Google Business Profile

Many firms register a Google business listing to increase their visibility on Google (known officially as a Google Business Profile GMB).

If you want your Business Profile to be an effective SEO and lead generation tool for your company, you need to be able to manage and change it.

How can you take control of your Google Business Profile? The solution is that you must independently create a free Google My Business account for that profile in addition to a free Business Profile.

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What is Google My Business?

Creating a Google Business Profile for local businesses is an essential first step towards SEO success.

Google Business Profile also enables your business to appear on other Google tools such as Maps and Local Pack listings. Creating this free profile is a great way to increase your visibility across Google services.

You can manage and enhance your Google Business Profile using the Google My Business service. So before describing Google My Business and how it functions, let’s make sure we have a clear understanding of what a business profile is.

Google refers to your Google business listing as “your business profile.” Google Maps and Google Search’s local results both display business profiles.

Google Business Profile

How Does A Google Business Profile Work?

You can control how your business appears online on Google Search and Maps using the free tool Your Business Profile. You can connect with consumers, share updates, list your goods and services, take online orders, and more with your business profile.

To maintain your Business Profile, you will require a separate Google My Business account.

Once you claim ownership of your business profile, you can use the extra free services to improve your exposure on Google. All by creating a Google My Business account.

Google Maps

A business profile can be created in the same way as a business location is added to Google Maps, which anybody can do (including a total stranger or an automated listing generator). Google only needs the business name, business address, and category. Google will construct the business profile for the place once they are certain it is not a duplicate. Old and new Customers can then post positive and negative reviews, images, queries, and even answers to inquiries on the Business Profile. The data that Google gathers from various websites may also be added to the Business Profile.

Google ADs

How do Google Ads Work? When customers search for similar goods or services, Google will show your adverts. Your advertisements may show up on Google Search, Maps, and their network of affiliate websites. You only pay when people take action on your ads, such as clicking the ad, calling your company, visiting your website, or requesting directions to your store.

Local Pack

When a user types in a query with a local focus, Google's three most pertinent results appear above the organic rankings in what is known as the "Local Pack." The fact that Google is always updating the Local Pack to make it more beneficial to searchers demonstrates the significance of the service.

Benefits of using Google Business Profiles

Google is by far one of the leading search engines, with around 5.4 billion searches each day and a 92% market share. That means it’s extremely likely that your target market is on Google, possibly looking for the products and services that your company sells.

Your Business Profile is the perfect platform to enable your customers to learn more about your products and services in a quick way. Your business listing is not a website. It is simply a listing that appears in search engine results when a user searches for your business or a service/product you provide. Additionally, users have the quick option to contact your business or find your location, all from Google Search.

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How to use Google My Business for local marketing

To use Google My Business for SEO, make sure to incorporate relevant keywords into your Business Profile so you can tell Google what you’re trying to rank for.

Don’t ”overstuff” your keywords. Google will penalise you for this.

You should also use them in your “from the business” description and in your responses to online reviews. Also, use them in your answers to questions, and in the posts you publish. Make sure to incorporate them naturally just as you would with any other SEO strategy.

Google My Business is not your business profile; rather, it is a tool you may use to improve your business profile, to increase its efficacy and visibility. Let’s go over the four main ways you may use Google My Business to improve your Google profile’s local marketing capabilities.

Use photos! You can view images other people have uploaded about your business and add your own. Prospective customers expect to see visuals of your business, including high-quality product shots, and/or location images (including 360-degree virtual tours) and your logo.

Talk and gain potential customers

Customers can interact with your business profile in a variety of ways, and you can respond to them using your Google My Business account. You can answer queries, activate direct messaging, respond to business reviews, and set up related notifications. Like on Facebook and other social media sites, you can even utilise Google My Business to publish content to your business profile.

Put your company on display

A business profile by itself only provides basic details about your company. Add hours, a URL to your website, data about your goods and services, prices, distinguishing characteristics, and other information. You can do this through the dashboard of your Google My Business account. Additionally, you will use Google My Business to make any necessary modifications and updates.

Gain Insights

The Google My Business dashboard can help you learn important information about your target market and local search performance.

  • You can see the searches people are using to find your business profile.
  • Whether they used Google Maps or Google Search
  • A breakdown of the actions people have taken on your listing
  • How well your photos are performing in comparison to those of other profiles in your category in the analytics tab of the platform.
  • Also, take note of the fact that Google Analytics and UTM parameters can be used to track clicks coming from a business profile.

How to manage Google reviews

These online reviews play a big role in your business's reputation and how people perceive it. If you prefer to check your reviews manually, you can do so when logged into your GBP account. If you do have a negative review, apologise for the poor experience and kindly express your desire to do better in the future. Offer to fix the problem. Even if the reviewer does not take you up on your offer to make amends, it shows other Google users that you care about your customers and provide excellent customer service.

Local SEO

Google uses an algorithm to rank Business Profiles, much as it does for its ads and web pages. You can add keywords to your business profile and carry out other improvements through your Google My Business dashboard. This will help it rank in local results.

Google Posts

Google Posts are great for letting customers know about new offers and advertising what your business does best. Posting sales and promotions, as well as seasonal events and specials, is a great way to get new business.

Verified business locations are more likely to show up in local search results across Google products, like Maps and Search. Including a verified location on your Google Business Profile also helps improve your score for the distance search visibility ranking factor.

Is A Business Profile On Google Free?

Yes, it’s free to create your Business Profile on Google. You can create your profile at no cost, and you can manage your business from Google Search and Maps to start reaching more customers.

My Business Doesn't Have A Shopfront. Can I Still Have A Business Profile?

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Digital Marketing at Zero Three Digital

Businesses that don’t operate online can benefit from having an online presence. We’ve got years of experience in supporting businesses across different industries with their online marketing. Unlock your company’s potential in digital marketing with our skills and the latest industry news with Google Business Profiles and SEO.

Contact us to get your business started right with an optimised Business Profile. We can help you manage how your local business shows up across Google products, like Maps and Search.

Google Business Profile Manager is where you can manage your business profile and modify your contact details.

Mobile searches for terms like “where to buy” and “near me” have surged by over 200%. We refer to these as “discovery searches.” Users are searching more broadly for a category than for a specific brand. So if your company is well-optimised, it will be more likely to appear as a geolocated result for a user who is physically close to your establishment and searches for a general keyword like “restaurant.”