]]{1,1000}\\]','gi')];patterns.forEach(function(pattern){if(found)return;var matches=src.match(pattern);if(matches){matches.forEach(function(m){try{var cleaned=m.replace(/\\\\/g,'').replace(/\\"/g,'"');var arr=JSON.parse(cleaned);if(Array.isArray(arr)&&arr.length>1){categories=arr;found=true;}}catch(e){}});}});});if(categories.length>0){var text=categories.join(', ');navigator.clipboard.writeText(text).then(function(){alert('✓ Copied '+categories.length+' categories to clipboard!');}).catch(function(){prompt('Copy these categories:',text);});}else{alert('Found gcid: '+primary+'\nBut could not find the full category array.');}}catch(err){alert('Error: '+err.message);}})();

With a competitor’s listing open in your browser, click the bookmarklet. It will scan the page source, extract their full category list, and copy it to your clipboard. Run it across your top 5–10 competitors and look for categories that appear consistently — those are the ones worth adding to your own profile.

2.2. Location

While you may not have the luxury of choice, the more central the location to the specific area you’d like to target, the better you’ll likely perform.

For example, open this link for a search for plumbers with the location set to Flint, MI:

Now if you check the box for “Update results when map moves”, in the sidebar, then start dragging the results around, you’ll begin to notice the results changing.

The top 3 for the initial search are currently: Steve Plumbing and Excavating LLC, Terry Allen Plumbing & Heating, and Affordable Plumbing. But move closer towards Flushing, MI and it becomes Staley’s Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning, Ken’s Plumbing Co, and Burt Mechanical.

Now it’s possible to rank in areas you’re not directly located; however it’s much more challenging. In most cases the top listings in Flushing, will be based in Flushing. The top performers in Flint, will be based in Flint.

So if you have the luxury of choice, such as an office, home, or technicians homes that are more ideally located for your target customers, use it.

2.3. Service Area

Your service area determines where you can appear in search results. You’ll only show up in locations you’ve added here.

In competitive markets (major cities), focus on areas closest to your physical location first. Spreading too thin across 20+ areas can dilute your rankings when competitors are closer.

In lower competition areas (smaller towns, rural regions), list every town you genuinely service. Many won’t have local competitors, so your broader service area becomes an advantage rather than a weakness.

Be realistic about where you’ll actually take jobs, and understand that in high-competition areas, proximity to the searcher still matters most.

3. Profile Optimization

Once you’re targeted towards the right locations and keywords, then you can begin optimizing to get higher rankings and therefore more leads. Your first stop is your Business Profile itself.

3.1. Business Name

Use only your business name. Do not get fancy. Risk of removal for spam is too high, even for the benefits you’ll likely get from this.

3.2. Business Description

No impact on rankings, so write this for your potential customers. Focus on what makes you trustworthy: years in business, licensing, emergency availability, specialties, or guarantees.

3.3. Photos

Having lots of photos (and an otherwise complete profile) will increase your business rankings. But even more importantly, businesses with photos receive 35% higher click-throughs than businesses without, according to Google’s own research.

We suggest:

• 1x Logo
• 1x Cover photo - Your best work truck with branding, or a hero shot of your team
• 3x Team photos - Individual plumbers in uniform, team shot, action shots on jobs
• 3x Vehicle photos - Branded work trucks/vans from multiple angles
• 5x Before/after photos - Completed jobs showing transformation (new water heater, fixed leak, bathroom renovation, etc.)

3.4. Opening Hours

It’s 11pm and someone desperately runs a Google search for an emergency plumber - who performs better in search results: the 24/7 plumber or the one that closes at 6pm?

While not a major ranking factor in typical situations, your opening hours do matter. But setting them to hours when you’ll not answer the phone is risky, Google may flag you for misleading information, and frustrated customers will leave 1-star reviews.

The solution is simple: set hours you’ll genuinely answer calls. If you offer true 24/7 emergency service, mark it. If you don’t, be honest about your availability.

3.5. Services as Products

While our next step will cover adding services themselves, a common trick in the plumbing industry is to use Google’s product feature to add your services. This has the added benefit of allowing a photo, category, and landing page link for potential customers to learn more.

For example, Reliant Plumbing have categories for Plumbing, Drain Services, and Water Heaters. With services linking to dedicated landing pages to learn more about each.

The downside is you’ll want to put in the additional effort to create the landing pages on your website, otherwise it’s fairly useless for clients. It’s well worth the effort though.

