Short answer: electricians are the furthest behind of the three big trades on Google Maps. In our study of 777 listings across 10 UK cities, 68.7% of electricians had fewer than 10 Google reviews, 27.4% had none at all and 27.4% did not appear to have claimed their profile. For an electrician willing to fix those gaps, that makes it easier to stand out than in almost any other trade.
The figures come from The UK Trades Google Gap 2026, our research into Google Maps listings for roofers, plumbers and electricians, using public data retrieved on 7 October 2026. Here is what we found for electricians, why it matters and what to do about it.
How do electricians compare with roofers and plumbers on Google?
We analysed 259 electrician listings within 10 km of the centre of London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool, Bristol, Sheffield, Newcastle and Cardiff, alongside 267 roofers and 251 plumbers.
- Fewer than 10 reviews: electricians 68.7%, roofers 61.8%, plumbers 56.2%.
- No reviews at all: electricians 27.4%, roofers 19.9%, plumbers 18.3%.
- Median reviews: electricians 4, roofers 5, plumbers 6.
- No website on the listing: electricians 34.4%, roofers 30.0%, plumbers 30.7%.
- Not claimed by the owner: electricians 27.4%, roofers 27.7%, plumbers 14.3%.
Each trade figure rests on 251 to 267 listings, so treat the gaps between trades as indicative. But the direction is clear: on reviews, electricians are behind on every measure we checked.
Why does this matter for an electrical business?
Customers cannot judge your wiring before they book you. They judge what they can see on Google: how many reviews you have, how recent they are, whether you look established and whether there is a website showing your registration and your work.
When more than a quarter of the electricians a customer might call have no reviews at all, a firm with 20 recent, detailed reviews looks like the safe choice. The same applies to landlords looking for an EICR, homeowners booking a consumer unit upgrade or someone comparing EV charger installers. Trust is the deciding factor, and on Google, reviews and a complete profile are how trust shows.
What should an electrician fix first?
1. Claim and complete your Google Business Profile
More than one in four electrician listings in our sample were not claimed. An unclaimed profile means you cannot reply to reviews, add photos, set your hours or choose your services. Google explains how to take control in Add or claim your Business Profile, and it is free.
Once it is yours, choose “Electrician” as your main category, list each service you actually offer (fault finding, rewires, consumer unit upgrades, EICRs, EV charger installation, lighting) and set the areas you cover.
2. Get to 10 reviews, then keep going
Ask every customer on the day the job is finished, and text them your review link the same day. Google recommends sharing a direct link or QR code in its tips to get more reviews. Never offer a discount or anything else in return: Google prohibits it, and since April 2025 concealed incentivised reviews have been a banned practice under UK consumer law, as the government’s guidance for businesses explains.
3. Show your registration
If you are NICEIC or NAPIT registered, say so in your profile description and on your website, and use the logo where your scheme allows it. Careful customers look for it, and it separates you from the unknown names on the map.
4. Add real photos every month
Across all three trades, 45.9% of the listings we analysed had fewer than 5 photos. A neat consumer unit, a tidy charger install or a finished lighting job does more for trust than any stock image. Add two or three each month from real jobs.
5. Link a proper website
Over a third of electrician listings showed no website. Across the whole study, listings with a website had a median of 9 reviews against 2 for those without. That shows the two go together rather than proving one causes the other, but a clear website with your services, areas, registration and phone number gives customers somewhere to check you out before they ring.
Is Google Local Services Ads worth it for electricians?
Electricians are one of the UK trades Google offers Local Services Ads for. These ads appear above the normal results with the Google Verified badge, and you pay when a customer contacts you rather than for each click. Reviews still matter here: Google says the reviews on your ad include reviews from your Google Business Profile, so the work above helps your ads as well as your free listing. Our Google Local Services Ads service explains how we set them up and manage them.
The opportunity for electricians
The gap is an opportunity. If most electricians near you have a handful of reviews, an unclaimed or half-finished profile and no website, the bar is low. A month of asking every customer for a review, a properly set-up profile and a few good photos can move you ahead of most of the businesses customers are comparing you with.
We help electrical firms do exactly that. See how on our SEO for electricians page, or get a free Google profile check and we will send you the three things we would fix first.
About the author: Andrew Heppinstall is the founder of Unavoidable Marketing, a Leeds agency that helps UK trades and local service businesses win work through Google Local Services Ads, SEO and paid search. His article “What makes Google ads effective?” appeared on the Business Matters page of PHAM News in September 2026.