Google Business Profiles, formerly Google My Business allows small businesses to share information about themselves for free in the search engine. Companies with a Google Business Profile (GBP) are easier to find by customers on Google Search and Maps, as Google is currently the world’s largest search engine. Much like Google Maps, GBP allows customers to search for businesses by category and location, as well as map nearby locations.
This offers a convenient way for customers to browse through a business’ website and contact information.
Creating a GBP listing can help to attract new customers and potential clients.
A Google Business Profile is a profile page for businesses on Google. It appears in the search results when people look for your business and can be used to showcase your business’s information, such as location, contact details, opening hours, reviews and more.
You can also use your Google Business Profile to manage customer interactions and communicate with customers in real-time. It’s an important tool for businesses that want to ensure they’re visible online and reach potential customers.
Need Help With Your Project?
I'm only a few clicks away.
Beautiful websites to capture the attention of your ideal client.
See your website at the top of google!
Get help on your do-it-yourself website design project.
Yes, thankfully, this powerful tool is free. It is essential that you fill out all of the content correctly and accurately. Be sure to maximize the ability of your GBP profile by adding necessary information like your name, address, and phone number, as well as taking the time to post new content regularly.
Like any online platform, the listing is only as good as the time you put into filling it out with high-quality content. Google’s research suggests that customers are 50% more likely to consider purchasing from businesses with a complete listing. Just because your GBP listing is free doesn’t mean you quickly fill it out in five minutes and forget it forever.
Absolutely. People’ Googling’ for a product or service are often ready to purchase within a few hours or days. It is critically important to your business success that you are visible on the top page of search results when the customer is ready to buy. A good Google Business Profile listing can help you show up in several places on search engine results pages (SERPs), which increase the chances of catching your customer’s eye.
Many advertisers want to be top of mind, so their customers know whom to buy from when they are in the market. However, another great strategy is being in the right place at the right time, and a GBP listing does just that. Let’s discuss the areas you could show up with an optimized listing.
Google’s local 3-pack showcases local business profiles that best fit the match for the person searching. The benefits of inclusion in the 3-pack include visibility before organic search results. This added level of visibility increases your chance for a click to 700% over those, not in the 3-pack. Thankfully creating a GBP listing is one of the ways you can significantly improve your odds of being featured in this coveted list.
It doesn’t matter if you are a restaurant or landscaper, your customer is likely looking for someone close to them. It doesn’t matter if they are at home or on the go, their smartphone can help them connect with the best local businesses, no matter where they are. Because we are more mobile than ever, it is crucial to have visibility on Google Maps.
If a customer searches the map for the best burger nearby and finds your listing, full of great photos, posts, and customer reviews, you can expect a visit from a new hungry customer.
Not many small business owners realize that Google ‘localizes’ search results. Search engines know where the searcher is located and will show results closest to the user’s location. If you are a brick and mortar store, you will want to sure as many locals know who you are, what you sell, and where they can buy your products.
Let’s discuss how you can get started and get your business on the list.
Note: you will need a Google/ Gmail account to set up the business listing
Once the page loads, click the “Manage Now” button located in the top right of the header. There is often another “Manage Now” link located in the body of the site.
Google has created an easy interface that will ask you a series of questions about your business. First, you will need to enter your business name.
If you do not have a physical, brick-and-mortar business, click, “I deliver goods and services to my customers.” A second question will appear confirming you do not have a physical location and will show the region you service, and not a mailing address on the map.
Otherwise, just enter your business’s physical address.
If you have a brick and mortar location, you will need to confirm your address by placing a marker on a map.
On a few occasions, I have had difficulty with this step. You may need to reload the page if you cannot get the address and map to sync.
The information you enter here must be consistent with all other online listings. While this is a pretty straight forward step, it is an excellent time to remind you that consistent Name, Address, Phone Number, and Website citations on online databases can help you rank higher in general.
Google will ask how you would like to receive a confirmation code for your business listing. You can opt for a text or phone call, which will verify your business in minutes. You can also ask for a postcard mailed to your business. It will take roughly five business days to receive your code.
No matter if you get your code right away or have to wait a few days, you should go through each step highlighted in the blue box. Listings with complete information often fare better in search results.
HOT TIP!
The local guide program has several levels, and a guide can increase their level by reviewing dozens of businesses, correcting out of date information, and providing photos. In the eyes of your viewers and the Google Bots, it is like gold to get a useful review from a high-level local guide.
To get the most out of your GBP listing and have the best chance of reaching that coveted local 3-pack and map listing, you must add:
As discussed earlier, people searching for a product or service on Google are nearly ready to purchase. If you have communicated who you are, and how you can help them, a useful review is a confirmation that they made the right decision.
It’s not enough for you to say how much experience you have and how many years you’ve been in service. It is the same here as with other areas of life; you can’t force your opinion on people, provide the information, and let them come to their conclusions.
Honestly, a good review speaks for itself.
Having reviews from past clients is social proof that you are a credible business. The best way to get reviews is to ask them to leave you a review after you’ve recently conducted business with them.
To make it easier for them to leave a review, provide a link that sends them right to your listing:
Getting reviews is much more than just sending a link to a customer. Here are a few tips for getting more reviews and what to do if you get a bad one.
You can’t delete a post unless it is fake, inappropriate, or promotes a competitor. Just because you don’t like what they say doesn’t mean it’s a fake review. It’s time to take a look into your business and figure out if you could have worked harder.
Take a moment to thank them for alerting you of this problem. After all, many previous customers may have felt the same way, but never said it to you. Let them know how you will prevent this issue from happening again to future customers.
An online review is NOT the place to pick a fight. Number one, this is a very public forum, and potential customers may not want to work with a combative person. Number two, this may bring more attention to the negative review. A review with several responses is likely to be raked higher than those with no reactions.
If you want to take it to the next level, you can share ways your business is growing and making improvements in a Google Business Profile post.
Google Business Profile posts allow you to share more than phone number and hour updates. You can share what’s new, upcoming events, latest offers, and product highlights. While it may feel like another social media platform, it is essential to remember that this is not Facebook or Twitter. You should treat a GBP post differently because it has the potential to be visible in search engine results. Posts are an excellent place to showcase your expertise and help more people find your website. Like other forms of social media, these posts allow users to get a little more time with your brand, and get a sense of your brand.
Your Google Business Profile post will expire after one week. For that reason, it is ideal that you should post once a week. Posts older than one week are archived. Try to find ways to make that weekly post fun and inviting. Add a beautiful photo, catchy headline, and a call to action button.
I would advise you against using hashtags in your GBP post. Most people only see 150 characters of your post. Therefore, it’s more important to put your effort into making those 150 characters the best you can. Plus, hashtags will not help your post rank higher.
I like to think that the content I share in a GBP post is similar to what I would post on LinkedIn or another professional network. Keep the tone kind, professional, and inviting. What makes GBP posts amazing is that you can share sales and new offers!
I hope I have covered every question as to what Google Business Profile is and why you need to claim your free listing. If you take the time to invest in your GBP listing, I am sure you will start to see results. GBP is often underused resources and gets you in front of potential customers, right before they are ready to buy. Don’t wait, make your listing great!
