Are you struggling to grow your small business? We suggest Google Business Profiles (formerly called Google My Business) as the perfect tool for creating brand awareness and capturing your target audience. And guess what? We will spill all of our Google Business Profiles secrets just for you!
Why Optimize Google Business Profiles Listing?
Unless you’ve lived under a rock, you’ll probably know that Google is a big deal. Thus, Google Business Profiles is an excellent tool for reaching more people, specifically your local audience. So, read on for the ultimate Google Business Profiles 101 guide. However, if you’re still unconvinced, here are a few things you should consider when working on Google Business Profiles optimization for your small business.
Rank Better
When you enter a query in the Google search bar, have you ever looked through the results on the second or third page? Well, most other people don’t, either. And that means you need to secure a position on the first page to get your business in front of people. And Google Business Profiles is your best bet- it’ll help you rank better and, thus, become more discoverable.
Control Your Online Presence
The internet is big; getting noticed can be challenging and sometimes seem impossible. However, as crucial as building and maintaining an online presence is, ensuring that your online footprint is 100% positive is almost equally important. But how do you control what comes up when people search for your brand?
Once again, the answer lies in investing time in Google Business Profiles optimization because it will help you control your brand’s image. Plus, positive reviews left by your customers will add credibility to your business. We’ll chat about this further in the article.
Improve Your SEO Strategy
Ranking on Google can often seem impossible. Thus, it would be best to learn all the Google Business Profiles secrets to dramatically improve your local SEO strategy. You see, when you search for a business, you will get the top 3 businesses in the category based on the following:
- Relevance
- Distance
- Reputation
Hence, you can target people in your local area looking for your services. Moreover, you can prove that you’re worth their time through the reviews left by satisfied clients.
Promote Your Business Outside of Social Media Marketing
Don’t get us wrong, social media marketing is great. But if you have a reasonably positive track record and can manage to secure a spot in the Local three-pack in Google search results, then you can almost be sure you’ll get more customers and online and offline traffic.
Keep Customers Updated
Since it has all the relevant information and attributes of your business, Google Business Profiles is a great place to keep your audience in the loop concerning business updates, product launches, etc. If you want potential customers to know certain things about your small business, post that information to your Google Business Profiles page, and it will reach them.
Get to Know Your Audience
Like your audience can get to know you, Google Business Profiles can also help you get important information about your target audience. Ask any marketer, and they’ll tell you that appealing to the consumer is the most critical factor in a marketing strategy. And obviously, you can only appeal to your audience if you know what they need and want.
Google Business Profiles insights can give you details on what search queries customers used to find your business, their demographic information, what actions visitors were prompted to take, and the overall number of views and clicks you have. Knowing all this can help you improve your strategy to target your audience and ultimately grow your business.
Keep Your Market Strategy Well-Rounded
Why miss out on crucial promotion opportunities, especially when just starting?
If you want to stay ahead of your competitors, you’ve got to keep on top of your game. And therefore, you need to establish a well-rounded strategy for your business. You need to ensure that you are always ahead of the market in every aspect, and of course, Google Business Profiles, being part of Google, is a big game-changer.
Google Business Profiles Is Key for Small Businesses
As we said, Google Business Profiles optimization can help you reach your local audience, and that is precisely what you’re aiming for as a small business. But how can your audience find you? If your company has a Google Business Profiles page, Google will automatically suggest your business to potential customers in your area. And thus, it is a must-have for small businesses.
It’s Free!
Google Business Profiles is a free tool, and with all the benefits we’ve just covered, who wouldn’t want to get in on the action? So, take it from us and focus on your Google Business Profiles optimization because it should be at the top of your Google Business Profiles optimization checklist.
Google Business Profiles for Content Marketing Purposes?
Yes, Google Business Profiles can be a valuable and practical part of a content marketing strategy. For example, reviews are an important part of any content marketing strategy and provide a platform for customers to leave reviews of the business. Encouraging satisfied customers to leave positive reviews can help attract new customers and improve the business’s reputation.
Google Business Profiles provides small businesses a platform to create Google Posts, answer customer questions, receive and respond to reviews, and gain insights into customer behavior. These features can help businesses attract new customers, establish their authority, and improve their online visibility.
How to Get Started with Google Business Profiles Listing?
Now that you know how pivotal Google Business Profiles Listing can be for you, let’s get started on Google Business Profiles for your business.
First, you must log in to Google Business Profiles with your Google account. Then search for your business name and location to see if a listing exists. Often, especially if you’re in the restaurant business, your customers might have already created a profile for your business.
