What is a Google Business Profile, and How Can it Benefit Your Business?
Table of Contents
What is a Google Business Profile?
What are the benefits of a Google Business Profile?
How to create your business's profile on Google
How to verify a Google Business Profile?
How to manage your Google Business Profile
How to add your business to Google Maps?
How to optimize a Google Business Profile for SEO
Choose relevant keywords
Complete your profile
Regular updates
Use additional features
Monitor your statistics
Conclusion
FAQ:
What is a Google Business Profile?
Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business or GMB) – in the simplest terms – is your company’s online profile on Google’s platform. Businesses can utilize their business account to track and manage their online presence on Google search engine and associated services like Google Maps. With the profile, businesses can create a listing that will showcase essential information about the company, including its location, contact details, operating hours, website URL, and – perhaps most importantly – customer reviews.
When customers google search for a specific type of business in their local area, Google Business Profile listings are often pushed to the top of the results, giving them a much greater local SEO potential than regular websites. By eyeing the profile on their search engine results page (SERP), your potential customers can quickly access vital information about your business, helping them make a definitive decision.
What are the benefits of a Google Business Profile?
There are many potential benefits that registering a Google My Business profile can bring to any business. They can have significant impact on the success of a company and its online visibility – let’s take a look at some of the most prominent ones:
- Better visibility – By listing your business on Google through a business account, your company becomes more accessible to online customers, as it's easier to find in Google search results and is boosted in comparison to regular web pages, particularly in local searches.
- Improved credibility – A Google business account allows companies to accumulate customer reviews and ratings that help build trust and credibility among your audiences. Your business’s rating on Google can have a tremendous impact whenever potential customers are gauging several similar companies.
- Expanded customer interactions – Your business account gives you a range of features that can help you interact with your audience, like adding a Q&A section, allowing customers to directly message your business from their browser, and allowing you to add posts with valuable information.
- Competitive advantage – You can stand out visually from your competitors who don’t have a GMB profile in search results, immediately focusing the searcher’s attention on your company. Add attractive visual content to make your business more appealing to viewers.
- Data insights – With the Google Business Profile, you can also track your customers’ behavior, demographics, and trends, making it easier to take well-informed strategic decisions.
How to create your business’s profile on Google
Creating a new business profile on Google is straightforward, and the time it takes will depend on the details you wish to provide – but the benefits are definitely worth it.
Start by signing in to your Google Account, or creating a new one if you don’t have it yet. Next, go to the Google Business Profile page and click on “Manage Now” or “Add Your Business”. You’ll be asked to go through a guided registration process that will explain every step in detail. Fill in all the necessary information, including your business name, location, category, contact information, and website – it’s crucial to add accurate information, as it will be displayed to potential customers.
Once you’ve filled in all the details, you’ll also need to verify your business – more about it in the next step. Once verified, your profile will go live – you can try out a few Google searches to witness the results for yourself and check whether everything is working as it should.
How to verify a Google Business Profile?
Now that you’ve created your business profile on Google, the next step is verification. Verifying your business's profile is crucial to confirm that your control over the business listing is legitimate (i.e., you’re the business owner or someone authorized).
Start by logging into your Google account associated with the Google business listing and search for your business through the business account page. You don’t have to verify the profile immediately after creating it – you can come back later to finish the process.
Google offers a few different verification methods that you can use to activate your Google My Business profile, depending on the business type and location. If you’re a fan of more traditional methods, you can try verifying by mail – Google will send a letter with a verification code to the business address, which you’ll then have to provide to gain control over the business listing. This can take up to a few weeks. While some may consider it slower than other methods, it remains a reliable choice.
Additionally, there are faster verification methods available. Eligible businesses can also verify their business account by phone – a verification code will be sent via an automated text message to the provided phone number. Some businesses should also be able to verify their account by email. You can also take a video recording of your business that includes the location, outside shots, inside shots, and proof of management, like access to employee-only areas and appliances (e.g., a cash register).
Some businesses who have verified their companies using Google’s search console will have access to instant verification. If you’re signing in to your Google Business Profile using the same email used for the search console, the instant verification method should be automatically enabled.
Follow the verification instructions and enter the verification code when asked. You’ll have to wait for a Google employee to authorize your request, verifying your profile and granting you access to managing it.
How to manage your Google Business Profile
Just because your business account has been added and verified doesn't mean your work is done – managing the profile is a continuous process that will help you keep your online presence up-to-date and engage your audience. Here are a few things you should focus on when managing your profile:
- Editing information – Any time any details of your business change (contact information, business hours, website links, phone numbers, etc.), you should update your business profile with new information. Any changes in your local business should be reflected on your business account to avoid providing obsolete information about your company.
- Responding to reviews – Engaging with customer feedback is important – customer reviews are the modern word-of-mouth. As per a Zippia report, nearly 95% of shoppers read online reviews before making a purchase. Thank your customers for positive reviews and address any concerns in negative reviews professionally. Remember to never respond in an accusatory manner on Google reviews, as it’ll only have an adverse effect on your online image. Responding professionally and promptly to feedback, both positive and negative, reinforces a positive online reputation, making potential customers more likely to choose your business over competitors.
- Add posts and offers – Keep adding new posts and updating your news, offers, and any important changes in your company. Your business account has a range of features that allow you to add content related to your operations, making your profile more interactive and engaging for potential customers.
