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Utilizing your Google Business Profile doesn't demand much effort, yet, if executed correctly, it can generate significant benefits for both small and large organizations.
Drawing from my experience working with hundreds of businesses, from small local businesses to billion-dollar global organizations, I've seen firsthand the potential a well-optimized Google Business Profile(GBP) can have on businesses looking to capture customers.
For a platform that can significantly enhance local visibility and drive engagement with customers when used effectively, it's astonishing at how few organizations actually use their Google Business Profile or even know how to access it.
How to Claim and Verify Your Google Business Profile
Before you can optimize your Google Business Profile, it's important that you claim and verify your business. This process ensures that you have control over your listing and can make updates as needed. Follow these steps to claim your GBP:
Step #1 - Sign in or Create a Google Account
If you don't have a Google account, create one. If you already have an account, sign in to Google Business Profile using your Google credentials.
Step #2 - Search for Your Business
Once signed in, search for your business using your name and address. If your business appears in the search results, select it. If it doesn't appear, click "Add your business" and provide the necessary information.
Step #3 - Fill Out Your Business Information
Enter your business name, address, phone number, and website. Be sure to choose the correct business category, which will impact how your business appears in search results.
Step #4 - Choose a Verification Method
After submitting your business information, you'll need to verify your profile. Google offers several verification methods, such as:
Postcard: Google will send a postcard to your business address with a verification code. This method usually takes around 5-7 days. I have seen it take longer.
Phone: If your business is eligible, you can receive a verification code via an automated phone call.
Email: Some businesses can verify through email. Google will send a verification code to the email address associated with your Google account.
Instant verification: If you've already verified your business using Google Search Console, you may be eligible for instant verification.
Step #5 - Verify your Google Business Profile Account
Once you receive the verification code, sign in to your Google Business Profile account, select your business, and enter the code. This step finalizes the verification process and grants you full control over your profile.
Claiming and verifying your Google Business Profile is important to optimizing your online presence. With your profile claimed and verified, you're now ready to optimize your profile and start attracting more customers.
Google Business Profile Optimizations
Now that you've claimed and verified your business profile, it's time to optimize your profile to make it more appealing to potential customers and improve your visibility in search results. Below we outline the key categories you should focus on when optimizing your Google Business Profile page.
About Your Business
This is where you are going to put together all your essential business information, including:
Business Name: You want to make sure your business name is accurate.
Business Category: Choose a specific and relevant primary category to help Google understand your business and match it with relevant searches. You can also add secondary categories to provide further details about your business.
Detailed Description: Write a clear and concise description of your products or services, incorporating relevant keywords and unique selling points. You want to make sure this is aligned with your brand's voice and don't make it look spammy.
Opening Date: Mention the date you opened your business was established to provide a sense of credibility and history.
FAQs: You can use this feature to proactively address common questions, engage with potential customers, and provide accurate information building trust through transparency.
Contact Information
Add accurate and up-to-date contact information:
Business Phone Number: Ensure your phone number is correct and active to allow customers to reach you easily.
Website URL: Include your website URL with a UTM link to track traffic that comes from your GBP page.
Short Brand Name: Create a short and memorable brand name to make it easy for customers to find and remember your business.
When you're creating your UTM for your GBP URL, below is a good example you can reference that I have used countless times. This will properly attribute this traffic to organic within GA4.
?UTM_source=google&UTM_medium=organic&UTM_campaign=GB_profile
Products & Services Information
Incorporating products and services in your Google Business Profile is essential for providing potential customers with comprehensive information about what your business offers. By showcasing your products and services on your GBP, you can enhance your online presence, improve the user experience, and drive more conversions.
CX: Including detailed information about your products and services improves a customer's online experience, allowing them to quickly understand what your business offers, which can help them make informed decisions without having to leave your Google Business Profile or visit your website.
Competitive Advantage: Showcasing your products and services can set your business apart from competitors who don't provide the same level of information on their Google Business Profile. This added value can encourage users to choose your business over others.
Local SEO: Providing comprehensive information about your products and services can improve your local SEO by increasing the relevance of your GBP profile for specific search queries related to your offerings.
Location & Service Areas
Provide location details and service areas to help customers find and visit your business:
Business Address: Ensure your business address is accurate and consistent with other online profiles.
Service Area: Specify the local area your business serves, especially if you offer services at customer locations.
Business Hours: List your regular business hours and holiday hours. That way people will know when they can contact you so they don't during closed hours.
Visuals and Media
Enhance your profile with high-quality photos and videos:
Use well-lit, high-resolution images that accurately depict your offerings, including products, services, and facilities.
