Do you have a Google Business Profile but have only done the bare bones? Here’s some tips to turn it into a strong profile that wins more traffic and more customers.
Why Bother To Improve Your Google Business Profile?
There’s solid evidence that an optimized Google Business Profile can make potential customers choose your company over your competitors. Furthermore, there are other benefits to improving your business presence on Google. Let’s take a closer look at some of them.
A Better Optimized Google Business Profile Can Improve Engagement
Year after year, the percentage of Google search engine users who find what they need without exiting Google to go to another website grows. This happens because of the rich snippets and other useful information Google displays for the most lucrative search queries. Since consumers find their answer directly on Google, there’s no wonder we experience a phenomenon known as “zero-click searches.” Your Google Business Profile is your best chance to boost your engagement and your conversion rates without having to spend a fortune on PPC campaigns.
Get Better Local Search Rankings
Relevance and proximity are only two of Google’s local search ranking factors. Your activity and quality of the information you publish on your Google Business Profile are also part of this search ranking algorithm. By optimizing your business profile, you can gain more out of your SEO efforts. In addition, the higher you rank, the better your visibility and your engagement rates.
Briefly, by optimizing your Business Profile, you increase your chances to rank higher in Google Maps and in the SERPs.
If you want to know whether you’re missing such opportunities, contact us right now for a free SEO audit!
Boost Your Conversion Rate
A dull Google Business Profile won’t entice potential customers to contact you or to buy anything from you. It will simply allow them to see the exact location of your business and to read your customer reviews, if any. In fact, in order to see even these bits of information, search engine users would need to type in the name of your business (how creative can you get when you seek for a name for your business?). On the contrary, an optimized Google Business Profile would help your business to appear in a wide array of industry-related searches, and would enable your potential customers to call you directly, to request a quote, to make a reservation, or to set an appointment. You can keep tabs on such data by using Google Analytics and UTMs.
How To Set Up A Google Business Profile For Your Company
- Create A Google Account And Sing In To Google Business Profile Manager
If you already have a Google account, you can sign in directly and you’ll be logged in automatically.
- Add Your Business To Google
When prompted, enter your business name in the dedicated box. If the drop-down doesn’t show this name, add it yourself, making sure to select the appropriate category.
- Enter Your Location
You’ll get prompted to specify whether you have a physical address for your business or not.If you do, choose Yes. The next step is to add this address or to position the location marker on the map. If there’s no physical address where your clients can visit you, simply list your service areas instead.
If you don’t add a physical address, you’ll get prompted to indicate the region your business serves. Pick the relevant item from the drop-down menu and click Next.
- Add Your Contact Information
Add your website address and your phone number where people can reach you. If you’d rather have them send you messages, don’t enter a phone number.
When you’re done entering the information, select Next to move on to the following step of the process.
- Verify Your Business
You should provide a real physical address for your business. A P.O. box won’t do. Google uses this information to verify your business by mailing you a postcard containing a code; they don’t share this address with the public and they don’t showcase it on your Google Business Profile.
- Add Relevant Information To Your Profile
Add your business hours, your business description, your products, and photos of your offices. You’ll see in the second part of our article how to make use of such details in order to optimize your profile.
When you’re done, click Continue to access your Business Profile Manager dashboard.
What Is Google My Business Profile Manager?
This dashboard is the only tool you need to customize your business profile, to view insights, to manage your customer reviews, and to add products and calls to action. This is also the place where you can start creating Google ads for your PPC campaigns.
How To Boost Your Google My Business Ranking
How would you like to take your Google My Business page to the next level? The following tips can help you do exactly that. Feel free to use them to optimize your profile and to boost its rankings.
- Enter Your Full Details And Keep Them Up-To-Date
You should ensure your Google My Business Profile is always actual and that all important information appears on the local search results panel for your business. Always check it and update it via your Google My Business dashboard.
Here’s the information that should appear on your Google My Business page:
- Business Name
- Phone Number
- Address (if you do have a physical location where customers can visit you)
- Website (link this to your homepage)
- Hours of operation
- Business categories
- Check That Your GMB Listing Appears On Google Maps
Did you know that most businesses in the US get about a quarter of their total views from Maps-based search results?
By having your business listed on Google Maps, with clear and complete contact information, you enable Google users to find you and to reach out to you with ease. This is why it is very important to keep this information updated with your latest details.
- Claim And Verify Your Business Listing
More often than not, Google asks for this verification right off the bat, when you create your profile. Nonetheless, you should check whether your business appears as verified and as belonging to you. If not, you should claim it right away.
By verifying your business listing, you make it appear authentic and you help improving its visibility in search.
In addition, you may want to consider getting your business Google Guaranteed. While this isn’t a free option, it could help your business a lot, as it would give you a boost of credibility.
- Add Photos To Your Google My Business Profile
According to some statistics, businesses that have photos are able to drive about 35% more clicks than those that only use text. Upload photos of your offices, of your team, and of your best products. Keep them actual and relevant to your business categories.
The average GMB showcases 11 images. These visuals help adding trust and legitimacy to their owners.
The more authentic you appear, the more potential customers will feel motivated to engage with your business. High-quality photos speak volumes about your qualities, so make sure you put them to good use.
- Add A Q&A Section
The GMB dashboard allows you to invite users to submit inquiries about your business. Both you and other users can answer these questions.
Expert Tip: Keep tabs on incoming questions and answer them as soon as possible. This helps avoid the risk that other users provide wrong, fake, or irrelevant information. Moreover, by showing that you’re active, you may get an SEO bonus, as this is one of the ranking signals Google’s algorithm uses.
- Keep Your Business Profile Updated With Your Latest Offers
Just as you do with your social media profiles, you can update your GMB page with your special offers, latest products and best offers. You can even display your latest blog posts, as well as inks to your website and calls to action.
Your newest posts will appear as Updates by the bottom of your profile page. For best results, you should keep a consistent posting schedule, in order to benefit from regular engagement from viewers. Also, align your marketing campaigns with these postings and make sure you always end them with a strong CTA to drive higher engagement rates.
- Ask For Reviews And Respond To Them
Most of us read reviews before making any purchase on the internet. Google knows very well that reviews have a tremendous power when it comes to influencing the consumer behavior.
Don’t be afraid to ask your happy customers to leave you a brief review and a rating on your GMB profile. Just send them the link to the reviews section to ease their task.
Conclusion
Judging by the invested effort, Google considers local business profiles extremely important. Why not take advantage of this free tool to acquire more paying customers and to build a solid online presence for your business?