Is optimizing your Google Business Profile worth the time and effort?
More than 87% of online consumers use Google to determine whether or not purchasing products or services from a business is a good idea. As such, having an optimized Google Business Profile can help make your business more competitive.
In this guide, we’ll check out some of the reasons you should consider creating and optimizing your Google Business Profile.
What is a Google Business Profile and Why Does it Matter?
A Google Business Profile is a free public profile with all of the key information about your business, including your hours, address, contact info, and more. You’ll see this profile appear on the right-hand side of the search results for most businesses you Google.
When set up properly, your business gets a spot in local search results. Not only does this mean better visibility for you but it also offers the potential of better conversions.
Setting Up Your Google Business Profile
To create your Google Business Profile, you can follow these steps:
- Create an Account: Sign into your Google Business Profile using your Google account, click “Manage Now,” and Google will guide you through the basic steps.
- Enter Your Basic Information: Enter your business name, address, and phone number, otherwise known as your NAP. Make sure to keep this info consistent wherever it’s listed
- Choose Your Business Category: Google will give you a list of business categories from which to choose. Not sure where yours fits? Check out their trusty guide!
Verifying Your Business in Google Business Profile
From there, you’ll need to verify your business to show Google you’re the rightful owner. Here are a few different ways to do this:
- Postcard Verification: This is the most common method. Once you submit your profile, Google will send a postcard with a unique code to your business address. You’ll then enter this code into your account to complete the verification process.
- Phone Verification: If this option is available, Google will call the number you’ve listed on your profile and provide you with a code to enter into your account.
- Email Verification: If your business qualifies, you’ll receive an email from Google containing a verification link. Simply click the link, and you’re good to go.
If you have trouble verifying your business, double-check that the information you entered is correct. If you are doing these things correctly and everything is still appearing wrong on your end, read this troubleshooting article for more tips.
Optimizing Your Google Business Profile for Local SEO
Begin by writing an attention-grabbing business description, clearly stating what you do and why any given potential customer should come to you. Your business hours should also be correct and up to date.
From there, add and optimize your services and products to let customers know what you offer. This will improve your overall search visibility.
Having high-quality profile and cover photos that are representative of your brand, and a professional logo to match, can go a long way in making your business more credible and noticeable. You can also ask your customers to provide you with some pictures and videos to make your profile more realistic.
Check out this visual optimization guide for more tips!
Managing and Responding to Customer Reviews
With a continuous flow of reviews, your profile will not only come at the top but it’ll also give potential customers more confidence in choosing your business over others. Consider the fact that about 99% of online shoppers look to reviews before making purchasing decisions.
If you receive positive feedback, make it a point to thank customers personally. A quick and friendly response reassures them that you appreciate their feedback. On the other hand, with negative reviews, professionalism is key. Acknowledge the issue, apologize if needed, and offer to take it offline for resolution of the problem. That shows other potential customers that you care enough to fix mistakes.
One of the best ways to get more reviews is to either ask satisfied customers directly or include a review request in follow-up emails.
Here’s a helpful little guide on managing reviews, whether good or bad.
Using Google Business Profile Features for Engagement
One of the best customer engagement tools is Google Posts, which you can use to share promotions, updates, or events on your profile. It’s a great way to keep people in the loop while driving more traffic.
You can also use your profile’s messaging feature to give customers an easy communication bridge if they ever want to ask questions or get more info.
However, one of the most important yet often overlooked parts of the Google Business Profile is the Q&A section. We highly recommend making regular check ins to answer common customer questions or make updates to your company info.
Conductor has an organized in-depth guide for managing Google posts.
Monitoring and Analyzing Performance
Going through all of the stress to optimize your Google Business Profile isn’t worth it if you don’t know how well it’s performing. This is where Google’s Search Console Insights comes into
play. You’ll find plenty of valuable data surrounding views, clicks, customer actions, and more.
With that said, if you’re looking for a deeper dive into traffic and conversion analytics, there are much better third-party tools out there. SEMrush, for example, has one of the best and most comprehensive SEO software suites in the game, and Merchynt has plenty of AI-powered optimization solutions.
The team over at Hubspot put together a wonderful Google Analytics guide that we highly recommend checking out.
Advanced Tips and Best Practices
Already have a grip on the above info and want some advanced tips? Here are a few of our favorites:
- Use UTM Parameters: With UTM parameters on your profile links, you can track the amount of traffic coming from your profile to your website.
- Use a Business Shortname: A Google short name gives you a simple, shareable link for your profile, which makes it easier for customers to leave reviews or find your business.
- Make Regular Updates: Make sure that if you ever change your hours, contact info, or anything else, all information and posts on your profile reflex that.
Wrapping Up & Taking Action
Your Google Business Profile is not an easy ‘check it off the to-do list’ kind of thing. It needs to be tended to constantly in order for it to be maximally utilized as a helpful local monitoring tool.
If you’re looking to get the most out of your benefits and want to maximize them, be sure to download our free checklist on optimization and get int touch with us for a free consultation.
Fast-track your local SEO success with our expert Google Business Profile optimization services.
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