Why You Should Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Why You Should Optimize Your Google Business Profile

If you own a business and haven’t yet registered your Google My Business (currently Google Business) Profile, now is the time to do so! With more than 200 million businesses listed on Google Search, it can be tough to stand out in front of potential customers looking for what you offer. But if you optimize your Google Business Profile with relevant keywords and photos of your services or products, you will find that customers are more likely to choose you over the competition. It’s really that simple!

Boost Your Sales With a Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile is your local business listing on Google Search. It allows customers to find, connect with, and learn about your business. Getting it set up and optimized for great online visibility can increase potential sales leads for businesses that don’t even have an online presence yet; it’s essential if you don’t have one. Optimizing it is a must-do whether or not you’re actively pursuing a digital strategy for your business. As part of your digital strategy, a Google Business Profile can help customers find, connect with, and learn about your business. When customers find what they need from your profile, more often than not – this action will help convert to actual sales. When potential customers search for local businesses on Search or Maps , they will often see these profiles in their results alongside other types of paid advertising. Your Google Business Profile page includes important details like address and contact information so customers can reach out to you directly. It also provides several tools to help potential customers learn more about what makes your business unique.

You Are Now Part of Google’s 3-pack with an Optimized Google Business Profile

Optimizing your Google Business Profile doesn’t just serve to bring users to your website through the local listing in their search results, it can also serve as a means of acquiring new leads. If you are found in Google’s 3-pack – what we like to call its local ad unit – with other nearby businesses, you will be able to extend your reach and take advantage of location-based online advertising opportunities that can help boost revenue. In short, optimizing for local search isn’t just about setting up a Google Business Profile account; it also means making sure that the data in your listing is correct and current. You could lose potential customers if they don’t see what they expect when they visit these profiles.

Google Business Profile Helps You Showcase Ratings

Some consumers are drawn to businesses with higher ratings and more reviews. If you have a 4-star or even 5-star rating, make sure to let everyone know by optimizing your Google Business Profile listing. Even if you have fewer reviews, showing that your business has received any feedback at all can help convince potential customers that they can trust what other customers have said about it. Knowing that someone else took time to leave feedback is a powerful way to encourage current customers (and past ones) to do so as well. Optimizing your listing isn’t difficult; just fill out every field and make sure its information is accurate. It’s also important not to ask for too much information from reviewers—having people leave thoughtful reviews is good enough!

You Can Increase Traffic To More Than Just Your Website

Just because you utilize another form of marketing for your business, doesn’t mean you can’t utilize the benefits of your Google Business Profile. While all businesses have at least one website, getting traffic to it is just part of a larger digital strategy. There are many other ways for local businesses to get more customers in their door and once you start exploring these options, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Where do you start? The first thing to do is research which options will best serve your customer base. For example, if most of your business comes from word-of-mouth referrals and foot traffic, look into marketing with local newspapers and magazines or even direct mail. Then create Google Business Profile posts that touch on these areas. Utilize your Google Business Profile (GBP) to its fullest extent. If most of your customers find you online, consider working with relevant review sites or reaching out on social media. Once you’ve figured out where they spend their time, it’s time to develop a strategy! The roads should always lead back to your Google Business Profile. Especially if you optimize it correctly, your customers will be able to find your business high up in the maps section – giving you the potential leads you’ve been searching for.

You Can Rank Higher in Results for Keywords

As a company owner, there are many reasons to create and update your Google Business Profile. Especially if you want your business to rank higher in results for keywords. If you haven’t done so already, it is important to update your Google Business Profile immediately. Here’s why: More searches may appear if people search for your company online, and find your business in the maps section. Each time you make an update, such as adding a new photo or new location, even a new post, the information added will only help you show up higher in search results. People can then click on the results they’ve been looking for and view that specific business profile either in search or in the maps section. Updates, which are called Google Business Profile Posts, give more people an opportunity to see what kind of services or products your company offers before visiting your physical location, clicking on your website or contacting you via email or by phone.

Get Optimized!

In the land of Google, your business can grow fast by simply following their guidelines. Still, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by it all. Reach out to the Social Spice team to get you set up for success! From setting up your profile to creating customized content to drive traffic to your site, Social Spice Media is your one-stop shop for optimizing your Google Business profile. Call us at 805-482-8312 to get started.