Why do I need a Google Business Profile?
Get more online attention for your business, improve your SEO ranking, and make the best first impression!
In order to show up when customers are looking for you online—on computers or mobile devices—you have to understand how Google displays your information. Why do we care what Google does? Because they dominate the online search market with 72% of desktop and 92% of mobile search market share.
FUN FACT: 2.3 million searches per second are performed on Google.
Not only does your Google Business Profile (aka Google Business Listing) increase your chances of showing up in the Google Local 3-pack, but when your business is searched for by name, Google often shows a knowledge panel that displays detailed information about your company.
These details are pulled directly from your Google Business listing and from information Google finds from other online sources and user-generated content, like third-party reviews, Q&As, user-suggested information and so on.
Over the past few years, Google has added a lot of amazing features for businesses to enhance and optimize their Google Business Profile. If you’re not taking advantage of the latest features of the platform — such as being able to manage multiple locations with one dashboard — it’s time to log into your Google Business Profile and start optimizing it.
How To Create Your Google Business Profile
1. Visit Google Business Profile.
2. Log in using your Google account or sign up for a free account. You can use any email address to create a Google account; you do not need to sign up for a separate Gmail.
3. Follow the step-by-step procedures on the screen. First, it will ask for the name of your business, then for a business category. We highly recommend you fill out as many details as possible, including a location customers can visit, the service area of your business, your contact information such as your phone number, and your website URL.
4. After filling everything out, click on the finish button and select a verification option. You may choose to verify now, later, or if you’re not authorized to manage the Business Profile, find someone in the organization who’s authorized to continue the process.
How To Optimize Your Google Business Profile
When you claim your listing, fill in as many details as you can. This includes your business name, address, phone number, email address, website, hours (if appropriate), a summary of services, and more.
Don’t just claim your listing and forget about it. Take full advantage of all the new features and special sections of information you can add about your business.
Edit Profile
When you select the Edit Profile button, you can update, change, or set an array of business data. Most of this data should have been set when you claimed your listing or when you’ve set up your Business Profile. This is where you want to go when you need to make an update or change.
You can update your business name, category, service area, hours, phone number, social profiles, website, service area, service options, attributes, business description, opening date, etc.
Below is a guide to help you complete the information needed for your Google Business Profile.
Google Profile Optimization Checklist
Business Name: Enter your business name how it appears on your business card or how you normally refer to it.
Business Category: Select the primary category which best represents your business. This
should be the keyword customers search for like “Mexican Restaurant,” “Deck Builder,”
“Electrician,” etc. Don’t worry! You’ll be able to add more categories if you think your business encompasses multiple categories.
Description: This is the elevator pitch for your business.
Notes:
- It should be written with prospective customers in mind (people who know nothing about your business).
- Focus on the business as a whole rather than specific products/services or promotions.
- Use the most important keywords that people would generally search for to find your business.
- Remember: You are writing for humans, not search engines. There is a 750 character limit.
Opening Date: This is the date your business first opened its doors to customers. It helps potential customers understand the establishment’s history and longevity in the community.
Contact Information: Contains the section with your primary contact number, additional phone numbers, your website URL, social profiles, and the short name of your business.
Note:
Short Name is a unique identifier chosen by businesses, typically a shortened version of their name or a memorable keyword. It helps customers easily find and identify the business in Google search results and maps, facilitating quicker access to essential information and improving online visibility.
Business Hours: These are the specific times your business is open to serve customers. Providing accurate business hours helps customers plan their visits and enhances the credibility and reliability of the business listing on Google Maps and search results.
Enter regular, customer-facing hours of operation.
If you are a seasonal business: Remove operating hours when closed, and re-enter when the season comes.
Special Hours: Allows businesses to specify deviations from their regular business hours for holidays, events, or other temporary changes. This feature ensures that customers are informed about adjusted hours during specific periods, maintaining transparency and avoiding potential misunderstandings.
More: This section under Edit Profile in Google Business Profile provides additional fields and options beyond basic business information. It allows businesses to enhance their profile with details such as attributes (like wheelchair accessibility or outdoor seating), services offered, and other customizable features, aiming to provide comprehensive and informative content to potential customers.
