Google Business Profile Optimization: A Guide
Small business owners pour a lot of time, energy, and budget into social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram- and they should. However, when it comes to capturing the attention of potential customers ready to convert, nothing beats Google Business Profile. Formerly known as Google My Business, GBP is a free, easy-to-use platform that provides relevant information to users looking for specific goods and services!
In this guide, we’ll run through how to optimize your Google Business Profile listing and a few ways to keep it delivering quality leads all year long.
What Is Google Business Profile?
GBP is a free marketing tool provided by Google that empowers business owners to share business details on two vital Google services, Google Search and Google Maps. Updating your Google Business Profile positions that information on the search engine results page (SERP) and on Maps whenever users look for your brand ( “cuppa joe traverse city”) or your product/service (“coffee shop traverse city”).
Why Google Business Profile Is So Valuable
Google Business Profile helps businesses carve out their own little slice of the SERP in two ways.
It’s local-first. It’s an extension of local SEO and typically generates high-quality leads. Roughly 46% of all organic searches have local intent, which means the user is looking for information, products, or services nearby. Instead of competing on coffee-related keywords against the roughly 17,068 Starbucks locations in the US, you’re only going latte-to-latte against relevant competitors in your market.
It’s valuable real estate. Winning the top result for non-branded terms on the SERP is one thing. Winning the top result for the GBP SERP features is also huge. Not only does it mean more visibility for your brand (and less for competitors), it puts your hours, location, and even contact information on the SERP - users can make your phone ring in a single click!
Take a look at the results for “bike rentals traverse city.” Brick Wheels (a long-time client, hey guys) put in a lot of work to take the top spot for this term, and it has really paid off. The shop is currently the top result on the Map-generated section of the SERP and the #1 organic search result, too.
Managing Your Google Business Profile: The Basics
First, start by making GBP a priority. Hand the keys to a trusted employee (or an experienced GBP expert) to stay on top of this incredibly important platform. Here’s that lucky person’s to-do list.
Update Your Business Hours
Nothing is more frustrating than wondering if your favorite bike shop is open on a holiday—except maybe arriving to find them closed after they’ve shifted to winter hours. Adjust hours weekly and well before those hours are expected to change—think at least a week in advance.
Manage Reviews
You may not need to reply to every review, but make consistent, professional replies a part of your business’s workflow. Reviews build credibility and trust by displaying a 1-5 star rating and customers' written responses. You don’t need to maintain a perfect 5-star rating on Google Business Profile to benefit your brand. It’s equally important to show authentic appreciation and a willingness to make things right.
Responding to negative reviews shows you acknowledge underwhelmed or disappointed customers and validate their experiences. Invite them to continue the conversation privately via email or a phone call.
Responding to positive reviews shows you appreciate your customers, which builds loyalty and turns your top customers into your word-of-mouth sales team!
Three Ways to Stand Out on GBP
Simply filling out your GBP is a differentiator. Consumers are 70% more likely to visit a business with a complete profile than one with half the information posted. Complete profiles are also 2.7 times more likely to be served on the SERP - that’s an easy win.
Here are three more ways to optimize your Google Business Profile and stay in front of customers.
1) Use attribute labels.
GBP allows businesses to select several attributes that define or differentiate their business. These vary by service, or the type of business, and Google may add or remove attributes (you don’t see a lot of COVID-era masking info, for example), so double-check yours occasionally to make sure they’re up to date.
A few examples include:
Parking availability
Restrooms
Wheelchair accessibility
Dining options (dine-in, takeout, delivery)
Women-owned, veteran-owned business
2) Add real (high-quality) photos of your business.
New customers want to know what to expect. Novel experiences sound fun, but some specific barriers make it difficult to try new things. Businesses can reduce this “expectation friction” by showing the business interior with photos and videos. It’s why restaurants take great pains to show all the seating options available and why retailers include pictures of the salesfloor, the checkout area, and specific departments to define what the store carries and doesn’t clearly.
It’s not a bad idea to hire a professional photographer to create a batch of photos for your GBP. You can use those images on your website and social media, too.
3) Post on GBP.
You’re already posting on other platforms; that content is equally valuable to GBP users. Prioritize promotions, new products or services, and other conversion-focused posts to meet GBP users where they are in the customer journey. 76% of consumers who conduct a mobile local search visit a physical location within 24 hours, and 28% complete a purchase. Google Business Profile is the perfect place to incentivize that trip across town with a discount code or promotion!
More Efficient Marketing with Sovis Media
Google Business Profile is just one lever small brands can pull to drive results, and that puts a lot of work on a small business owner’s plate. We want to be your marketing department. Sovis Media offers affordable marketing services to help your business grow. With multichannel campaigns and behind-the-scenes technical work, we can help you get the job done at your pace and within your budget. Let’s get rolling; get in touch today.