- Upload high-quality images and videos – Visual content is essential for your GMB. Upload high-quality, relevant image and video content that shows off your brand, its location, and its products or services.
How to add your business to Google Maps?
Having an online presence is no longer a choice for businesses – Google Maps in particular has become an essential platform for new and already established businesses, offering increased visibility, local search preference, and providing customers with easy access to business information. When you search for local businesses on Google, you'll often see a “local pack” – a set of three business listings that appear at the top of the search results. These listings include your business name, reviews and ratings, address and phone number, business hours, photos, price range, and business category, in addition to a short description.
Adding your business to Google Maps is a part of creating your Google Business Profile. When creating a profile for your business, search for your business name – it might already be visible on Google Maps, in which case you’ll just have to verify your ownership over the location.
If your business isn’t already on Google Maps, you’ll have to provide its location as part of the Google Business Profile registration process. Once all the necessary information is in and your account is verified, your business will appear on Google Maps.
Remember to add specific location details (you can drag the marker to adjust the exact placement). If your business serves customers outside its physical location as well, make sure to define those service areas. For even better visibility, you can also use Google Ads on Google Maps, highlighting your business in search results within the map interface.
How to optimize a Google Business Profile for SEO
To make sure your business is ranking highly, you’ll have to optimize it. Implementing local SEO strategies can help increase your profile’s visibility among potential customers in the area, and proactive and diligent management will definitely help your online presence grow. Make sure you understand all available features and utilize ones that can bring you an advantage over your competition.
Choose relevant keywords
When creating or editing your profile, you can enter your business description and select categories. Identify the most relevant and popular keywords related to your business and include them naturally in both – it will help Google understand the nature of your business and show your profile to relevant searches. Make sure to use location-based keywords as well if your business is targeting a specific area.
Complete your profile
Having a complete Google Business Profile is crucial for optimal visibility. Your business name should reflect your actual business and should be consistent with other online listings. Ensure your physical address is accurately input and consistent across all platforms to avoid confusion. Make sure you select relevant categories for your business – they significantly impact in which searches your business will appear in the results.
Regular updates
Add new posts with relevant information like new product launches, promotions, and events. This will help keep your profile up-to-date and your audience informed about everything that’s going on with your company.
Remember that engaging with both positive and negative reviews shows that you care about your customers and their experience with your brand. More positive reviews can improve your ranking, which influences visibility. Encourage your customers to leave reviews, especially while they are physically at your business location.
Use additional features
You can also add attributes to your business which describe specific amenities and services available, like Wi-Fi, outdoor seating, and so on. These can further improve your SEO and help your customers understand what they can expect from your company. You can also set up instant messaging that can improve your customer service and allow people who find your business to reach out with any questions.
Monitor your statistics
Your Google Business Profile can give you access to a range of insights that’ll help you understand how customers find and interact with your profile. Analyze trends, popular times for posting, and details about your demographics to help you make better-informed decisions.
If your business has multiple branches, remember that you can manage them all through a single account. You can also use location groups to apply changes to multiple locations simultaneously to streamline the work. It’s crucial to make sure each branch’s details are accurate and up-to-date so that your customers aren’t confused. Think of this example: you have a branch that features its own opening hours, but its information on Google Maps display your main location opening hours. If a customer sees these hours, tries to visit, and sees that the branch is closed, they may give you a negative review that will hurt your visibility.
Make sure that your content, including all information, posts, and interactions comply with Google’s guidelines. Any violations can lead to penalties or getting your profile suspended. If you notice any issues with your profile, such as incorrect or outdated information, unauthorized changes, or fraudulent reviews, don’t wait – take action immediately to avoid negatively impacting your visibility.
Conclusion
Having a Google Business Profile isn’t optional anymore – it’s key for any business seeking to grow their online visibility and achieve success. The profile can help you reach diverse audiences, improve customer support, and provide a whole range of other benefits, as long as it’s properly managed.
By understanding what Google Business Profile is and how to optimize it, you can take valuable actions that will drive your company’s online presence. Remember to fill in all possible details about your business, verify your listing, and continue to manage and optimize it, and you’ll see how powerful of a free tool your Google Business Profile can be.
FAQ:
Is it possible to turn off my Google Business Profile’s reviews?
There is no way to turn off reviews for active Google business profiles. You can turn off reviews by marking your business as permanently closed or temporarily disable the profile, which might be useful in periods of inactivity to avoid negative reviews.
How to delete my Google Business Profile?
You can delete your GMB profile at any time by logging into the platform, selecting your profile, and choosing the “Remove” option from the Actions menu. Keep in mind that this action is permanent, and you won’t be able to undo your decision – you’ll need to create a new profile in the future.
How to remove a review on Google Business Profile?
You can only flag reviews violating Google’s policies for removal – there is no way to remove reviews that are legitimate, even if extremely negative. If you find a review that you feel violates any policies, click on the three-dot icon next to it and select “Flag as inappropriate”. Google’s employees will verify the review and take action if necessary.
How to claim a Google Business Profile from Google Maps?
To claim a business profile, search for your business on Google Maps and click on “Claim this business”. You’ll have to follow the standard verification process to prove ownership of the business. Once verified, you’ll have full control over the listing – just like if you’d create account from scratch.