When a pipe bursts at night, the homeowner grabs a phone and searches. Most never scroll past the map results. For a water, fire or mold restoration company, the Google Business Profile is often the first and only thing that caller sees. A profile that looks closed, thin or out of date sends the job to the next company on the list.
Start with the primary category, because it carries the most weight. Pick the one that matches most of your revenue, which for many restorers is water damage restoration, then add secondary categories for fire, smoke and mold work only if you really do that work. Next, set your hours. Show open 24 hours only if a live person or answering service picks up every call, since a night call that hits voicemail goes to the next listing. Fill the Services section with each job type on its own line: water extraction, structural drying, sewage cleanup, smoke and soot cleanup, mold testing and removal, and board-up. Set your service area to the towns your trucks can reach quickly, not the whole state. Reviews come next. BrightLocal found 47% of consumers avoid businesses with fewer than 20 reviews, so get past that mark first. Ask at the final walkthrough, when the floors are dry and the family is relieved, and text the review link that same day. Ask them to mention the kind of damage and their town in their own words, and never offer a reward for a review. Reply to each one within a day or two, and keep claim details and dollar amounts out of your replies. Post new photos every week: trucks on site, air movers and dehumidifiers running, and before and after shots with no faces or house numbers. Use Google posts for freeze warnings, storm prep and mold tips after a wet month. If you mention insurance, keep it general. Say you document the damage with photos and moisture readings and can talk with the adjuster, but the insurer decides what is covered. Finally, link the profile to a matching page on your site rather than the home page, and use the same business name, address and phone number on Yelp, Angi, the BBB and your local chamber listing.