Read Reviews
This is where you can see your Google Reviews. Here you will be able to post a reply and see all the details of your reviews.
This is also where you get your custom URL to share with customers for leaving reviews. Click on Get More Reviews and copy the URL. Send this to every customer right after a transaction has completed and ask them to leave you a review. Give them a direct link and make it easy for them to help you.
If you do not have any Google reviews, your Google Business Profile will pull in reviews from other sources, such as Facebook. Still, make it a point to ask clients to post reviews for you on Google. And when you do get a review, be sure to reply to it through this interface. Showing you’re engaged online will help to build your credibility and reputation to new clients.
Messages
You can choose to activate the messaging feature, which will send messages or questions directly to your mobile phone via text message if someone messages you.
These are optional features, but they allow clients to quickly ask questions or send messages and get the information they are looking for fast.
UPDATE July 2024: Google has announced they are discontinuing the messaging feature built into GBP, so look for this feature to go away in the coming months.
Photos
One of the greatest opportunities to stand out from your competition is to upload a great assortment of photos and videos to your Google Business Profile. It’s a task many businesses overlook, but photos are viewed by many visitors. Take that opportunity to make the best first impression with customers visually before they even get to your website content.
Performance
This is a great resource for seeing the data and views of your Google Business Profile (aka Google Business Listing) for a certain period of time.
The Performance button will show you data like:
- Calls made from your Business Profile
- Messages sent from your Business Profile
- Bookings made from your Business Profile
- Direction requests made from your Business Profile
- Website clicks made from your Business Profile and
- An Overview dashboard containing the summary of all the performance data of your Google Business Profile
Advertise
This allows your business to create and manage paid advertising campaigns directly from your profile. It helps you promote your products and services to a targeted audience across Google’s various platforms, including search results and maps, to increase visibility and attract potential customers. There are several different types of Google Ads and it can be overwhelming and easy to overspend. We recommend working with a Google Ads Agency to optimize the ROI on your ads. Contact us for a referral to our partner Google Ads Agency. We trust them with our own ads management.
Edit Products
This is where you can add your business products and show your customers what you have in stock. This is very helpful for those that have an ecommerce website, as it enables you to link the website page of your product or the shop page of your website. You may also include details like product name, category, price, product description, and a photo. If you do have an ecommerce shop, you should also consider setting up the connection with Google Shopping network and get your products automatically displayed here and in the Google Shopping networks.
Google has started to require businesses to have a Google Ads account set up and verified in order to automatically sync your WordPress website products with the shopping network. You do not have to run ads, but simply have an ads account created and set up.
Edit Services
The Edit Services feature on Google Business Profile allows you to showcase the specific services you offer directly on your Google listing. This helps potential customers understand exactly what services are available, making it easier for them to decide whether to visit or contact your business. It also enhances the your online presence by providing comprehensive and relevant information to users searching for services in their area.
Booking
This enables you to integrate a booking system directly into your profile, allowing customers to schedule appointments or reservations with ease. This feature streamlines the booking process, enhances customer convenience, and can help boost bookings by making it simple for potential clients to secure appointments directly from Google Search and Maps.
Q&A
This section allows customers to ask questions directly about your business, which you or other users can answer. It serves as a platform for addressing customer inquiries, providing helpful information, and enhancing engagement by ensuring accurate and timely responses to potential customers’ queries.
Add Update
Google allows you to post current and relevant information in the form of post updates. These are a great way to feature what’s new at your business, an upcoming event, or a promotional offer. You should plan to upload a photo with each post type, and your detailed text section is limited to 1,500 words.
Add update allows you to post anything under the sun that you’d like to share with your customers. It includes a photo, text description, and a button you can use depending on your post. It could be a book button, learn more, sign up, buy, order online, or a call button.
The Event update can include an event title, date, time, and other details, along with an image and a button.
The Offer update is more detailed. You can add a photo, your detailed description, an offer title, start and end dates and times, a coupon code, links to redeem the offer, and terms and conditions.
Ask for Reviews
This feature in Google Business Profile allows you to request feedback from your customers directly through the platform. It encourages satisfied clients to share their positive experiences publicly, which can enhance your online reputation and credibility, as well as attract more customers searching for reputable businesses in your industry.