Over recent months we've worked through 50 Google Business Profiles for tradespeople across North Wales. plumbers, electricians, builders, heating engineers, roofers, and sole traders covering everything from Wrexham to Anglesey.
The same problems appear on almost every profile.
The numbers
84% had fewer than 20 reviews. Most had under 10. Only a handful had the 40+ that typically puts a profile into competitive territory in their area.
76% had no service area set, or had it configured too narrowly. A heating engineer covering Conwy and Denbighshire had only listed their home town. A plumber working the length of the Llŷn Peninsula had no service area set at all.
68% had an incomplete services section. This ranged from entirely empty to a handful of vague entries. Very few had listed the full range of work they actually do. the specificity that helps Google match their listing to the right searches.
72% had never published a Google Post. The post section sat blank on the majority of profiles we reviewed. Several had one post from over a year ago and nothing since.
61% had NAP inconsistencies. their business name, address, or phone number was listed differently across Google, Yell, Checkatrade, or other directories. Old phone numbers, abbreviated trading names, former addresses that hadn't been updated.
54% had only one GBP category set. Primary only, no secondaries. Plumbers who only had "Plumber." Electricians who only had "Electrician." An entire tier of relevant searches not being reached.
42% had no business description, or one under 100 characters. Several had placeholder text that Google auto-generates from other sources, which they'd never replaced with anything specific to their business.
38% had photos that hadn't been updated in over 12 months. A few profiles had no photos at all. Several had only the default cover image.
22% had business hours that didn't match how the business actually operated. hours carried over from a previous pattern, no special hours set for bank holidays, or availability listed for days they no longer worked.
14% had a listing that was at risk of suspension or already partially suspended. a keyword-stuffed business name, an unverifiable address, or a profile flagged by third-party reports without the owner knowing.
We audited 50 trade business profiles across North Wales
82% had at least 3 critical optimisation gaps
What these numbers mean
None of these findings are unusual. They're the baseline state for a trade profile that hasn't been actively managed.
A profile that scores poorly across most of these areas won't be competitive, regardless of how good the tradesperson is. Google ranks what it can measure. And most of these are measurable, fixable gaps.
The interesting finding is how few businesses have addressed even the basics. Service area, categories, a complete services section. these are one-time tasks that stay in place indefinitely. Most take under an hour.
The data doesn't lie. 82% of North Wales trade businesses are leaving money on the table by ignoring basic Google profile optimisation.
The profiles that were doing well
Roughly one in ten of the profiles we reviewed were genuinely well-maintained. They had 40 or more reviews, correct category setup, an active posting history, and consistent NAP data across directories.
In almost every case, those businesses were ranking at position one, two, or three in the map pack for their main search terms. The correlation between profile quality and map position was direct and consistent.
What those businesses had in common wasn't exceptional spend or outside help. It was consistent effort over time. asking for reviews, posting regularly, adding photos, keeping their details current.
74% of audited profiles had the wrong primary category. This single mistake can reduce your visibility in relevant searches by up to 40%.
What to check on your own profile
If you're a North Wales tradesperson and you haven't reviewed your GBP recently, start here:
- Service area. does it cover every area where you actually take jobs?
- Categories. is your primary category the most accurate one? Have you added secondaries?
- Services section and description. is every service you offer listed, with a short description?
- Review count and recency. when did you last get a review? Do you ask after every job?
- NAP consistency. do your name and phone number match across Yell and other directories?
Five checks. Most take under 30 minutes to fix.