Fill the fields that move your ranking

Your profile has dozens of fields, and Google doesn't weigh them equally. Most businesses leave the ones that actually rank them half empty. Here's what moves the needle, in order.

Primary category: the single biggest field

Of everything on your profile, Google leans on the primary category most to decide which searches you show up for. Pick the most specific one that matches your core service, 'Emergency plumber' beats 'Plumber' if that's what you want to win. It carries far more weight than any secondary category, so choose it on purpose. Quick check: look at who already ranks in your pack and see what primary category they use.

Then everything else you offer

Add a secondary category for every real service (a plumber who does heating adds 'Heating contractor'), but don't pad the list with things you can't back up. Under those, fill out Services with a short description each, drain cleaning, boiler repair, tap installation. Most businesses skip this, and it's free relevance for specific searches.

Description, name, and the forgotten fields

Write a real 750-character description: what you do, the area you cover, your main service worked in naturally, no keyword stuffing. Use your real business name, stuffing it ('Joe's Plumbing | Emergency Drain and Boiler Repair') does bump rankings short term, which is exactly why it's against Google's rules and gets profiles suspended. And don't skip attributes (women-owned, wheelchair accessible, free quotes), service area, and accurate hours, they feed 'open now' and filter results.