Map pack SEO is the work that decides whether your business appears in the small map and three listings Google shows for local searches. For a plumber, electrician or locksmith, that block often gets more calls than everything below it, so we treat your Google Business Profile as your most important web page.
What the service is
It is a full rebuild and ongoing management of your profile, done within Google's guidelines for representing a business. Three things drive map results: how relevant your profile is to the search, how close you are to the searcher, and how prominent your business looks online. Distance you can't change. Relevance and prominence you can.
In BC, distance matters more than owners expect. A search in Abbotsford tends to favour Abbotsford businesses; a search in Courtenay favours businesses near Courtenay. That is why the service-area pages service often runs alongside this one, to win the nearby towns the map won't reach.
Who it's for
- Urgent trades: plumbing, drains, electrical, locksmiths, garage doors, glass repair, appliance repair
- Local businesses with a storefront or shop customers visit
- Any business whose profile was set up years ago and never touched again
- Owners who took over a profile from a previous agency and aren't sure who controls it
What's included
- Ownership check. We confirm you, not a former provider, are the primary owner. If you aren't, recovering it is step one.
- Categories. The primary category does the most work. We test it against what competitors in your town use and against your most profitable job type.
- Service area. Real towns, set realistically. Google's guidelines point to roughly two hours of driving as the outer limit, which in BC rarely means "all of the Interior".
- Address handling. Hidden for service-area businesses that work at customers' homes, shown for staffed locations that receive customers.
- Name and details. Your real business name with nothing added, accurate hours including holidays, and one phone number that matches your website.
- Services and descriptions. Written in plain language that matches how people search ("hot water tank replacement", not "thermal storage solutions").
- Photos. Real photos of your vans, crew and finished work, added steadily, never stock images.
- Review routine. A simple, honest way to ask every happy customer, plus prompt, polite replies. No buying, gating or incentives.
- Citations. Consistent name, phone and website across the directories that matter in Canada.
Timeline
| Weeks | Work | What you should notice |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Ownership, categories, details, address settings | Profile shows correctly; no surprises |
| 3–6 | Services, photos, review routine, citations | More profile views and calls in the Performance panel |
| 7–12 | Monthly posting, review replies, category testing | Steadier call volume; fewer wrong-number calls |
Changes to categories can move results within days. Reviews and prominence build over months.
How results are measured
We report the numbers Google gives you in the profile's Performance view: calls, website clicks and direction requests, split by month. We pair them with your own call log if you share it. Rankings get a short note, not a starring role, because a map position checked from our office in Vancouver means little to a customer searching in Prince George.
Mistakes to avoid
- Keyword-stuffed names. Adding "Plumbing & Heating Kelowna 24/7" to your name breaks Google's rules and can trigger a suspension.
- Fake locations. A rented mailbox in Surrey to "appear" there is not eligible and puts the whole profile at risk.
- Review bursts. Fifty reviews in a week looks unnatural. Ask every customer, every week.
- Mismatched phone numbers. A tracking number on the profile and a different number on the website confuses customers and search engines.
- Ignoring Q&A and messages. Unanswered questions on your profile read like an unanswered phone.
How it fits the rest
The profile is one piece. Our technical SEO work makes sure the website your profile links to loads quickly on a phone, and the services overview shows how the five services combine. Results from our HVAC work, such as GasBoilers.ca serving 26+ BC communities with a 5.0★ rating from 76+ Google reviews, are summarised on the results page.
We are a marketing service, not a contractor; we never visit job sites or do the trade work. To talk about your profile, call, text or email, or see the contact page for what to send.
Frequently asked questions
Should my home address show on my profile?
If customers don't come to you, Google's guidelines say a service-area business should hide its address. Showing a home address can also attract visitors you don't want. We set it up correctly either way.
Can I add 'Best Plumber Vancouver' to my business name?
No. Google does not permit extra words such as taglines, service descriptions or locations in the business name, and doing it can get a profile suspended. Use your real, registered name.
How far can my service area reach?
Google's guidelines say the overall service area should generally stay within about two hours of driving from where you're based, though larger areas can suit some businesses. In BC that often means choosing your real towns rather than drawing a huge circle.
Can I have a profile for every town I serve?
Only where you have a real, staffed location. A virtual office or rented mailbox is not eligible. Separate towns without a location are handled by your service-area settings and website pages instead.