3 Important Tips for Optimizing Your Google Business Profile
Having a Google Business Profile (GBP) is a key step in boosting the visibility of your business. A GBP is a free listing on Google that displays information about a local business to people who search for it on Google Maps or Google Search. It provides customers with key information such as the business’s location, hours of operation, phone number, and website, as well as reviews and photos from previous customers.
To reap the benefits of a GBP, you can’t simply create a profile and call it a day. A strong GBP requires optimization and maintenance. Having a well-optimized Google Business Profile is important for businesses because it can help them reach more customers and improve their visibility online. When people search for businesses or products in their local area, Google may display a map with markers for nearby businesses, and a well-optimized profile can help a business stand out and attract more clicks. Beyond that, optimized profiles are more likely to appear higher in the results for discovery searches.
In addition to receiving traffic directly through your profile, a well-optimized Google Business Profile can help improve your business’s search engine optimization (SEO) by providing Google with more information about the business and its offerings. This, in turn, can help your business appear higher in SERPs for relevant keywords and improve its overall online visibility.
Overall, optimizing a GBP is a simple but effective way for businesses to reach more customers, improve their online visibility, and enhance their reputation. Here’s how to optimize your Google Business Profile.
Best Ways to Optimize Your Google Business Profile
1. Update Business Information Promptly
It’s crucial to ensure that your Google Business Profile contains accurate and up-to-date information about your business. This information should include your business name, address, phone number, website, and hours of operation. Make sure this information is consistent with what’s listed on your website and other online listings. Inaccurate or inconsistent information can confuse customers and hurt your credibility. Furthermore, Google may not verify your business if the information provided is inconsistent or inaccurate. You should also make sure there are a few high-quality photos of your business posted, and consider updating these once a year or every six months.
2. Use Keywords
When creating or updating your Google Business Profile, it’s important to use relevant keywords in your business description and category. This will help your profile appear in relevant search results when customers search for businesses like yours. Use keywords that accurately describe your business and its offerings, and try to avoid overusing them. You can also consider using long-tail keywords that are more specific and less competitive.
3. Reviews, Reviews, Reviews
Arguably, the most important part of a Google Business Profile is the review. There are many techniques you can employ to build your review base as a business. Don’t be afraid to ask your customers for reviews satisfied customers will be happy to support a business they like.
Consider giving employees incentives to ask customers for reviews, and help them create a routine for doing so. For example, employees at Selby Acoustics, one of Australia’s largest home theatre equipment suppliers, receive a $15 bonus for every customer review that mentions them by name. They also are trained on how to ask for reviews so they quickly make a habit of it.
Of course, even with these techniques, you can’t expect every review to be good. Replying to reviews, good or bad, is also a great way to build your credibility as a business and improve your relationship with customers. For good reviews, this seems easy to show appreciation to your customers and likely will come naturally to you. When it comes to bad reviews, can be trickier, but this is a great way to preserve your reputation even after someone has a bad experience.
Pete Evering, Operations Manager at Utopia Property Management, explains how responding to negative reviews builds trust with your customer base. “People want to see transparency and humanity in a business,” says Evering. “The best way to accomplish that is by showing customers that you listen to their feedback and you want to improve.”
In fact, Evering sees negative reviews as opportunities rather than detriments. “Every bad review is a chance to write a response that stands out to customers. A meaningful reply to a negative review is sometimes more valuable than a positive review because customers are more likely to read it and remember it.”
