01 / Pick an owner for the work
Compare in-house work, software, and a service.
Start with a person and a routine, not a feature list. Google says Business Profile is available at no charge, while third-party providers may charge a management fee. A paid provider is a choice about help and scope; it is not a fee to Google for the profile itself.
Google sources: Tips for working with third parties · Business Profile third-party policies
02 / Make the work visible
Price the time as well as the tool or service.
Profile care is recurring work. List who checks business details, handles review follow-up, approves changes, and prepares reports. Then estimate how much time your own team would spend each week and who covers the work during busy roofing periods.
Ask every provider to separate included work from add-ons: profile edits, posts, review requests, replies, support, and reporting. Get the fee, billing cadence, and cancellation terms in writing before granting access.
Google sources: Tips for working with third parties · Business Profile third-party policies
03 / Keep the owner in control
Treat profile access as part of the purchase.
Keep the roofing company’s owner or co-owner attached to the Business Profile. Give only necessary people access through Google’s role settings, review permissions from time to time, and ask a provider to explain how access is removed when service ends. Google’s policy says the business keeps ownership or co-ownership and must be able to discontinue a third-party relationship and regain control. The policy says the provider must make this possible within seven business days after notice.
Google sources: Business Profile third-party policies · Help protect your Google Business Profile
A credible provider should ask the owner to authorize specific work. Don’t hand over your Google password, one-time codes, or recovery details; Google warns businesses to be cautious of impersonation and access requests they do not recognize.
Google sources: Help protect your Google Business Profile · Business Profile third-party policies
04 / Protect review integrity
Ask exactly how requests, replies, and complaints are handled.
A sound process asks customers for honest feedback without screening for likely positive responses. Google does not allow incentives for reviews or selectively soliciting positive reviews. Have the provider explain who sends requests, what a neutral request looks like, who approves replies, and how a difficult complaint is escalated.
Google sources: Google Maps fake engagement policy · Tips to get more Google reviews
Be wary of anyone selling reviews, filtering out unhappy customers, or promising to remove a review simply because it is negative. Google says only reviews that violate its policies are eligible for removal; disagreement or dislike alone is not enough. Reporting a review does not guarantee that Google will remove it.
Google sources: Google Maps fake engagement policy · Report inappropriate reviews
05 / Measure what the data says
Separate profile activity from roofing outcomes.
Google Business Profile performance can report searches, views, and actions such as call-button clicks, direction requests, and website clicks. Google says the data can include both organic results and Google Ads. A click is an activity count: it does not by itself confirm an answered call, a qualified estimate, or a booked roof job.
Google sources: Understand Business Profile performance · Business Profile third-party policies
Ask for reporting that labels Google Business Profile data separately from other platforms. Agree on a baseline and comparable date ranges, then use your call records or job system to check whether inquiries became estimates and booked work. Treat that as business tracking, not proof that a profile change caused the result. No provider can promise a Google ranking or continuous placement.
Google sources: Business Profile third-party policies · Tips for working with third parties
06 / Company information
RafterBeacon’s published roofing service.
The following details describe RafterBeacon’s own offer. They are company information, not independent market research or a comparison with other providers.
RafterBeacon · U.S. roofing companies
Setup, then month-to-month profile care.
- One-time Google Business Profile review and cleanup
- Weekly profile posts using roofing photos supplied by the team
- Review requests after completed jobs
- Replies to every review within 48 hours
- A monthly activity report covering profile calls, direction requests, and review count
These are RafterBeacon service fees, not charges for Google Business Profile. Service is billed month to month. See the full service details.
Source notes
Official Google guidance behind this article.
These primary sources support the Google policy and metric descriptions above. Google may update product controls and policy text, so check the current guidance before a consequential profile change.