Google Business Profile

What is Google Business Profile

A Google Business Profile is a free business listing from Google. It includes your company’s information and photographs.

Using a free profile to promote your business is an easy way to raise your brand exposure on Google. Your Business Profile may show up in Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Shopping.

Contact with consumers is required to use the Google Business Profile . This includes companies that have a physical location (such as a restaurant or store) as well as those that offer services by meeting with clients in other places (such as consultants or plumbers).

Why you need a Google My Business account

Google (and Google Maps) will discover you.

Your customers always Google about your business. Google Business Profiles make sure that people discover your company.

Your Business Listing points people to your company’s location and hours of operation. A Google Business Profile also enhances your local SEO profile. When individuals search for a nearby business using Google Maps, a listing for a local firm is more likely to show up.

Manage your online company information.

You can edit your Google My Business profile at any time. And you can change all the essential information. It maybe contacts information, business hours, and so on.

Google Business Profiles helps in local SEO for businesses . These announcements you provide will rank higher than third-party websites with outdated information.

You may publish announcements for the following:

• Increased services
• Shut down
• Completely reopened
• etc

Reviews are a great way to develop trust.

Reviews are an important component of social proof. They also develop trust and credibility.

Customers may post as much or as little information about their experience with your company as they choose using Google’s star rating and space for in-depth reviews. It all aids future potential consumers in deciding which businesses to visit and what products to purchase.

Share a link to leave a review

You can create and distribute a link for customers to leave reviews. To encourage clients to use the link:

• Include it in your thank you emails.
• After a conversation, add it at the end.
• Include it on your receipts to save time.

It’s scary to consider what kind of feedback might come in on such a popular platform, especially since you can’t pick and choose which Google My Business evaluations to post. (Although you may respond to all of them, as we’ll see later.)

However, don’t worry: Google believes that a mix of good and bad feedback is more trustworthy than page after page of glowing recommendations .

How to set up a Google Business Profile

Step 1: Log into Google Business Profile Manager .

If you’re already logged into a Google account, you’ll be immediately taken to Google Business Profile Manager. Otherwise, use your common Google account login credentials or establish a new Google account if necessary.

Step 2: Add your company now!

Enter your company name. If the option to add your business to Google is not available, click Add a Business to Google in the drop-down menu. Then choose a category for your company and proceed.

Step 3: Enter your physical location

Yes, if you have physical location clients may come. Then add your business address. You could also be asked to place a pin on a map marking the spot where your company is located. If your firm doesn’t have a physical site where visitors can visit but does offer in-person services or deliveries, you may list its service areas. Then hit the Next button.

If you don’t provide a physical address, Google will prompt you to select which region your company is located. Choose one from the drop-down list and click Next.

Step 4: Complete the contact information section.

Enter your company’s phone number and website address so that consumers may contact you. You don’t have to enter a phone number if you don’t want to be contacted by phone.

Click Next when all of your data is recorded.

Step 5: Verify your business

Enter your actual physical address, not a post office box. This information is only used to verify your company and isn’t shown on your Google Business Profile or shared with the general public.

After you’ve entered your address, click Next. You’ll be given the choice of several methods for validating your account. To verify their location, physical firms must send a postcard by mail. An email address may be used to authenticate service-area enterprises.

Click Verify or Verify business. Enter the five-digit code on the next screen (or go to https://business.google.com/) and click Verify or Verify a company.

You’ll see a confirmation message on your screen, informing you that you’ve been verified. On that screen, click Next .

Step 6: Personalize your profile

You may customize the company’s contact information, messaging preferences, business description, and photos right here. (For more information on how to make optimum use of your profile content, see the next section.)

Finish filling out the form and then click Continue. You’ll be taken to the Business Profile Manager dashboard after you’ve finished inputting all of your information.

You may also use the Google My Business app to update your company profile, get insights, manage ratings and comments, and start Google advertising.

How to make your Google My Business profile more desirable?

The three criteria that Google uses to determine local search rankings are as follows:

• Relevance : Google will only show your GMB profile in the search results if it is relevant to what the searcher is looking for. To increase your relevance, make sure to include keyword-rich descriptions of your business, products, and services in your GMB profile.
• Distance : The distance between your business and the searcher’s location. If you want to improve your distance ranking, make sure your business address is registered correctly in Google Maps, and that you have included your business’s full street address on your GMB profile.
• Prominence : Google also looks at how well-known and popular your business is when determining local search rankings. To increase your prominence, make sure to get reviews and ratings from customers, as well as list your business in other online directories.

