Your Google Business Profile Is Now an AI Profile: What to Fix First

When someone asks Google for the best plumber nearby, the AI answer they see is built partly from Google's own data about local businesses. Your Business Profile is the part of that data you control. Other assistants often surface the same details, from your categories to your review count.

Most contractors set up their profile once and never touch it again. That's the biggest opportunity: small, accurate updates tell AI exactly what you do and where.

What AI can learn from your profile

• What you do: your primary and secondary categories, and your services list
• Where you work: your address or service area
• Whether you're a good choice: your rating, how many reviews you have, how recent they are, and what they say
• Whether you're active: recent posts, photos and updated hours

Fix these first

1. Primary category. Pick the most specific one for the work that makes you the most money, like “HVAC contractor” rather than “Contractor.”
2. Services. List every service you actually offer, each with a one or two sentence description that mentions the kind of job and your area.
3. Service area. Make sure it matches where you really go. Don't list cities you won't drive to.
4. Business description. Say what you do, where, who for, and what makes you different, like your warranty, financing or years in business.
5. Photos. Real photos of your team, trucks and finished jobs. Add new ones every month.

What not to do

• Don't add keywords or city names to your business name. It breaks Google's guidelines and can get your profile suspended.
• Don't list services you don't offer or hours you don't keep. Wrong information is worse than missing information.
• Don't ignore suggested edits. Anyone can suggest a change to your profile, so check it regularly.

Keep it active

A profile that's updated every week gives AI fresh, specific details to draw from. Post recent jobs with photos, answer common customer questions in your posts and description, and reply to every review.