Search "eavestrough repair Calgary" on your phone. Before you see a single website, you see a map and three businesses with stars, photos and a call button. Many people call straight from there and never open a website at all. That listing is a Google Business Profile, and for Calgary businesses that serve local customers, it's one of the highest-return things you can spend an afternoon on.
This guide walks through setting it up properly, the mistakes that get profiles suspended, and the habits that keep it working.
Step 1: Claim or create your profile
Go to Google Business Profile and search for your business name. There's a decent chance a profile already exists, created automatically or by a past employee. If it does, request access instead of making a second one. Duplicate profiles confuse Google and split your reviews.
Sign in with a Google account the business controls, not a personal account of someone who might leave. Add a second owner or manager so you're never locked out.
Step 2: Get through verification
Google needs to confirm you're a real business at a real location. Which method you're offered depends on your business and category. These days, many new profiles are asked to record a short video. Practical tips for Calgary service businesses:
- Record in one continuous take through the Google app, without cuts.
- Show where you are (street signs or a recognizable landmark), then your branded vehicle, tools or equipment.
- Show proof you manage the business, like unlocking the shop or a business document with your name on it.
- Make sure the name on your vehicle or signage matches the name on your profile.
If verification fails, read the reason carefully, fix the mismatch and try again. Don't create a new profile to get around it.
Step 3: Name, category and address (where most mistakes happen)
Business name
Use your real business name, exactly as it appears on your signage, truck and invoices. Don't add keywords like "Best Roofing Calgary NW" unless that's literally your legal and signed name. Google's guidelines prohibit keyword stuffing in the name, and competitors do report it.
Categories
Your primary category matters a lot. Google's guidance is to choose the fewest categories that describe your core business, framed as "this business is a..." rather than everything you could do. A landscaper is a "Landscaper"; they might add "Lawn care service" if that's a real core line of work.
Address or service area
If customers come to you (a barbershop in Inglewood, an auto shop in Foothills), show your address. If you go to customers (cleaning, landscaping, tree care, trades), you're a service-area business: hide your address and list the areas you serve instead. Google's guidelines say a service area shouldn't extend farther than about two hours of driving from your base, so "all of Alberta" is not a valid answer. List Calgary plus the surrounding towns you genuinely serve, such as Airdrie, Chestermere, Cochrane or Okotoks.
Don't use a virtual office or mailbox address. That's one of the fastest ways to get a profile suspended.
Step 4: Fill in everything else
| Field | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | A local number that rings someone who answers | A missed call is a missed job |
| Website | Link to your homepage or most relevant service page | Connects your profile and site signals |
| Hours | Real hours, plus holiday and seasonal hours | "Closed" surprises cost you reviews |
| Services | Add each real service with a short description | Helps relevance for specific searches |
| Description | Plain-English summary of what you do and where | No links, prices or promos allowed here |
| Photos | Real jobs, your team, your trucks, before and afters | Shows you're real and active |
| Attributes | Fill any that apply (e.g. online estimates) | Extra filters customers can use |
Take 10 photos on your next job: the before, the crew working, the finished result, and the truck out front. Upload them the same day. Real job photos beat stock images every time, and they're free.
Step 5: Build a review habit
Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking, and reviews obviously influence who customers call. The best approach is simple and boring:
- Copy your profile's review link.
- Send it to every customer after a finished job, by text or email.
- Reply to every review within a few days. Thank people by first name, mention the job.
- Reply to bad reviews calmly and briefly. Offer to make it right offline. Future customers are reading your reply more than the complaint.
Don't buy reviews, offer discounts for them, or only ask customers you know are happy. All of that breaks Google's policies. If you automate the requests by email or text, CASL applies to commercial messages, so keep it to customers you've done business with and include a clear way to opt out. We go deeper in how to build a Google review system.
A profile with 40 recent reviews and real job photos beats a profile with 200 reviews from 2019 and a stock photo of a hammer.
Step 6: Keep it alive through the year
Profiles that look abandoned get fewer clicks. A light routine is enough:
- Updates: post seasonal news. Spring aeration booking, Christmas light installs, snow-removal contract sign-ups in the fall.
- Hours: update for statutory holidays and seasonal changes. Chinook-season schedules for exterior work can be unpredictable, so say so.
- Photos: add a few new ones every month.
- Services: add new services as soon as you offer them.
- Edits: check your profile monthly. Google and the public can suggest edits, and occasionally a wrong change goes through.
Also worth knowing: Google retired the old public Questions and Answers section on Business Profiles in late 2025. Google now increasingly answers questions about businesses automatically, drawing on information like your profile, reviews and website. That makes it more important than ever that your profile and your website state clearly what you do, where you work and how to book.
What to measure
Inside your profile, Google shows performance data: how many people viewed it, searches that found you, calls, website clicks and direction requests. Check it monthly. If calls rise in April and crash in July, that's useful planning data for staffing and ad budgets.
For a clearer picture, add a tracking parameter to your website link (for example, ?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp) so your website analytics can separate profile visitors from everyone else.
Where Sidekick fits
We build websites for Calgary businesses that work hand in hand with the Business Profile: matching services, matching service areas, clean local SEO. We also build the systems around it, like automatic review requests after a job is marked complete. If you'd like a second set of eyes on your profile and site, book a free call.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Creating and managing a Google Business Profile is free. Google sells ads separately, but you never have to pay to have or maintain a profile.
Should I hide my address on Google Business Profile?
If you travel to customers and don't serve them at your location, you're a service-area business and should hide your address and list service areas. If customers visit you, show your address.
Can I put keywords in my Google Business Profile name?
Only if they are part of your real business name as shown on your signage and branding. Adding extra keywords breaks Google's guidelines and can lead to suspension.
How do I get more Google reviews?
Ask every customer after every finished job, using your profile's review link sent by text or email. Reply to every review. Never pay for reviews or offer incentives in exchange for them.
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