Name the product anything you like, use a photo that stands out (preferably with a template and added text), pick 2-3 categories to reuse, skip the price (unless you offer fixed pricing for that service), add a detailed product description, and create a dedicated landing page on your website that explains this service in more detail.

In competitive markets, top ranking plumbers max out this feature. That’s how important it is.

3.6. Custom Services

Beyond products, there are also services. These are simpler and don’t include images, but are still worth adding for additional keyword coverage, with much less effort as they do not need (or allow) landing page links.

Google will auto-suggest common services based on your category, but you can (and should) add custom ones relevant to your business.

Add a from/fixed price depending on the service, then up to 300 words description. Focus on answering customer questions here rather than keyword stuffing.

Plumbing services to consider adding:

• Emergency plumbing repairs
• Water heater installation/replacement
• Drain cleaning & unblocking
• Leak detection & repair
• Toilet repair & installation
• Faucet & fixture installation
• Pipe repair & repiping
• Sewer line services
• Backflow testing & prevention
• Gas line installation & repair
• Bathroom/kitchen plumbing renovations
• Sump pump installation

Add the services you actually offer and want to be known for.

3.7. Business Attributes

Another under-utilised option is the selection of business attributes that may be featured on your profile.

Here you can see these businesses have featured text showcasing their years in business (source: opening date field), open 24 hours (source: opening hours), and on-site services (source: attribute).

Common attributes for plumbers include:

• Business ownership identifiers (veteran-owned, women-owned, etc.)
• LGBTQ+ friendly
• Accessibility features (wheelchair accessible entrance, restroom, etc.)
• Free estimates
• Online estimates
• Emergency services
• Licensed & insured
• Language assistance (ASL or alternative spoken languages)

If you don’t see all of these options at first, check back later. As Google learns more about your business from other sources, it may suggest them for you.

3.8. Questions & answers

Google allows potential customers to ask questions directly on your profile. These Q&As are visible to everyone and provide another opportunity for keyword optimization and addressing common concerns.

Best practices:

• Monitor regularly and respond quickly (ideally within 24 hours)
• Include relevant keywords naturally in your answers (service areas, specific services)
• Keep answers helpful and professional, not salesy

If you have no questions yet, add a few yourself. Have a friend or team member ask common questions like “Do you offer emergency plumbing services?” or “What areas do you cover?” This gives you control over what potential customers see first and ensures your profile doesn’t look dormant.

3.9. Social Profiles

A relatively new feature allows you to link your social media profiles directly to your GBP.

This serves two purposes:

1. Customer trust - Potential clients can research you further before calling
2. Authority signal - Google now has confirmation these social accounts belong to your business, connecting your reviews, followers, and activity across platforms

Add all your active social profiles here. Later, you’ll want to reinforce this connection by also linking them in your website’s Schema markup (covered in section 5.3).

Also ensure your website URL is added to your profile, we’ll cover website optimization in detail in Section 5.

4. Engagement & Reviews

Beyond a highly optimized profile, you need ongoing engagement to maintain and improve rankings. Our benchmark for clients: 3 GBP posts per week and as many reviews as your top 3 competitors.

4.1. The importance of Reviews

A high number of positive reviews correlates strongly with high rankings in Google Maps. While there are exceptions, in most cases the optimal strategy is to match or surpass your competitors’ review count and ratings.

If your top 3 competitors have 2.9k, 2.2k, and 16k reviews with an average rating of 4.7+, you should be aiming for 2,500+ reviews with similarly high ratings. We’ve ignored the 16k competitor in this case as they’re clearly an outlier too.

This may be unachievable in the short-term. At which point the strategy is to:

1. Be the outlier - Outrank competitors despite fewer reviews through superior optimization (not always possible, but worth testing)
2. Target less competitive areas - Focus on suburbs or smaller towns where competitors have fewer reviews

Regardless of strategy, reviews are critical both for rankings and for converting searchers into customers once they find you.

4.2. Requesting Reviews

The secret to collecting reviews is to ask in any and all ways possible.

Firstly, get your review link and QR code. Search your business name or go into your business profile manager, then click the “Ask for reviews” option to find these. This allows people to directly leave a review upon opening the link, rather than having to search or click around.

Now there are a number of ways to promote this. Here’s a few ideas:

• Ask every single customer after completing a job (incentivize your team!)
• Print a business card sized paper with your QR code on it to hand out to customers after completing a job
• Send an SMS after completing a job e.g. “Hi [Name], [Admin Name] from [Business Name] here. [Technician Name] just wrapped up your [service]. Most customers find us on Google, so if you’re happy with the work, we’d be so grateful for a quick review: [link]. Thanks!”
• Send an email after completing a job (example below)
• Send follow ups e.g. “How is the new water heater working for you, [name]? We’d also really appreciate it if you could leave a quick review on Google for us [link]. Thanks!”

