How To Boost Google My Business Profile To Get 40% More Exposure | Google Business Profile | GBP Listing | SEO Guide | Must Read
How To Boost Google My Business Profile To Get 40% More Exposure - Must Read
You can use this guide to optimize their Google Business Profile (GBP) for the best search visibility on related queries by motivated customers around them.
Google Business Profile (GBP) is a free feature from Google that helps business owners manage their online presence across the search engine and its growing portfolio of utilities, including Google Maps.
Firstly, creating a Google Business Profile (GBP) is the starting step to local search success. And for good reason.
Google Business Profile (GBP) offers the greatest impact for brands seeking local exposure. A feature like Google’s Local Search emphasizes the need for a Google Business Profile (GBP) for both established and new businesses.
Google Business Profiles: The Basics
It gives a list of businesses (you searched for) nearby and a lot of information needed to find a specific business like:
- Business address.
- Category.
- Business hours.
- Reviews.
Once a new profile is created, then it gives a Google Maps location. That synchronizes with traditional Google Search for searchability and ease of access.
It certainly helps that the clear majority of organic searches come from Google – around 90% of worldwide search engine market share.
It also shows the value of an effective local SEO and Google Business Profile (GBP).
Use this procedure to ensure you’ve completed your Google Business Profile correctly and optimized all possible facets of the tool. Doing this will also give the leverage for your business on Google and third-party platforms that use the Google Maps API to generate location info for users.
If digital marketing is a somewhat new endeavor for you and your business, there are a few basics to know. And it’s good to understand Google Business Profiles (GBP) and the value Google Business Profiles offered.
Using Google Business Profile is free. No, a Google Business Profile doesn’t replace your business’s website.
Google Business Profiles (GBP) complement a brand’s already-existing website(s) by giving it a public identity and presence with a profile on Google. The information about a business through GBP can appear in Google Maps and Search Maps.
Any third-party platform utilizing the Google Maps API will also show GBP regardless of the device type used to search.
If you’ve previously used certain Google tools to complement your business, or your business has been operating for a while, chances are your business is already listed on GBP.
Google Places for Business, Google My Business, and the Google+ Pages Dashboard were the better ways to manage your business info previously.
These have automatically upgraded to Google’s universal platform, GBP.
Starting Your Google Business Profile
The first step to getting your GBP up and running is to conduct a Google search to make sure your business doesn’t already have one.
You can also use Google’s in-platform search feature to locate your business on Google Business Profiles.
If your business has been around for a while, it likely already has a Google Business Profiles, and you just need to claim it.
Once it is claimed successfully, you can manage the information as if you started the Google Business Profiles yourself.
If there is a profile for your business already, it will notify you.
- Start with the official business name before inputting more vital information then input your main business category.
- You can add and change to this later, but this is a hard part of completing your brand page.
- Make sure to find the related category for your business.
- There are a lot of variations from where you can choose, but there should be at least one that summarizes your business best and accurately.
- Then it will ask whether you want to add a location customers can visit, like an office or store.
- This is precious information since many businesses operate as service-area businesses and do not need or allow customers at the brick-and-mortar location. In these instances, the particular location of the business will not show up on Google Maps.
However, the business will still show up for related searches in its service area.
- For those businesses that operate in a particular service area and don’t want the actual location to show up in Maps, select the service area that is related to the business.
- You can then add contact info. for the business, including the contact number and the present website URL.
- For businesses with that brick-and-mortar location that people can visit during business hours, you must add the business address next.
- Once set the address, GBP will ask whether you “also service customers out of the location?” or not.
- It lets you set where and how far the business is willing to physically appear to deliver services or goods.
- If yes, you’ll be able to go through the same service-area business details.
- You can change or add service area details at any time.
- If you don’t service customers outside the brick-and-mortar, select “No”, then input contact info. on the next prompt.
And then Now, you can then click Next to verify the profile.
Verifying Your Google Business Profile
Now, you need to verify your Google Business Profile (GBP). This is done by postcard by mail, which takes up to five working days. It proves to Google that you can do and managed, in fact, represent the business you claim for.
Verifying your business is important for the performance of the profile and visibility. It’s vital to know that Google won’t display your business and its edits until the business gets verified.
- You can’t access page insights, analytical information, or business reviews from the back end without verifying your business.
- The verification process typically takes less than 7 days.
- Google will send you a verification code postcard which you have to use to verify your profile, and then your business will officially be live.
- After you confirm the verification, you can add some other additional details about your business, including business hours, a business description, business messaging options, and images.
Publishing Your Google Business Profile
Once you are done with this process, you will be taken to GBP Manager, where you can modify your details and manage your business profile.
Here are a few basic but important tips for optimizing your profile:
Enter Complete Data For Your Profile
- Local search results favor the most related results for searches.
- Businesses offering detailed and accurate information will be easier to serve in search.
Don’t leave anything to be assumed or guessed.
- Ensure your profile communicates or expresses what your business does, where it is, and how it can get the goods and services that your business is offering.
Include Keywords
Just like traditional website Search Engine Optimisation, Google uses different types of signals to serve search results. It includes important search phrases and keywords to your business profile that will be highly helpful, especially since your business website is listed directly within your Google Business Profiles.
- Use these in the business description and each time you post a Local Post to your visitors
Keep Business Operating Hours Accurate
It is important to put your business hours, but it’s also important to update them whenever they change. Google offers the ability to customize hours for holidays and some other special events.
- It must always be updated to put your site accurate and audience happy.
Add Photos
Photos will help business profiles’ performance more than most business marketers and owners probably expect.
Businesses with pictures on their profiles receive 35% more click-throughs to their websites and 42% more requests for driving directions on Google Maps than businesses without pictures, according to Google.
Manage & Respond To Customer Reviews
Interacting with customers by responding to their reviews shows that your business values its customers and the feedback that they put regarding it. Positive reviews are going to give a positive effect on potential customers when they are researching your business.
That also increases your business’s visibility in search results.
Encourage customers to give feedback by creating a link, where they can click to write reviews for your business.
Let Customers Message You
It can be somewhat inconvenient at times, but messages to and from customers are only available through the GBP app.
- To do so, tap Customers -> Messages -> Turn on through the app.
- Once enabled, customers can message businesses through their Business Profiles with the Message button.
- Messages can have customized auto-replies to welcome customers to incoming messages. This helps with the visibility and responsiveness of the business since response times won’t suffer as badly.
- For maximum visibility and performance through the Google Business Profile, it’s hard to keep message response time under 1 day (24 hours). But always faster is better.
Customers don’t wanna wait for answers, and oftentimes a fast reply is a difference between a non-customer and a customer.
Use Local Posts
You can publish products, events, services, and offers directly to Google Search and Maps through posts on GBP. Posts will let you engage more with your audience and keep your presence fresh on Google. And they can be sent on the go from either a tablet, computer, or phone.
Use The Special Attributes
Newer features to Google Business Profiles allow Black-owned and women-led businesses to be highlighted on their profile. These also allow for other features.
If the business is healthcare-related additional attributes may be available which include:
~ Inform customers whether your business offers online care or not.
~ You should provide customers with a direct method to schedule and also receive online care.
~ Edit your gender information.
~ The attributes which are available to your listing depend on its primary category.
Use The Product Catalog
For merchants with products to showcase, Google Business Profiles’ product editor allows them to do just that.
Most business types are eligible to display products, so long as they are small- and medium-sized businesses; and a few business verticals. Larger businesses need to use Local Inventory Ads to display their products.
- Offering information about products, including photos, details, and pricing allows customers to get an idea of the products offered and interact more with businesses.
- This product information also allows Google to understand a business in a better way.
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