When someone's car breaks down or gets damaged, they search on their phone and call one of the first workshops they see on the map. Your Google Business Profile decides whether that's you. Here's what matters for a mechanic, panel beater or smash repairer's profile, what usually holds it back, and how we set it up.
The basics come first
A profile has to be claimed and verified before it does anything for you. Our article on listing your business on Google explains what's involved. The name on it should be your real trading name, exactly as it appears on your signage. Adding suburbs or keywords to the name breaks Google's guidelines and can get a listing suspended.
Categories decide which searches you show up for
Your main category is one of the strongest signals Google uses for the map results. It tells Google whether you're a panel and paint shop, a mechanical workshop or something else, and so which searches you're considered for.
It's easy to get wrong. Panel and paint work and mechanical servicing sit under different categories, the closest fit isn't always the obvious one, and adding categories for work you only do occasionally dilutes what Google thinks you're best at. The wrong choice can keep you off the map for the very jobs you want most.
Services matter too. People search for the job they need done, not just "mechanic", and a profile that lists each service gives Google more to match against.
Photos are where workshops win
Customers want to see the quality of your work before they hand over their car. Real photos of finished cars, your workshop and your shopfront do that, and help people recognise you when they arrive. Stock images, or photos of damage without the finished result, don't build the same trust.
Wrong hours cost you customers
Opening hours need to be exact, including Saturdays and public holidays. A customer who drives over and finds the roller door down won't come back. The same goes for a phone number nobody answers during the day.
Reviews help you rank and get chosen
The best moment to ask is when the customer picks up their car and is happy with the job. Replies matter too: a polite reply, even to an unfair review, shows future customers how you deal with problems. Our article on getting more Google reviews covers the rules.
Back it up with your website
Google checks your profile against your website. A site with a page for each service, your address and phone number matching the profile, and a simple way to send photos for a quote gives Google and customers the same clear picture. That's what we built for H&H Smash Repairs in Slacks Creek. See our websites for mechanics and smash repairers page for more.
How we set it up for workshops
When we look after a workshop's Google Business Profile, we:
- Claim and set up your profile, and help you through verification.
- Find the best-fit primary category for the work that brings you the most jobs, with secondary categories only for work you genuinely do.
- Complete your services, hours and description, and add real photos of finished work, with number plates blurred.
- Match your details exactly to your website, and link the profile to your quote page.
- Give you a review request link and a short message to send when customers pick up their cars.
- Keep the profile active with monthly posts on our care plan.
See our Google Business Profile service, or book a free website health check and we'll tell you what's holding your listing back.
Want it set up for you?
We set up Google Business Profiles and websites for workshops in Brisbane and Logan. Book a free website health check or call us, and we'll look at your listing.
This article is general information only and isn't legal, financial or technical advice for your situation. Questions? Talk to us.