What is a Google Business Profile?
A Google Business Profile is the listing which can appear in Google Search and Google Maps when a person searches for a business, service or location.
This listing can provide customers with a wealth of useful information prior to them landing on your website depending on the information available for a business. This includes a business's name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation, reviews, photos, services and other pertinent information depending on the business and available data.
For local businesses a Google Business Profile listing can be crucial to their online presence but simply having one is only half the battle.
Why businesses should manage their profile
Business information can change on an ongoing basis. Hours of operation, services, contact information, and reviews can all change.
Keeping information accurate can help give potential customers a realistic and accurate view of what your business has to offer. A listing which isn't managed can also miss out on providing the information which potential customers are looking for.
Managing a business's listing can also help keep an open channel of communication with customers. A business can respond to reviews and questions and provide relevant information and updates on their products, services, pictures and overall business presence.
How Google Business Profiles can assist local marketing
Local marketing is paramount for many businesses. Someone searching for a local service may well be looking for a service they can contact and utilise straight away.
A complete local business listing can provide the vital information right in the search results. Instead of spending time trawling through multiple search results to find a phone number, address, or hours of operation these can be found right within the listing itself.
Businesses can also use their listing to market their business further by utilising relevant information, services, photos, reviews, and other pertinent information which can enhance the overall presence and help customers better understand what a business is offering prior to contacting or visiting.
Can Google My Business help with SEO?
Google Business Profile administration and online search presence go hand in hand. A business can provide Google with useful information about their offering while enhancing the data available to searchers.
However businesses should avoid keyword stuffing when it comes to a Google Business Profile and instead focus on providing accurate and relevant information which is fit for purpose for customers searching on Google.
Local SEO also covers a range of other areas, including a business's website, localised content, citations, reviews, links and the overall consistency of a business's information online. A Business Profile is just a small aspect of a local search strategy but is vital nonetheless.
Reviews and engagement
Customer reviews can be a very important aspect of a Business Profile. Customers look at reviews when considering contacting a business especially if they're shopping around and comparing services in a local area.
Businesses can respond to reviews directly through their Business Profile. As such it's very important that businesses respond to reviews in a professional manner. This not only serves to acknowledge a good review but also to rectify any negative reviews which may be present.
Reviews shouldn't be seen as an end in themselves but rather a way to provide information to prospective customers and enhance the experience of existing ones, and influence the views of future customers.
What information should be kept up to date?
It's crucial that a business keeps their information up to date with Google. Any changes in a business should be reflected in their listing so that the information provided is consistent. Examples of this include:
Business name, contact information
Address or service areas
Hours of operation and special hours
Website address
Business category
Services offered
Photos and other visual content
Customer reviews and responses
Business attributes and other available details
Even minor changes can be crucial to customers looking at a business's information on Google.
How does paid search fit in?
A Google Business Profile can coexist with other digital marketing avenues. Businesses may also utilise advertising campaigns to target people looking for their products or services online.
Organic local visibility and paid search can be two sides of the same coin and can play a part in a business's digital marketing as a whole. Businesses can utilise their local presence and online website to provide information while also utilising paid advertising to target specific audiences and search terms.
How to get started
If a business doesn't have a Google Business Profile then the first step is to find out whether there is a listing for them already. Businesses may have existing listings via some of Google's information gathering methods along with user submissions.
Once the correct listing has been found the business owner can go through Google's verification and management process. From there, the business can be added with relevant information and kept updated as the business evolves over time.
For businesses which already have a Google Business Profile the next step is to take a look at the listing. Are there any out of date or incorrect pieces of information? Any reviews which haven't responded to? Out of date photos and other details which could influence a prospective customer?
Make Google a part of your local marketing strategy
A Google Business Profile is much more than just an online address. It can be the bridge between potential customers and a business providing the information which is relevant at the time of searching for a service or product.
By looking after a business's online listing it can boost local visibility, and serve as a vital part in a business's local SEO strategy. Combined with a well-managed website and other avenues of digital marketing it can serve as a crucial tool for businesses to bolster their local presence online.
