Google Business Profile, previously known as Google My Business (GMB), is a free tool that allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google Search and Google Maps. By verifying and editing your business information, you can help customers find you and tell them the story of your business.
As a local small business owner, Google Business Profile is one of the essential tools you can use to improve your visibility and search ranking on Google.
A good Google Business Profile will dictate where your business is shown in local search results, how well your business information appears across the web, and whether customers can easily find and contact you.
So today, we’re sharing an easy-to-use guide to help you start creating and optimizing your Google Business Profile.
Getting Started With Google Business Profiles
Google Business Profile works by allowing you to create a business profile that you think of as your online business card that potential customers can find when they search for a business like yours on Google.
Your business profile will include your business name, address, hours of operation, contact information, and a few pictures.
Let's start by going through the steps of creating a profile.
NOTE: You do not need a Gmail account to create a Google Business Profile. You just need to be registered with Google.
Creating your Google Business Profile
We discuss how to create your Google Business Profile in our Ultimate Guide on Google Business Profile, but here’s a quick recap:
Step 1: Go to the Google Business Profile homepage and click "Get on Google."
Step 2: Find or create your listing. You'll need to provide your business name, address, and phone number.
Step 3: Verify your business. Google will send you a postcard with a verification code that you'll need to enter to complete the process.
Step 4: Once you're verified, you can start optimizing your business profile.
It’s Time to Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Now that you've created your profile, it's time to optimize it for maximum visibility and impact. Here are some key things to keep in mind to help you get the most from your Google Business Profile:
Completely Fill Out Your Profile
Make sure to fill out your profile, including your business name, address, business hours, contact information and business location. This is also known as your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number), and it must be accurate across all your listings for searchability best practices.
We recommend using a consistent format for your NAP across all online listings to avoid confusion. For example, if your business name is "John's Plumbing," you'll want to make sure it's listed as "John's Plumbing" and not "Johns Plumbing" or "John Plumbing."
The more information you provide, the easier it will be for customers to find and contact you. For instance, if you're a pet boarder, you'll want to include your boarding services and pricing. This will ensure the right customers find you and help you avoid those looking for a service you don’t provide.
You'll also want to list your service area so you can target potential customers in those areas.
Use Appropriate Keywords For Your Business in Your Profile
When optimizing your profile, it's essential to use keywords that accurately describe your business. For example, if you're an auto repair and maintenance shop, you'll likely want to use general keywords like "auto repair" and "auto maintenance."
However, you might also want to use service-specific keywords, especially if they are a large portion of what you do in your everyday operations. For example, as an auto shop, you might use “muffler replacement,” “steering alignments,” or “tire service.”
Using the right keywords will help customers find your business when searching for your products or services.
Are you a total beginner at using keywords? Don’t worry. You can search for popular keywords using Google's Keyword Planner tool, which is free. You can also look at your competitor’s website (if you know them) and write down keywords they’re using that apply to your business.
Add Imagery
Customers are much more likely to visit a business that has pictures than one that doesn't. Posting photos show that your business is legitimate and professional.
Try to get high-quality images of your business, products, and services. Make sure that your photos are relevant and accurately represent your business.
- Cover Photo: The cover photo is at the top of your Google Business Profile and is one of the first things potential customers will see. Try to use a high-quality image that accurately represents your business.
- Profile Photo: The profile photo is the smaller image next to your cover photo. This is usually a close-up of your business logo.
- Interior Photos (if you are a brick-and-mortar business): These photos give potential customers a look inside your company. Try to include various pictures showing different aspects of your business. This will make the customers feel more comfortable about visiting your business.
- Video: You can also add videos to your profile. This is a great way to show potential customers what your business is all about. You can add videos that give a tour of your business, showcase your products or services, or even introduce your team.
Provide Ways for Customers to Contact You
Provide multiple ways for customers to contact you, such as your website, phone number, and email address. You can also add a contact form to your profile so customers can quickly get in touch with you.
This will help customers get in touch with you whether they're looking for more information about your business or need to contact you for customer service.
