A general contractor in Montreal spent three weeks quoting a full basement renovation for a property manager, only to lose the job to a competitor whose Google Business Profile showed up first in French and had photos of finished basements in the exact style the client wanted. His own profile existed, but it had been set up in English only, years earlier, by an employee who no longer worked for him, and he had never gotten around to updating it. He had assumed the work would speak for itself once someone called, without realizing most people never got that far.
Matching the listing to who is actually searching
Canada runs on two main languages depending on the region, and a profile description, services list and even the business name as it appears on Google should reflect the language of the local audience. In Montreal that usually means having the core details in French, since a resident comparing three contractors for a basement job is likely typing the search in French and reading whichever description feels native rather than translated. The category still matters as much as the language: General contractor covers this kind of full renovation work correctly, while narrower trades doing specific jobs should pick something closer to what they actually do, Electrician, Plumber, Carpenter, rather than a broad label that buries them under bigger competitors. The same care applies to the business description itself, since a paragraph written for an English-speaking audience in Calgary reads as slightly off to a French-speaking client comparing quotes in Montreal, even when the translation is technically correct.
Claiming a profile instead of starting fresh
Whoever set up the listing originally, an old employee, a supplier, or Google's own automated data pull, the fix is claiming that existing profile rather than creating a second one under a slightly different spelling of the business name. Two listings for the same business split reviews between them and make it look, to a property manager checking credentials, like there are two different companies with a similar name and no way to tell which one is reliable. Merging the two, once ownership is verified with Google, is worth the short delay it takes rather than leaving both live indefinitely.
A review that needed a careful answer
One Toronto client, on a different job for the same contractor, left a review complaining that a kitchen renovation ran three weeks past the agreed date because of a delayed cabinet delivery. The contractor's reply explained exactly what happened and what changed as a result, without getting defensive, and a later reader commented that the honest response was part of why they booked the same crew. That kind of visible, calm handling of a complaint matters more in Canada than a wall of five-star reviews with no replies at all, since local customers do check whether a business responds before they call.
Photos and hours that reflect a real renovation timeline
A basement finished in drywall and trim, a kitchen mid-demolition next to the same kitchen complete, and the crew on site in work gear all tell a property manager more than a services list ever could. Hours are trickier for a general contractor than for a single-trade emergency callout, since most work is scheduled weeks ahead rather than urgent, but the profile should still show whether the business is currently booking new estimates or fully committed for the next month, especially when a big renovation job is running long and eating into time that would otherwise go to quoting new work. A property manager scheduling turnover work between tenants tends to move on quickly if a contractor's profile looks unavailable, so an honest note about current capacity saves both sides a wasted phone call.
Where customers actually look before calling
Canadian homeowners tend to search Google first, then split their attention between a second source, Yellow Pages Canada, which still does well for home services, Yelp Canada in the bigger cities, or a recommendation shared on social media. Keeping the business name, address and phone number identical across Google, Yellow Pages Canada and, for contractors chasing commercial or property management work, a B2B listing on Kompass Canada, avoids the exact confusion that cost the Montreal contractor his basement job in the first place.
How Kaptor helps here
Kaptor sets up the profile in the right language and category, watches for a review left without a reply or hours that no longer match reality, and keeps the business details consistent across the other platforms Canadian customers check. See also the building trades hub for Google Business Profile setup and the equivalent guide for building trades in Ireland.