Here are some things you may do to get the most out of your score for all three criteria.

Complete all parts of your profile.

Customers are 2.7 times more likely to consider your company respectable if you have a complete Google Business Profile. They’re also 70% more likely to visit your physical shop.

According to Google , “businesses that provide complete and accurate information are easier to match with the appropriate searches.” This boosts your relevance score. The goal is to inform Google consumers “what you do, where you are, and when they can come to see you.”

Make sure to keep your business hours up to date if they vary with holidays or seasons.

Verify your location(s)

“Verified businesses are more likely to appear in local search results across Google products, such as Maps and Search.” The distance ranking factor benefits from including a verified position.

If you skipped the procedure for verifying your location in the account creation steps above, go to https://business.google.com/ now and request a verification postcard.

Add real images and videos of your Google My Business profile

Your Google Business Profile includes a logo and cover photo. To make it simpler for people to identify your brand, utilize pictures that are in line with those on your social media sites.

However, don’t stop there. Include photographs and videos to show your workplace, as well as your location and team.

If you own a restaurant, take photographs of your dishes, menus, and dining room. Make sure they look appealing, professional, and high-resolution. Businesses with photographs receive more directions requests and website clicks according to Google .

Include keywords in your profile

Using the correct keywords will help your page rank. Where should I begin? Try using Google Trends or Keyword Planner to get started.

Keyword research tools like SE Ranking , Keywords IO, Long Tail Pro, Ahrefs, SEMRush, and others might also assist you in finding phrases that consumers use to look for your company. Include them in your company description. Don’t clutter the description with keywords or ones that aren’t relevant; this might cause your search rank to plummet.

Encourage and respond to reviews and queries.

Customers are more likely to trust individuals than organizations. A positive review might be the deciding factor in whether or not potential consumers choose you. Customer comments also help improve your Google ranking.

The optimal moment to request a review is after providing exceptional service. To make things simpler, Google offers a link that allows consumers to leave you a review directly from your Google My Business page.

Send a link to your review request using one of the methods below.

1. Click the button that says Share review form from the dashboard.
2. Create a link to the freebie and send it to your subscribers via email or in your autoresponder.

You can’t remove Google My Business reviews from your page. It also wouldn’t be in your best interests to do so, as customer feedback is evidence of a company’s trustworthiness.

However, you can flag and report unacceptable evaluations .

You can (and should!) also reply to reviews, both positive and negative. According to a Google and Ipsos Connect poll, businesses that respond to customer feedback are seen as 1.7x times more reputable than those that don’t.

In your brand voice, respond appropriately. If you’re reacting to a negative review, be honest and apologize when appropriate.

You may view and respond to reviews by clicking the “Reviews” tab in your Business Profile Manager’s left menu.

Keep your company’s information up to date.

It’s essential to update your company profile if you change opening hours, contact information, or other elements. Clients despise visiting a business that appears open but is closed. If you have specific times for holidays or only on rare occasions, make sure they’re mentioned in your Google Business Profile.

To stay up to date on the latest trends and developments in your industry, you may also create Google My Business articles to share news, product updates, special offers, and events.

Add special features and attributes

Depending on the category you’ve chosen, Google business accounts can include additional features.

Here’s a list of features specific to each category:

• Hotels may offer class evaluations, sustainability measures, highlights, check-in and check-out times, and services.
• Restaurants and bars can now post menus , food photos, and popular dishes on their Google business Page.
• A list of services may be displayed by a service-oriented company.
• Providers of health care in the United States may input information about their patients’ insurance coverage.
• Businesses may also add buttons for various purposes, such as appointments and reservations, in addition to orders.

If you believe your firm is suitable for one of these characteristics but don’t see it, double-check to ensure you’re setting up the proper category. When setting up your company, you have a choice of ten categories.

You may also include real facts about your company to provide additional information to your consumers. If you have a shop or restaurant, you might want to mention that it’s accessible for wheelchairs or that it provides free Wi-Fi or outside seats. You can also inform people that your firm is woman-owned and LGBTQ+ friendly.

Add your products

If you sell anything, make sure your Business Profile contains up-to-date inventory. Your products can also be found through Google Shopping if they’re included in your profile.

If you run a retail firm in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, or Australia and use a barcode scanner to sell products with manufacturer barcodes, you may utilize Pointy to automatically submit your items to your Business Profile.

Make use of Google’s free marketing services.

With stickers, social posts, and printable posters, Google offers start-ups access to a free marketing kit . You may also produce a bespoke film. (Only after you’ve created your Business Profile will the link work.)