Showcase the interior and exterior of your business, as well as any unique features or amenities.
Include photos of your team members to create a personal connection with potential customers.
Upload videos that highlight your products or services, demonstrate your expertise, or provide customer testimonials.
Regularly update your visuals to keep your profile fresh and engaging.
Additional Business Information
Include further details to make your business stand out and cater to customer needs:
Accessibility: Mention any accessibility features your business offers, such as wheelchair access or hearing assistance devices.
Amenities: List any amenities your business provides, like free Wi-Fi, parking, or outdoor seating.
Highlights: Share unique aspects or achievements that make your business stand out from the competition.
Offerings: Specify any special offerings, such as seasonal menus, promotions, or discounts.
Planning: Include information about appointments, reservations, or any other booking requirements.
How To Manage and Encourage Google Business Profile Customer Reviews
With a profile optimized for your customers, the next step is to ensure you are providing optimal customer experiences. Why? Customer reviews play a vital role in the success of your Google Business profile, as they influence both your online reputation and search rankings. While many business owners dread reviews, if executed & managed properly, they can really have a big impact on your business's growth. Below we outline some of the reasons why
Importance of Reviews on Your Google Business Profile
Reviews serve several essential functions for your business:
Social Proof: Positive reviews provide social proof, increasing the likelihood that potential customers will choose your business over competitors.
Search Ranking: Google takes into account the number and quality of reviews when determining search rankings, so having more positive reviews can improve your visibility.
Insights: Customer feedback helps you understand your strengths and areas for improvement, allowing you to refine your products or services.
Encouraging Customers to Leave Reviews
To gather more reviews, implement the following strategies:
Ask: Request reviews from satisfied customers in person, through email, or via social media. Make the process simple by providing a direct link to your GBP review form.
Incentivize: Offer incentives, like discounts or freebies, to encourage customers to leave a review. However, ensure that you're not influencing their opinion in any way.
Promote: Share positive reviews on your website, social media, and marketing materials to showcase your reputation and motivate others to share their experiences.
Responding to Positive and Negative Reviews
Addressing reviews, both positive and negative, is crucial for maintaining your online reputation:
Positive Reviews: Thank your customers for their feedback and express gratitude for their support. Engage with them by asking follow-up questions or sharing additional information.
Negative Reviews: Respond professionally and empathetically to negative reviews. Apologize for any inconvenience, offer a resolution, and invite the customer to discuss the matter privately. This approach shows that you value customer feedback and are committed to improving.
So many businesses really don't take the time to encourage reviews from their customers, and it's really a missed opportunity. By managing and encouraging customer reviews, you can enhance your online reputation, attract more customers, and potentially drive more business through your Google Business profile.
How To Optimize Google Business Posts for Increased Engagement
If your business is sharing content on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram, then you need to share on Google Business Profile as well. Google Posts offers a unique way to share your business updates, promotions, and news directly on your Google Business Profile. Don't you want your customers to see these when they are searching locally?
What are Google Business Posts?
To provide insight, Google Posts appear on your google business profile in search results and on Google Maps. Your posts can include text, images, videos, and even call-to-action that you want your customers to take. It is important to note that your business posts don't last forever, like on other social platforms, but rather expire after seven days, keeping your content fresh and relevant.
How to Create and Optimize Your Posts for Google Business Profile
Below I share the quick steps you can take to create new posts for your Google Business Profile.
Log in: Sign in to your GBP account and navigate to the "Posts" tab.
Choose a Post Type: Select the appropriate post type based on your goal (e.g., promoting an event, sharing a special offer, or providing a business update).
Craft Compelling Content: Write a concise and engaging message that aligns with your brand voice. Include relevant keywords to improve visibility.
Add Visuals: Incorporate eye-catching images or videos that support your message and showcase your products or services.
Include a Call-to-Action: Encourage user engagement by adding a relevant call-to-action button, like "Learn More," "Book Now," or "Sign Up."
Types of Posts to Share
Consider sharing various types of content to keep your audience engaged and informed:
Promotions: Highlight special offers, discounts, or limited-time deals.
Events: Announce upcoming events, workshops, or webinars.
News: Share important updates about your business, such as new product launches or changes to your services.
Educational Content: Provide valuable information, tips, or industry insights that resonate with your audience.
How to Use Google Business Profile Insights for Continuous Improvement
Another area I see often overlooked is the performance data that you can get from both the interactions with your profile, but also the traffic that comes to your website from your GBP page. These insights help me make data-driven decisions when working on optimizing and improving a business profile and should be used by anyone who manages a GBP.
