Guides / Lawn care · Updated 2026-11-09

How to set up a Google Business Profile for a lawn care or landscaping business

When a lawn needs mowing, homeowners search "lawn care near me" and call the first few names that look real. If you work from your truck and your home, the profile has to be set up differently from a shop's. This guide walks through it.

Why a service-area profile is different

You go to your customers; they do not come to you. Google's guidelines call this a service-area business: you get one profile for your business, you designate where you work, and you hide your address if it is a home address. Do not use a PO box, a virtual office or a rented mailbox as your address; those are not eligible. Your service area should stay within roughly two hours of driving time from where you are based, and a tighter area of the towns you actually serve usually reads as more honest and gets better matches.

Step 1: Claim or create the profile

1. Search for your business name on Google Maps while signed in to your business Google account. Claim it if a listing exists. If not, add the business from the Google Business Profile start page.
2. Business name only: "Green Edge Lawn Care", not "Green Edge Lawn Care Peoria Mowing Landscaping". Keywords in the name are against the rules and can get the profile suspended.
3. When asked whether customers visit a location, answer that you deliver or travel to customers, and choose to hide the address. Then add your service area.

Step 2: Choose your categories

Pick a primary category for the biggest part of your income. Common ones are Lawn care service and Landscaper. If you mostly mow and fertilize, choose Lawn care. If you build beds, patios or install plants, choose Landscaper. Secondary categories should reflect real services only, for example Tree service, Snow removal service or Lawn sprinkler system contractor if you provide those. Fewer, accurate categories beat a long list.

Step 3: Set your service area

Add the towns, ZIP codes or counties you really serve. Be specific; "the whole state" will look like spam and may be rejected. Update it when you take on a new route. If you also have a yard or office where you meet customers during staffed hours, that is a different setup (hybrid) and the address could be shown; for most one-truck businesses, hiding it is correct.

Step 4: Description

Say what you do, where, and how to reach you. Template (391 characters of the 750 allowed), replace the [brackets]:

[Business name] provides lawn mowing, edging, fertilizing and seasonal cleanup in [town], [town] and [town]. We are a local, [family/owner]-operated company with insured crews. Weekly and bi-weekly mowing plans, one-time cleanups and [snow plowing in winter]. Call or text for a free quote; we usually reply the same day. Serving homes and small businesses within about [15] miles of [town].

Only say "insured" or "licensed" if you are, and your state or city requires or issues what you describe. Do not claim a ranking, "cheapest" or guarantees you will not honor.

Step 5: Services with real descriptions

• Lawn mowing (weekly / bi-weekly) - what is included: mow, edge, trim, blow
• Fertilizing and weed control - number of visits per season
• Spring and fall cleanup - leaves, debris, bed cleanup
• Mulching and bed edging
• Aeration and overseeding
• Snow removal (if you do it)

Add a short line and a starting price or a "free quote" note for each. Quotes by photo or address check make the free-quote promise credible.

Step 6: Photos, and why before-and-afters win

Photos must be JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB, ideally 720 by 720 pixels, in focus and well lit; Google says they should represent reality, so no heavy filters. For lawn care: a logo, a clear photo of your truck and equipment with your name on it, finished lawns taken from the street, and before-and-afters of cleanups (get the owner's OK if a house number or a person is visible). Videos can be up to 30 seconds; a quick mowing-stripes clip works well. Add new photos each time you finish a job and have permission.

Step 7: Verify, then set honest hours

Verify with the option Google gives you (video, phone, email or postcard). Service businesses sometimes see a video-verification request that wants your vehicle, equipment and branding, so keep a signed truck or magnet sign visible. Then set hours: when you answer calls, not when your crew is out. Add seasonal hours and holiday exceptions, and update them in winter if you switch to snow removal or pause service.

Step 8: Reviews for a seasonal business

Ask each customer for a review after the first or second visit, not at the end of the season. Text them your review link. You cannot offer a discount for a review, filter for happy customers only, or write your own. Reply to all reviews; for a complaint about a missed mow, say sorry, say when you will fix it, and keep the rest offline. If a review is fake or about the wrong business, flag it in the dashboard rather than arguing publicly.

Step 9: A year of simple posts

Post twice a month during the season: a finished project photo, a seasonal reminder ("Fall cleanup slots open in [October]"), or a note about how you handle rainy weeks. In the off-season, post your winter services or booking dates for spring. Always include the Call button.