You are a roofer. A homeowner in Stuart has a leak. They pick up a phone and type "roofer near me." Google shows a map with three shops. If you are not one of the three, that call goes to someone else.
This post shows how to get on that map. It is a short list of real steps. It does not promise a spot. Nobody can promise that, and you should walk away from anyone who does.
What "on Google Maps" really means
When people say "Google Maps," they mean your Google Business Profile. It is the free listing with your name, phone, reviews, photos, and the towns you serve.
You need one profile. Not two. If you make a second one by mistake, Google can get confused, and both can have trouble. If you think an old profile for your shop already exists, claim that one first.
Step 1: Check if a profile already exists
Search for your business name on Google. Look for a box on the right side or the top of the results. If you see your shop, there may be a profile already. It might be yours from years ago, or one Google built from public records.
Look for a link that says "Claim this business" or "Manage this profile." Use that. Do not start a new one.
Step 2: Use your real business name
Type your name the way it is on your truck, your invoice, and your license. Do not add "Best Roofer Stuart FL" to the name. It looks smart, but it breaks Google's rules, and it is a common reason profiles get suspended.
Step 3: Hide your address if you work from home
Most roofers go to the customer. Customers do not walk into the shop. If that is you, set the profile up as a service-area business. That lets you hide your street address from the public.
Google still needs a real address behind the scenes to verify you. A PO box or a virtual office does not count. Use the real place you work from, and keep it private on the listing.
Step 4: Pick the right category
Your main category tells Google what you are. For most roofers, "Roofing contractor" is the one. Add other categories only if they are true. If you do not do gutters, do not list gutters.
Step 5: List the towns you really serve
Google lets you list up to 20 service areas. Do not fill all 20 just because you can. Pick the towns where your trucks really go.
For a Stuart roofer, that list might look like this: Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Sewall's Point, Hobe Sound, and Port Salerno. If you also run jobs in Port St. Lucie, add it. If you never go to Vero Beach, leave it off.
Here is something owners often miss. Martin County gets its own map results. A shop based in St. Lucie County will often not show up when someone searches from downtown Stuart. That is just how distance works on a map. A good profile and good pages help. They do not erase the distance. We cover this on our Stuart page.
Step 6: Verify the profile
Google will ask you to prove you own the business. It might ask for a video, a code, or other proof. Follow the steps and use the real thing: your real truck, your real tools, your real work.
Until you are verified, you will not get much from the profile. Do this early.
Step 7: Add real photos
Use photos of your own work. A roof you replaced. Your crew. Your truck with your name on it. Skip stock photos. Homeowners can tell, and so can you.
Update them now and then. A profile with fresh photos looks like a shop that is still open.
Step 8: Ask for reviews the right way
Reviews are a big part of what people see on the map. Here is how to ask without getting in trouble.
- Ask every customer, not just the happy ones.
- Send a direct link to your review page right after the job.
- Never pay for reviews. Never write your own.
- Never offer a gift for a five-star review.
- Reply to every review. Say thanks to the good ones. Stay calm with the bad ones.
Do not "gate" reviews. That means asking "Were you happy?" first and only sending the link to people who say yes. Google and the FTC both frown on it.
Step 9: Make your website match
Your site and your profile should tell the same story. Same name. Same phone. Same towns. Put your phone number at the top of every page so it can be tapped on a phone.
Also, give your main towns their own page on your site. A Stuart page should talk about Stuart roofs, Stuart storms, and the work you do there. Do not copy and paste one page and swap the town name. Google sees through that, and so do homeowners.
Florida also has rules about showing your license number in contractor ads. Ask the state board, the DBPR, what applies to your license. Then put the number where people can see it.
Step 10: Answer the phone, or text back
Here is the part nobody talks about. You can do every step above and still lose the job. A homeowner taps your call button. You are on a roof. It rings out. They tap the next shop.
A missed-call text can save that job. It sends a short message to the caller so they know you got the call and will get back to them. We wrote about that in what happens to the calls you miss on a roof.
What we will not promise
We cannot promise that you will show up first. We cannot promise a number of calls. Google decides who shows up, and it changes how it decides. What you can control is the list above. Do it well, and keep doing it.
Want help with the Maps side? See our Google Maps listing service. Want to know how a shop shows up when people ask ChatGPT? That is AEO. Roofing is one of the trades we know best. Read about our work with roofing shops.
Quick checklist
- One profile, claimed, with your real name.
- Service-area setup, address hidden if you work from home.
- The right main category.
- Only the towns you really serve.
- Verified.
- Real photos.
- Reviews asked for the right way, and every one answered.
- A website that matches, with a page for each main town.
- A plan for the calls you miss.
The three first steps are below. Pick the one that fits today.