Use Painter or Painting as your main category, whichever the businesses above you use. List interior, exterior, cabinets and commercial work separately. Photograph every job before and after, from the same position. Ask for the review at the final walk-through.
How customers search for painting contractors
These are the searches that produce calls in this trade. Each one has a different value and a different level of competition.
| Search | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| painters near me | The largest search. The customer then compares photos. |
| interior painting | Steady volume through the year, and higher in bad weather. |
| exterior painting | Seasonal volume, and the highest price per job. |
| cabinet painting | Growing volume, high price, and few companies list it. |
| commercial painting | Larger contracts and repeat customers. |
| deck staining | Seasonal work that fills the schedule between large jobs. |
Your categories
Main category: Painter
Google has both Painter and Painting. They perform differently in different areas. Look at the three businesses above you and use the same one.
Additional categories to consider:
- Painting
- Commercial painting service
- Cabinet maker
- Drywall contractor
Use our category finder to confirm, and read the category guide for the method to change a category safely.
The services to list
Add each service as a separate item. Use the words that customers type, not the words that the trade uses. This list covers most companies in this trade.
- Interior painting
- Exterior painting
- Cabinet painting
- Cabinet refinishing
- Deck staining
- Fence staining
- Pressure washing
- Drywall repair
- Popcorn ceiling removal
- Wallpaper removal
- Commercial painting
- Epoxy floor coating
- Color consultation
Write one or two sentences for each service. Add a price or a price range if you publish prices.
Hours and availability
Painting customers call during business hours and expect an estimate within two days. Set normal hours and answer quickly. Speed to the estimate wins more jobs in this trade than price.
The photos to take
Take these six photos. Each one answers a question that a customer asks before the call.
- One wall before and after, from the same position and the same light
- A finished kitchen with painted cabinets, close view of the doors
- A full exterior of a house, from the street
- A close view of a cut line at a ceiling or a trim edge
- Floors and furniture covered before the work starts
- The crew in uniform at a job site
Add three to five photos each week. Our photo audit shows the gaps on your listing.
Your review system
Ask each customer on the day of the job. Send a direct link in a text message. Ask one time, then send one reminder after three days.
Use our review link builder for the link, and the request template for your trade. Answer each review with the reply writer.
Do not offer a discount or a gift for a review. Do not ask only the customers that you think are satisfied. Google and the FTC prohibit both practices.
Your posting plan
Post one time each week. These are the messages that work in this trade.
Spring
Post about exterior work as soon as the weather allows. Customers book early.
Summer
Post about heat and humidity, and the best time of day for exterior coats.
Fall
Post about interior work and holiday deadlines. This is the best interior season.
Winter
Post about cabinets and interior projects during bad weather.
Suspension risks for painting contractors
These are the mistakes that remove listings in this trade.
- A city name in the business name.
- Stock photos of painted rooms. Customers recognize them immediately.
- A listing at a storage unit or a supply address.
- House numbers visible in exterior photos. Remove them before you upload.
- Two listings from a company name change.
Examine your business name with our free name checker.
What your website must do
Google reads your website when it selects the businesses for the map. Three things matter most.
- One page for each main service, with the words that customers use.
- The same business name, address and telephone number as your listing.
- A page for each area that you serve, with real local detail.
See local SEO for your website.
An example of the work in order
A painting company with three crews. This is an example that shows the order of the work. It is not a client report.
- The company had 40 photos, and all of them were finished rooms with no before photo.
- The corrections: before-and-after pairs from each job, cabinet painting added as a service and a category, one post for each finished job with the neighborhood named, and a review request at the final walk-through.
- The measurement: calls and direction requests each month, compared with the same month last year.
Your checklist
- Main category set to Painter
- Additional categories added for regular services only
- Each service listed separately, in customer words
- Business name is the real name, with no extra words
- Hours are correct, and they match the telephone that you answer
- Service area covers the places that you drive to
- At least 15 real photos, and new photos each week
- A review request sent to each customer on the day of the job
- Each review answered within 48 hours
- The same business name, address and telephone number on other websites