Do I need a storefront to have a profile?
No. A shop, yard or equipment lot works. Verification needs a real location tied to your business, but if customers never visit, the address can be hidden and the profile shown as a service area business instead. Most paving companies run it that way, with the service area set to the towns their crews cover.
Should I mark the profile closed over the winter?
We do not recommend it. Closing the profile removes you from the map exactly when homeowners start researching spring driveway work and property managers plan next year's lot budget. Keep normal office hours, keep posting, and use the quiet months to book the front of your season instead of starting from zero in April.
Which primary category should a paving company use?
Usually paving contractor, with asphalt contractor, sealcoating and parking lot striping added as secondary categories where they apply. The primary carries the most weight, so it should match the work you want more of. If striping is a real revenue line, it belongs on the profile with photos of finished stalls.
Can you guarantee I show up in the map pack?
No, and nobody honestly can. Map results shift with distance, competition and how Google reads your profile. What we control is doing the work right: correct categories, a verified location, real photos, steady posts, review replies, and a website that agrees with the listing. Then we keep improving it every week.
How often should photos and posts go up?
During paving season, regularly. You are on jobs daily, so pulling a few shots each week costs nothing and keeps the profile looking like an active company. Posts work well when tied to timing: temperature windows opening, schedule filling, fall lot maintenance, striping before a tenant moves in.
Should commercial work have its own profile?
Only if it is a separate location with its own address and staff. Otherwise one profile carries both, with categories, services and linked pages that make commercial work obvious. A facility manager should see striping and lot paving on the listing, not have to guess whether you only do residential driveways.
What do I put in the Q&A section?
The questions you answer on every estimate. When can they drive on new asphalt. How long sealcoat needs to cure. Whether sealcoating will fix a sunken area. Whether you can pave a lot overnight so a business stays open. Clear answers there save your office calls and show you know the work.
What happens on the 15-minute call?
We build a demo of your paving website before we talk, so you are looking at something real instead of a pitch deck. On the call we go through your profile, your categories and service area, the pages you are missing, and what we would fix first. You decide from there.