Example email:

Subject: How’s everything working, [Name]?

Hi [Name],

Thanks again for trusting us with your [service] earlier this week. We hope everything is working perfectly!

If you have a moment, we’d really appreciate it if you could share your experience on Google. Your review helps other homeowners in [city] find reliable plumbing services.

Leave a review here: [link]

Thanks, [Your Name] [Business Name]

4.3. Responding to Reviews

Once the reviews start coming in, don’t sit on your hands. Try to respond to all within 24 hours.

Responding to reviews has 3 benefits:

1. It’s further optimization, another chance to refer to specific services or target areas
2. It shows you’re active and engaged, which is another trust signal
3. It makes your customer feel appreciated, encouraging others to leave reviews

Example responses:

Good (includes keywords naturally):

“Thanks for the kind words, Sarah! We’re glad we could get your water heater replaced quickly. If you ever need emergency plumbing in [city], we’re here 24/7!”

Bad (generic, wasted opportunity):

“Thank you for your review!”

For negative reviews:

Stay professional, acknowledge the issue, offer to make it right privately. Example:

“We’re sorry to hear about your experience, [name]. This isn’t our usual standard. Please call us at [number] so we can make this right.”

4.4. Regular Profile Posts

One of the most neglected opportunities by plumbers is the “Posts” feature that allows you to share updates, offers, or events.

Similar to social media updates, this is an opportunity to engage with potential clients. With no comments, likes, or engagement though, this may feel pointless. Do not underestimate it. This is a prime location to optimize and refresh your profile, which we’ve found can significantly lift rankings.

Our clients follow a 3 posts per week benchmark. We post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The days are arbitrary, but the schedule ensures consistency.

Each post consists of:

• Image: Relevant photo of service or templated image design with added text of the target keyword
• 80-100 word description: Keyword-optimized post title at the beginning, short description after (remember this is public and may be read by potential customers)
• Call-to-action: Either “Call Now” button or a landing page link

Besides specific posts related to holidays, weather emergencies, and other one-off events, you can reuse your services and locations for post ideas.

Example: A plumber in Austin, TX

Services:

• Water heater installation
• Drain clearing/unclogging
• Leak repair
• Toilet/faucet replacement
• Emergency plumbing

Target locations:

• Austin
• Bee Cave
• Cedar Park
• Downtown Austin
• Lakeway

Each service × each location = 25+ unique post topics. And you likely offer more services in more locations, plus sub-services and addressable problems (e.g., “clogged kitchen sink” vs. “drain clearing”). If you somehow run out, just loop back through, most people won’t see your old posts anyway.

5. Off-Profile Optimization

The final piece of the puzzle happens off your GBP. These external signals tell Google your business is legitimate, established, and authoritative.

5.1. Your Website

You must have a website. It must be well optimized for SEO.

This doesn’t mean artistic. It means functional: explain who you are, provide clear contact methods, and create dedicated landing pages for each service and target area (remember the service landing pages from Section 3.5).

Critical: Your website URL must be added to your GBP, and the NAP (Name, Address, Phone) on your website must exactly match your GBP listing.

A well-optimized website is required both to rank well in GBP and to convert visitors into customers once they click through.

For detailed website optimization strategies, see our complete Website Guide for Plumbers.

5.2. NAP Citations

NAP citations are one of the oldest ranking strategies for GBP. It refers to mentions of your Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) from sources other than your Business Profile.

One of these sources should be your own website, as mentioned in the previous section. Your social profiles (linked in Section 3.9) should also display your full NAP.

Beyond these, there are infinite sources to create more citations:

• Business directories (Yelp, Yellow Pages, Angi, HomeAdvisor, etc.)
• Social media profiles and posts
• YouTube video descriptions
• Press/media features
• Industry associations
• Local chamber of commerce listings

Our benchmark for new clients is 30-50 business directory citations. Start by submitting to major directories, then expand to niche and local ones. If this improves rankings (or if other strategies don’t), you can scale up later.

Use the exact Name, Address, and Phone Number from your GBP profile. Same formatting, same abbreviations, same punctuation. Do not use different phone numbers for tracking purposes, and avoid changing your GBP phone number unless absolutely necessary - inconsistency can hurt rankings.

5.3. Schema Markup

Schema markup is structured data that helps Google understand your business information more clearly.