However, if you don’t have a listing with your name yet, don’t worry. Start by specifying your location on Maps so Google knows your location and your local demographic audience. Then, of course, set your business name. And if you’re part of a chain, remember to add your location to your name. Choose a primary category for your business and try to be as specific as possible. Also, pick out the relevant secondary categories that best describe your business. And last, don’t forget to add your contact information so potential customers know how to reach you.
Claim Google Business Profiles Listing
If you have a pre-existing listing for your business, you will need to claim it. You can either locate it on Google Maps and choose to ‘manage the listing,’ or you can look it up on Google and select ‘own this business?’. Then follow the steps to verify your listing, and you’re done!
Get Your Google Business Profiles Listing Verified
Before you get complete access to all the Google Business Profiles features, you must verify your business. For this purpose, you will have to input a code you will receive in your mail at the address you specified for your business. Finally, you will be able to edit and personalize your business.
Google Business Profiles Secrets for Guaranteed Success
Once you’re done setting up or claiming your Google Business Profiles listing, you need to work on optimizing it. You can’t get away with doing the bare minimum- you must go all-in if you want it to work. And if you genuinely want to overtake your competition, you need to follow our Google Business Profiles Secrets to optimize your listing and grow your small business.
Google Business Profiles Optimization Checklist
For your convenience, we have put together the ultimate Google Business Profiles optimization checklist so you can stay on top of your game.
Complete Your Business Profile
First, your business profile needs to be complete with all relevant information such as location, phone number, email address, business hours, link to your website, and a thorough description of your business. This part is essential because it will give leads a brief overview of your business so they can decide to engage with your business if they are interested.
Add Attributes
In addition to all relevant information, you should add attributes to your listing. These are any features that you want leads to knowing.
- Do you have a parking space?
- Do you provide accommodation to people with wheelchairs?
- Are you a women-led business?
Any of the above will help them decide to engage with your business if they’re interested.
Upload Pictures and Videos
The human brain can process visual information more easily. So, work on adding high-quality images to your listings to attract more customers. However, in addition to the store-front type pictures, consider adding photos of your products or interior so customers know what to expect. Also, video marketing is a great way to engage our audience; thus, you should create and post video content. Nevertheless, make sure to add videos as posts to make them more noticeable without getting lost in all the pictures.
Respond to All Your Reviews
Reviews serve to authenticate and add credibility to your business because people are interested in other people’s opinions of you. You can claim to be the best all you want, but potential customers want to see results as satisfied customers because that will reassure them that they are in good hands. But how do you get reviews?
Well, simply by asking for them. And so long as your customers are satisfied with your products or services, they will be more than willing to share their experiences. Now, you should make sure to respond to these reviews as well. And yes, we mean the negative ones as well. Don’t get offensive or defensive; put your story out there. You see, a negative review can be very off-putting. However, when handled adequately, it can even work in your favor- negative reviews can be good. Just be polite and try to cater to the problem the person faces.
Post Offers, Events, and Other Content
You can post all sorts of content, including company news, blog articles, special offers, upcoming events, email newsletter opt-ins, ebook downloads, and even product promotions- anything to excite potential customers. You can even add a call-to-action button to accompany these posts. Remember that this is a great platform to market your business; thus, you should take full advantage of it.
Focus on User-Generated Content
User-generated content is important and wonders for your PR, much like positive reviews. So, just like you encourage customers to tag you on Facebook and Instagram, make sure to do the same for Google Business Profiles. However, you might want to review these posts and remove the ones that are irrelevant to your business or in any way offensive.
Incorporate Direct Messaging
Activate the messaging feature so customers can easily send you a quick message. Click the ‘Turn on messaging’ option in your dashboard and verify your phone number. Yes, it’s that easy, but it can go a long way for your business growth.
Google Business Profiles Marketing 101
Along with following our Google Business Profiles optimization checklist, you must strengthen your marketing strategy. Manage your insights to see what’s working and what’s not. You can see where your listing viewers are coming from and their actions when they arrive. Do they visit your website? Do they call you? Do they choose to engage with your business, and if not, why? Is your call to action strong enough? Is your content even relevant to your target audience? Identify key areas to improve and make the changes to maximize business growth. Maybe even start investing more time in content marketing to make the most of your Google Business Profiles listing. Plus, don’t forget to keep an eye on the current trends so that you’re always one step ahead of your competitors.
What’s The Takeaway?
Google Business Profiles is the holy grail that small businesses have been looking to grow and expand their services. Our 101 guide outlines the numerous benefits of using this service and how it is vital for small business owners. Also, our optimization checklist can help you fully optimize your listings to reap maximum benefit because optimization is possibly the most crucial part of your strategy.
So, use our Google Business Profiles secrets and see your small business reach new heights quickly!