Always Respond to Customer Reviews (even the bad ones)
According to recent studies, 84% of customers trust online reviews almost as much as personal recommendations, so it's vital to respond to all —good and bad.
Responding to reviews shows that you care about your customers and their experience with your business. This will help build trust and improve your reputation.
When responding to positive reviews, thank the customer for their feedback. For bad reviews, try to address the customer's issue and see if there's anything you can do to help. If you need some help, check out our detailed guide on responding to negative reviews.
Use the Product Catalog (if relevant)
The product catalog is a feature that allows businesses to showcase their products on their Google Business Profile.
The customers can easily browse your product catalog and get more information about each product, such as the price, description, and reviews. This is a great way to show potential customers what you have to offer without them having to visit your website.
Use the Special Attributes (if relevant)
You can add special attributes to your Google Business Profile to give customers more information about your business. For example, you can add special attributes for family-friendly businesses that offer free Wi-Fi or are wheelchair accessible, etc.
Adding special attributes to your profile helps you stand out from the competition and let potential customers know what they can expect from your business that they might not find in others.
Use the Local Posting Feature
Local posting is a feature that allows businesses to post news, events, and promotions on their profile. This is a great way to keep your customers updated on what's going on with your business and give them a reason to come back.
To get started, click on the "Local Post" tab on your Google Business Profile and create a new post. Include relevant information such as the event's date, time, location, and details. You can also add images and videos to your posts to make them more engaging.
How to Track Progress For Your Google Business Profile
Creating and optimizing your profile is essential, but genuinely determining whether you are growing or not as a result of your efforts requires tracking some key metrics, which we cover in this section.
How many potential customers take action
Customer actions refer to the activities you want customers to do after landing your business listing. Typically, the ideal customer action would be to contact you for more information.
So, you’ll want to track the number of new customers who contacted you in a particular period before you made your Google Business Profile improvements and the number of new customers who contacted you in that same period after you’ve improved your listing.
This will give you a baseline measurement of how you were doing before, as well as a measure of how much you have improved. It’s important to note that changes can take time, so we recommend measuring monthly.
After you’ve created a Google Business Profile, you can see how your customer contact rate changes over time. Go to your profile dashboard and click on the "Insights" tab. Then, select "Customer Actions" from the drop-down menu.
This will show you a graph of your customer contact rate for the past 30 days. You can also see how many phone calls, website clicks, and form submissions you receive daily.
Where potential customers find you on Google
Another metric you should consider is where customers find your Google Business Profile. You can track this by looking at your Google Business Profile Insights, which shows the number of views your profile gets from organic search engine results, direct visits, social media, and Google Maps.
Knowing where customers go to eventually reach your profile can also help you adjust your other small business marketing tactics to get more exposure.
For instance, if you notice that most of your views come from organic search, you may want to invest more time in SEO strategy.
How potential customers find your profile
It’s also key to measure which search queries drive traffic to your Google Business Profile. You can track this by looking again at your Insights tab at the number of views you get from your listing, website, and product catalog.
This is an excellent way to see which terms and phrases are working and, therefore, which of your industry keywords may not be getting you much traction. Then you can work on adding or changing the information on your Google Business Profile page.
Don’t forget that this information is also relevant for your other marketing channels, whether it be your business website, social media pages, or review site listings.
Broadly Can Help You Manage and Track Your Online Reputation
Optimizing your Google Business Profile page is just a part of the puzzle. There are several things to consider when managing your online reputation and growing your business.
But as a small business, we understand that you may be operating with limited resources. This can further add to the complication and overwhelm. The good news is that Broadly can help!
With Broadly's mobile app, you can quickly and efficiently respond to customer reviews, track your online reputation, and get insights into how your efforts are performing across our entire suite of small business growth tools.
Broadly can also integrate your Google Business Profile messaging so you can answer all your customer and potential customer communications from a single place.
Broadly is your one-stop solution for any online reputation management needs, so you can do more with less, and focus on what matters: providing an excellent customer experience.
Contact us today for a full demo of Broadly.
