When someone types "house cleaner near me," Google doesn't show them a website first — it shows a map with a short list of local businesses, their photos, their star ratings, and their hours. Most people choose right there, from that box, often without clicking through to anyone's site. If you're not in that box, or your listing looks empty, you simply don't exist for that search. The good news: fixing that is free, and most of your competitors haven't bothered. This is how a cleaner turns a Google Business Profile into a steady source of work.
Why this is the highest-return free thing you can do
Local intent drives a huge share of search — roughly 46% of all Google searches are looking for something local (HookAgency). Those searchers overwhelmingly act on the map pack — the three businesses Google shows on the map — and a strong profile there gets chosen before anyone scrolls. Yet a large share of local businesses never fully claim or optimize their profile, which means simply doing it well puts you ahead of most of your competition at zero cost.
Step 1 — Claim and verify your profile
Go to Google Business Profile, search for your business, and claim it (or create it if it doesn't exist). Verify it — usually by phone, email, or video. Until it's verified, you can't control what shows, so do this first. Use your real business name, not a keyword-stuffed version like "Best Cheap Cleaning Near Me" — Google can suspend listings for that, and it looks amateur to customers.
Step 2 — Fill out every field
An empty profile loses to a complete one every time. Set your primary category to "House Cleaning Service" (and add relevant secondary categories like "Cleaning Service" or "Commercial Cleaning Service" if they apply). Add your phone number, hours, the services you offer with short descriptions, and a clear "from" price if you're comfortable. Completeness signals to Google that you're a real, active business — and it answers the exact questions a customer has before they call.
Step 3 — Photos do the selling
This is where most cleaners leave money on the table. Listings with photos get markedly more engagement — Google has reported that businesses with photos receive significantly more requests for directions and more clicks to their website than those without (). Add real before-and-after shots of your work, clean rooms, and a friendly photo of you. Real photos beat stock every time — they prove the work is yours and build the trust a stranger needs before handing over a key.
Luciano Rezende · Founder, CleanerFlow
Luciano founded CleanerFlow after years building tools for residential cleaning professionals. He writes about the economics of getting clients, pricing jobs, and running a cleaning business that lasts.
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