Analyzing and Interpreting Data to Improve Your GBP Profile
Utilize GBP Insights data to identify opportunities for improvement:
Visibility: If your profile's visibility is low, consider optimizing your profile further, refining your keywords, or implementing a local SEO strategy.
Engagement: Analyze user actions to identify patterns or trends that can inform your marketing efforts. For example, if calls spike during specific hours, ensure your team is available to handle the increased volume.
Audience: Use audience data to tailor your messaging and offerings to your target market. Adjust your strategies based on how users discover your business (e.g., direct search vs. discovery).
Reviews: Monitor your review performance and address any recurring issues or concerns. Continue encouraging and managing customer reviews to maintain a strong online reputation.
Posts: Evaluate the success of your Google Posts and experiment with different content types or posting schedules to maximize engagement.
Using UTMs With Your GBP Website URLs & Posts
Above, I mentioned the use of UTMs and provided an example of a UTM that can be used when creating your Google Business Profile. This has to be the biggest and most overlooked miss by agencies and marketing teams. Building UTM parameters for each of your business profiles (if you have multiple locations) & posts shared gives you insights into how the traffic from your GBP is performing.
When you include UTM parameters in your GBP website URL, you can track important metrics in Google Analytics, such as:
Traffic Sources: Identify how many visitors are coming to your website directly from your GBP profile. This can help you measure the success of your GBP optimization efforts.
Note: Without UTMs your GBP traffic is attributed to the 'DIRECT' channel, with UTMs as I shared above, the traffic will be attributed to the 'ORGANIC' channel.
User Behavior: Analyze how users from your GBP profile engage with your websites, such as the pages they visit, time spent on the site, and conversion actions taken. This data can help you tailor your content and user experience to better serve potential customers coming from your Google Business Profile.
Campaign Performance: If you run specific promotions or marketing campaigns through your GBP, using UTM parameters can help you track the effectiveness of these campaigns, enabling you to optimize your marketing strategy.
Specialized Google Business Profile Features:
Having worked in the automotive space for over 6 years, we watched as Google evolved the capabilities for certain business types including auto dealerships. Google Business Profiles (GBP) offers specialized features for car dealerships to better cater to the unique needs of their business model. The automotive industry has specific requirements and customer expectations that differ from other types of businesses. As a result, I've watched Google implement customizations in GBP to help car dealers effectively showcase their inventory, services, and promotions, and provide a more comprehensive user experience for potential customers.
Here are some key differences in GBP for car dealers:
Multiple departments under one profile: Car dealerships often have different departments, such as sales, service, and parts, each with its own hours of operation and contact information. GBP allows dealerships to create a separate profile for each department under the main dealership listing, making it easier for customers to find the information they need for a specific department.
Vehicle inventory integration: GBP has partnered with several inventory management platforms to enable car dealers to showcase their vehicle inventory directly on their Google Business Profile. This feature allows potential customers to browse available vehicles, filter by criteria such as make, model, and price, and access detailed information about each vehicle without leaving the GBP listing.
Promotions and offers: Car dealers can use Google Posts to share special promotions, offers, and events related to their dealership(s). This feature helps dealerships engage with potential customers and promote their latest deals and incentives.
Manufacturer-specific attributes: GBP allows car dealers to add manufacturer-specific attributes to their profile, such as official dealership certifications and the brands they represent. This information helps potential customers identify authorized dealerships and make more informed decisions.
As you can see, there are a ton of opportunities to help improve your local search presence. With all the challenges of growing your brand online, businesses with physical locations must take advantage of this platform. By claiming and verifying your business profile, optimizing your profile with relevant information and visuals, managing customer reviews, leveraging Google Posts, and utilizing GBP Insights data, you can maximize the impact of your business and drive more traffic to your website. I know for any client or brand entity I work with, whether it's B2B or B2C, Google Business Profiles are optimized and utilized.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What Are GMB Posts and How Do They Benefit My Business?
Answer: GMB Posts allow you to share updates, offers, and news directly on your GMB listing, enhancing customer engagement.
Question: Can I Use GMB for Multiple Business Locations?
Answer: Yes, GMB allows you to manage multiple locations under one account, each with its own unique listing.
Question: How Do I Handle Negative Reviews on GMB?
Answer: Responding professionally and promptly to negative reviews can mitigate damage and show that you value customer feedback.
Question: What is the Role of GMB in Local SEO?
Answer: GMB is crucial for local SEO as it helps your business appear in local search results and Google Maps.
Question: Can I Promote Events Through My GMB Listing?
Answer: Yes, you can use the 'Events' feature in GMB to promote upcoming events related to your business.
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