What is Google Business Profile?
A Google Business Profile is a free listing that appears on Google when someone searches for your business or business category in their area. Your profile includes your business name, location, phone number, hours, photos, and other important information.
Creating a Google Business Profile is an excellent way to make your business more visible and accessible to potential customers. It also helps you to manage your online presence and control how your business appears on Google.
Why you need a Google My Business account
There are several reasons why you might want to create a Google Business Profile:
· Get discovered on Google
When customers search for businesses like yours on Google, your Business Profile can appear in the search results. This can help you attract new customers since they’ll be able to find all the essential details about your business at a glance.
· Stand out on Google Maps
If your business is located in a specific area, people searching on Google Maps can see your Business Profile. This can be a great way to attract customers looking for businesses in your area.
· Control what customers see
When you create a Google Business Profile, you can control what information is shown to customers. This includes your business hours, contact information, and photos. You can also respond to reviews, which can help build trust with potential customers.
· Control your online business information
With a Google Business Profile, you can control how your business appears across all of Google’s services. This includes search, maps, and shopping. This is a great way to ensure that customers always have accurate and up-to-date information about your business.
· Get insights about your customers
Google Business Profile comes with a dashboard that provides insights about your customers. This includes information about how they found your business, what they’re searching for, and what actions they take. This data can help you understand your customers and decide your marketing strategy.
· Build trust through reviews
Customers trust businesses that have positive reviews. Google Business Profile makes it easy for customers to leave reviews about your business. These reviews can help build trust with potential customers and attract new business.
Tips to optimize your Google My Business profile
As the owner or manager of a business, you can control what information appears in your Google Business Profile. This is important because you want to ensure that your profile is accurate and up-to-date.
To edit your Google Business Profile, sign in to Google My Business and make changes. You can add photos, update your business hours, and provide other details about your business.
To get the most out of your Google Business Profile, make sure to:
Explore Complete all elements of your profile
Your profile should include essential information about your business, like your business name, address, and hours of operation.
Add photos
Make sure to add high-quality photos of your business, products, and services.
Manage your reviews
Encourage customers to leave reviews of your business on your Google Business Profile. You can also respond to studies that have already been gone.
Add additional locations
If you have multiple locations, you can add them to your Google Business Profile. This is a great way to make sure that customers can find all of your sites when they search for your business.
If you’re unsure where to start, Google has a helpful guide to creating and optimizing your Google Business Profile.
Verify your location
If you want your business to appear in Maps and local search results, you’ll need to verify your location with Google. This simple process involves Google sending you a postcard with a verification code. Once you enter the code, your site will be verified and added to Google Maps.
To verify your location, sign in to Google My Business and follow the instructions.
Add actual images and videos of your business.
Always add high-quality photos and videos of your business, products, and services. Customers want to see what they’re getting before they visit your business, so photos and videos are a great way to give them a preview.
To add photos and videos, sign in to Google My Business and add your pictures and videos to your profile.
Get more reviews from customers
Encourage customers to leave reviews of your business on your Google Business Profile. You can also respond to studies that have already been left.
Include keywords in your profile
When you’re creating your profile, make sure to include relevant keywords that describe your business. This will help customers find your profile when searching for businesses like yours.
Add your business to Google Maps
If you want your business to appear in Google Maps, you’ll need to add it to the map. This simple process can be done from your Google Business Profile.
To add your business to Google Maps, sign in to Google My Business and follow the instructions.
Encourage and answer reviews and questions
Make sure to encourage customers to leave reviews of your business on your Google Business Profile. You can also respond to studies that have already been left.
Answering questions is a great way to show potential customers that you’re knowledgeable about your business and interested in helping them.
To encourage and answer reviews and questions, sign in to Google My Business and follow the instructions.
Add special features and attributes
Google Business Profile allows you to add special features and attributes to your business. This is a great way to give customers more information about your business and what you have to offer.
Conclusion
As you can see, having a Google Business Profile is a great way to make your business more visible and accessible to potential customers. It also helps you to control your online presence and manage your business information.
