The short version
- Your Google Business Profile is the first thing most homeowners see. Set it up as a service-area business with an honest service area.
- Local Services Ads put you at the top of Google and charge per lead, but you need to pass Google's checks first, which take about 3 to 4 weeks on average.
- Build one page per service and real pages for the main towns you serve, with photos of your own jobs.
- Answer fast. Google says Local Services Ads that regularly miss calls and messages may rank lower.
If you want to know how to get more leads as a contractor, start where homeowners start: a Google search on their phone. Roofers, renovators, landscapers and HVAC companies in Ontario mostly win or lose work in the few seconds someone spends looking at the map results, the ads above them and the first website they tap.
The quick answer is six things, in this order:
- A complete Google Business Profile set up as a service-area business.
- Google Local Services Ads, if your trade is eligible.
- A steady flow of genuine Google reviews.
- A website with one page per service and pages for the main towns you serve.
- Real photos of your jobs, and a quote form and phone number that work on a phone.
- Fast follow-up on every call, message and form.
Set up your Google Business Profile as a service-area business
Most trades don't have a storefront customers visit, so Google treats them as service-area businesses. You should have one profile for your central office with a service area, and if you run the business from home, you should hide your address. Google's own example is a plumber working from a residential address.
A few more rules from Google's Business Profile guidelines that catch contractors:
- Keep the service area realistic. Google says it generally shouldn't extend farther than about two hours of driving from where you're based.
- No virtual offices. A rented mailing address you don't work from isn't eligible, and a service-area business can't list one unless it's staffed during business hours.
- Use your real business name. It should match your truck, website and invoices. Adding "Roofing Oakville Burlington" to the name to rank is a common way to get suspended.
- Shop and service area? If you also have a showroom or yard that's staffed and open to customers, you can show the address and a service area.
Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help your ranking. There's no way to pay for a better spot in the free map results. If your profile isn't showing up at all, our post on why your Google Business Profile isn't showing up covers the usual causes.
Local Services Ads and the Google Verified badge
Local Services Ads are the listings that sit at the very top of Google for searches like "roofer near me". Customers can call or message you straight from the ad, and Google says you pay only for leads related to your business and the services you offer.
Not every trade is eligible. Google's Canadian list of home services includes electricians, HVAC, plumbers, roofers, lawn care, tree service, garage doors, window repair, pest control and a few others. General renovation wasn't on the list when we checked, so check your own category first.
What Google checks in Canada
According to Google's screening and verification requirements for Canada, a typical trade needs:
- A business background check and an owner background check.
- General liability insurance (Google says the best document is a signed Certificate of Insurance in the same business name).
- Business and owner licences at the provincial level, where local law requires them.
- A public, verified Google Business Profile.
Urgent trades, including electricians, HVAC and plumbers, also need background checks on the service professionals who do the work. Google says the process takes 3 to 4 weeks on average after you submit your documents, so start early.
You may still hear about the "Google Guaranteed" or "Google Screened" badges. Google has moved to a single Google Verified badge for all advertisers and discontinued the money-back guarantee that came with Google Guaranteed. We cover how these ads compare to regular Google Ads and SEO in Google Ads vs Local Services Ads vs SEO.
Get reviews from every finished job
For contractors, reviews do two jobs. They help you show up, and they're what homeowners read before they call. The best time to ask is the day you finish, while the customer is happy and the job is fresh.
Google lets you ask customers to leave a review with a link or a QR code. What it doesn't allow: offering anything in exchange (discounts, free service, gift cards), discouraging negative reviews, or only asking the customers you think will leave five stars. Our guide on how to get more Google reviews has the wording and timing we use.
Build a page for each service and each main town
People don't search for "contractor". They search for "interlock driveway Milton", "furnace replacement Georgetown" or "flat roof repair Oakville". One "Services" page that lists everything rarely ranks for any of it.
- One page per service. What you do, what affects the price, how long it takes, what's included, and photos of that kind of job.
- Pages for the main towns you serve, but only where you have something real to say: jobs you've done there, local permit notes, the neighbourhoods you work in. Copying the same page and swapping the town name doesn't help anyone.
- Clear calls to action on every page, not just the contact page.
This structure is the backbone of the contractor websites we build.
Use photos of real jobs
Stock photos of smiling models in hard hats don't win quotes. Photos of your own work do: before and after shots, the crew on site, the finished deck. Add them to your service pages and Google profile.
Google lists adding photos and videos as one of the ways to make your profile stand out. A phone is fine. Take a few on every job and keep them in one shared folder so someone actually uploads them.
Make it easy to call or ask for a quote
Most of your visitors are on a phone, often standing in the yard looking at the problem. If they have to pinch and zoom to find your number, they'll go back and tap the next result.
- A phone number at the top of every page that dials when you tap it
- A short quote form: name, phone, town, what they need, and an optional photo upload
- A note on how fast you reply ("We reply within one business day")
- The towns you serve, listed plainly
- A site that loads quickly on mobile data
Answer fast, every time
Speed is the cheapest lead booster there is. Homeowners often contact more than one company, and the first one to call back with a clear next step often gets the visit.
It also matters to Google. For Local Services Ads, Google says to respond to as many messages as you can, even if you decline the job, and that regularly failing to answer calls or messages may affect your ad ranking. If you're on a roof all day, have the office, an answering service or a family member covering the phone.
Lead-sharing sites: worth it or not?
Lead-sharing and contractor directory sites can fill a slow month, but go in with your eyes open.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Leads start quickly with little setup | On many sites the same lead can go to several contractors, so you're racing on price |
| Useful while your own site and profile are getting going | You're building their brand and reviews, not yours |
| Can test demand for a new service or area | Costs can rise, and the leads stop when you stop paying |
Our view: treat them as a top-up, not the plan. A strong Google profile, your own reviews and a website you own keep working after the bill stops.
Where to start this week
If you only do three things, claim and complete your Google Business Profile, ask your last ten happy customers for a review, and make your phone number tappable on your site. Then work on service pages and Local Services Ads. If you'd rather hand it off, our Google Business Profile management covers the profile side.
Want a website that brings in quote requests?
We build contractor websites with a page for each service and town, real job photos and a quote form that works on a phone, and we can set up your Google profile and Local Services Ads too.See our contractor websites →