When a homeowner searches "roofer near me" or "roof repair" plus their town, Google usually shows a map with three businesses before the normal results. Those three get the first look, and often the first call.
You cannot pay to be in that map pack, but you can earn your way in. Google says local results are based on relevance, distance and prominence. You cannot move your yard, so this guide is about the two you can change.
Step 1: finish your Google Business Profile properly
Most roofers set up a profile once and forget it. Go back and fill in everything.
- Main category: Roofer. Add extra categories only if they are real, such as roofing contractor or gutter cleaning service.
- Services. List every job you do: roof repairs, re-roofs, flat roofs, chimney repairs, leadwork, fascias and soffits, guttering. Add a short description to each.
- Service areas. Add the towns you actually cover. If you work from home, hide your address and show a service area instead.
- Hours and phone. Make sure they match your website exactly.
- Description. Say plainly what you do and where, in the words a homeowner would use.
Step 2: make reviews part of every job
Reviews are the biggest trust signal a homeowner sees, and roofing is a trade people are nervous about. BrightLocal's 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey, based on a US sample, found that:
- 97% of people read reviews for local businesses.
- 68% will only use a business rated 4 stars or more.
- 74% only care about reviews from the last three months.
- 47% will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews.
- 89% expect the owner to reply to reviews.
The habits that work:
- Ask on the day the job is finished, while the customer is pleased.
- Send your review link by WhatsApp or text, so it is one tap away.
- Reply to every review, good or bad, briefly and politely, and mention the job and town where it fits naturally.
Step 3: post real photos every week
Before-and-after shots, drone photos and pictures of the finished ridge show you are active and that the work is yours. Upload a few after each job. Name the files sensibly, for example new-slate-roof-headingley.jpg, before you upload them to your website.
Step 4: back it up with your website
Your profile links to your website, and Google looks at both. Give each main service its own page, such as flat roofs or chimney repairs, and add pages for the main towns you cover with real jobs you have done there. Avoid copying the same page and swapping the town name, because it reads badly to people and to Google.
Make sure every page loads fast on a phone and has a tap-to-call button at the top.
Step 5: show up in AI answers too
More homeowners now ask ChatGPT or Google's AI Overviews to recommend a roofer or explain what a job should cost. BrightLocal found 45% of people now use AI tools to find reviews. Clear service pages, honest price guides and a FAQ section that answers real questions give those tools something to quote.
What to do this week
- Check your main category, services and service areas.
- Send a review request to your last ten customers.
- Upload photos from your last three jobs.
Want us to look at it for you? Ask for a free 15-minute lead audit and we will tell you what is holding your profile back.