The Google Maps Pack is the three businesses that show up in the local results when someone searches for a service in their city. For a trade in Metro Vancouver, getting in there is usually the difference between a steady stream of calls and a phone that barely rings. Here is what actually moves a trades business into the Maps Pack, in plain terms.
Claim and Properly Set Up the Google Business Profile
This sounds basic, and it is, but most of the trades businesses we audit have a half-finished GBP. The primary category is wrong or too broad. The services list is empty. There are no photos. The hours are outdated. Each of these is a signal Google uses to decide whether your listing is reliable enough to show in the Maps Pack at all. Spend a focused hour fixing them.
Pick the Right Primary Category
The single most important field on your GBP is the primary category. A roofer should be set as Roofing Contractor, not Construction Company. A plumber should be Plumber, not Service Establishment. The wrong category alone can keep an otherwise solid business out of the Maps Pack permanently.
Get Real Reviews Consistently
Volume of recent reviews matters more than total reviews. A business with 30 reviews from the past year usually outranks one with 100 reviews from five years ago. The fastest way to build that volume is to ask for the review the same day the job ends, by text, with a direct review link. Most owners think reviews come in passively. They do not.
Have a Site That Backs Up the GBP
Google looks at your website to confirm what your GBP claims. The address, phone number, services, and service areas should all match between the two. A site with neighbourhood-level pages for the parts of Metro Vancouver you actually work in tells Google your local relevance is real, not invented for the listing.
Build Citations on the Directories That Matter
Citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on other websites. Google uses these to verify that your business exists and is consistent. The directories that actually move the needle in BC are Google itself, Bing, Apple Maps, Yelp, Yellow Pages Canada, and a small number of trade-specific directories depending on your category. Forget the lists of 200 random submissions.
Be Patient With the Timeline
For a trades business in Metro Vancouver, expect 60 to 120 days for meaningful Maps Pack movement. Vancouver itself is the slowest at the high end of that range. Coquitlam, Surrey, Langley, and the Fraser Valley tend to move faster because the competitive bar is lower. Anyone promising you Maps Pack results in 30 days is either lying or chasing a non-competitive search.
Keep Doing the Boring Work
Once you are in the Maps Pack, staying there is about consistency. Posting regularly to the GBP, asking for reviews on every job, keeping the photos current, and updating the services list when your business changes. Most businesses that lose their Maps Pack ranking lose it because they stopped doing the ongoing work, not because a competitor outranked them.
What to Do This Week
Open your GBP. Fix the primary category, fill in the services list, add five new photos, and send a review request to the last three customers you finished a job for. That alone will move the needle on most trades businesses in Metro Vancouver inside of a month.
If you want a free audit of where your GBP stands today and what is holding it back, we do those for local trades and service businesses across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. No pitch, no obligation, just an honest look at what is and is not working.