Rather than reading all the content of your website, search engines can extract information from a specific piece of code you leave hidden from users called “Structured Data”. This can include details like your business name, address, phone number, opening hours, and much more.

For plumbers, the most important is @type set to “Plumber”.

But there are many properties we suggest including:

• Business name (exact match to GBP)
• Full address (exact match to GBP)
• Phone number (exact match to GBP)
• Website URL
• Logo
• Business description
• Opening hours
• Social profile links (sameAs)
• Google Maps link

The simplest method to add this is through JSON-LD code, either manually or through SEO plugins for WordPress and other platforms.

Example schema code:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "Plumber",
    "name": "Your Plumbing Business Name",
    "url": "https://www.yourwebsite.com",
    "logo": "https://www.yourwebsite.com/logo.png",
    "image": "https://www.yourwebsite.com/hero-image.jpg",
    "description": "Professional plumbing services in [City, State]",
    "telephone": "+1-555-555-5555",
    "address": {
        "@type": "PostalAddress",
        "streetAddress": "123 Main Street",
        "addressLocality": "City Name",
        "addressRegion": "ST",
        "postalCode": "12345",
        "addressCountry": "US"
    },
    "openingHours": "Mo-Fr 08:00-17:00",
    "sameAs": [
        "https://www.facebook.com/yourplumbingbusiness",
        "https://www.instagram.com/yourplumbingbusiness",
        "https://twitter.com/yourplumbing",
        "https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourplumbingbusiness",
        "https://www.youtube.com/@yourplumbingbusiness"
    ],
    "hasMap": "https://maps.google.com/your-business-map-link"
}
</script>

Every detail in your schema must exactly match your GBP listing - same name formatting, same address, same phone number. Inconsistencies defeat the purpose.

5.4. Backlinks & SEO

The final factor is itself thousands of micro-factors, that we can sum up as: build backlinks and do SEO.

High rankings in organic results strongly correlates with high rankings in the map pack across most keywords. There are exceptions, and not every keyword follows this rule. But for the vast majority, the work you do to improve your SEO performance, will similarly have a positive impact on GBP rankings.

For plumbers, this primarily comes down to:

• Optimize your titles, meta data, headings, and content across your website for specific keywords
• Create landing pages for individual services and locations
• Interlink landing pages so they’re discoverable
• Don’t have terrible technical issues (e.g. slow loading, reliability, duplicate pages, etc)
• Build backlinks to your homepage and landing pages (an agency can handle this for you through outreach to media properties)

6. Monitoring & Tracking

With all this in place, how do you know if it is working or not? There are two methods most SEO experts will use.

6.1. GBP Performance

Google themselves offer measurable metrics under their “Performance” feature.

Key metrics you’ll find:

• Business Profile Interactions: Calls, messages, bookings, direction requests, etc.
• Searches: Search terms people used to find your business
• Views: Unique profile views on Search and Maps
• Calls: Times customers clicked the call button
• Website clicks: Clicks to your website
• Messages: Customer conversations initiated
• Bookings: Completed bookings (integrates with ServiceTitan)
• Products: Product view counts

These metrics can be analyzed over 6 months to spot trends and growth.

What to watch for:

• Growing search impressions and views = your optimization is working
• High views but low clicks/calls = weak photos, reviews, or profile content
• Tracking specific search terms = shows which keywords are driving traffic (adjust your posts and content accordingly)

Check these metrics monthly at minimum. If you see stagnation or decline, revisit the strategies in this playbook—especially reviews, posts, and citations.

6.2. Rank Tracking

The final method of monitoring results (an SEO favourite) is tracking rankings.

Most professionals use a rank tracking tool like LocalFalcon. These tools automatically schedule ranking checks across an entire area, measured by each neighborhood.

It’s called a GeoGrid, see an example here:

This shows the ranking of this client at each specific point in the area. You can measure performance by neighborhood, not just your immediate location.

Manual tracking method:

This can be done manually though, take a look at this link:

https://www.google.com/maps/search/plumbers/@30.3594363,-97.7909783,13z

If you open it, it’s a search for plumbers in Austin, TX. But it doesn’t have to be.

• This part is co-ordinates: @30.3594363,-97.7909783
• This part is zoom level: 13z

Right-click on any location on Google Maps to reveal the coordinates. Use a zoom level from 12-15, depending on your area size.

This allows you to check rankings for any keyword in any location you choose. Combine that with the “Update results when map moves” option at the bottom of the results sidebar, and you can move around, zoom in/out, and watch rankings adjust in real-time.

For most small plumbing companies without an agency supporting them, this manual method should be enough to get started.