Recently updated on November 30th, 2023 at 05:29 pm
Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is now a powerful social media platform for local businesses. Using this tool is essential for your marketing strategy, as it can boost your search rankings through better local SEO and positive customer reviews. When a customer searches Google for a service, the first three results they see are typically verified businesses within their location. For local businesses, this translates into more targeted traffic and increased chances of making a sale.
The most recent update allows you to easily manage your Google Business Profile and connect with your audience – all from your desktop. In this article, we’ll look at 5 simple steps you can take to optimise your Google Business profile for maximum impact.
- Customers are 70% more likely to visit, and 50% are more likely to consider purchasing from businesses with a complete Google Business Profile.
How can you get the most out of your Google Business Profile?
Update your info
Keep your business information up-to-date, accurate, and comprehensive. Your business information is there to provide customers with an easy way to learn more about your services. It helps them find your location, hours of operation, contact information, and review ratings. Having a consistent Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) across your website and other platforms will also help Google connect the dots and know they refer to the same business. This consistency helps to ensure that your business is accurately represented online, allowing customers to easily find and contact you.
According to Google’s content guidelines, this is the basic information you need to provide:
- Business Description
- Name
- Address
- Website and Phone
- Business Hours
- Categories
- Menu (If Applicable)
- Products
Use more keywords
Find and use your primary keywords into your business description. This will help Google understand the nature of your business and know when to show it to customers searching for your service. To know which keywords to use, check your Google Search Console to see what search terms your customers are using.
However, be sure to avoid keyword stuffing. Google’s algorithm naturally detects these practices and may penalise your visibility in online results if your description doesn’t flow naturally.
Acquire (and respond to) user reviews
If you want to boost your online presence, acquiring and responding to Google reviews is a great way to increase your credibility and gain consumer trust. Not only do positive reviews influence potential customers, but actively responding lets them know you’re taking the time to stay engaged with your customers. This ultimately leads to more referrals, greater visibility in local search results, and an overall better experience for the customer.
Engage your audience
Connecting with customers through the Google Business Profile messaging feature allows you to communicate directly with customers and respond to their questions or concerns promptly. This helps to build trust and establish a positive reputation for your business, as well as potentially lead to increased customer engagement and sales.
Additionally, it allows you to improve your visibility and stand out from competitors, as well as provide a convenient way for customers to reach you. Plus, with the new updates, you can use the messaging feature on both the Google Business Profile mobile app OR your desktop. So you’ll never miss a chance to connect with a customer.
Post business updates regularly
Sharing regular updates on your Google Business Profile can help keep customers informed about your business operations, promotions, and events. Additionally, it helps Google see that your business is still active and relevant, improving your search rankings and making your business more likely to appear at the top of search results. With high-quality photos, gifs, and engaging text, customers and Google alike will find it easier to trust and promote your business.
In your profile posts, you can also include call-to-action buttons to prompt your audience, such as:
Buy
Sign up
Learn more
Reserve
Get Offer
Key Takeaways
Having a solid Google Business Profile is essential for any business looking to keep up with the competition. Knowing how to optimise your profile is one thing, but ensuring that you always achieve your target SEO ranking and website traffic is another. Spark can help you drive more customers to your website, helping you with your local SEO marketing strategy and implementation.
