Google allows you to claim your very own free business listing to take control of how your business appears on Google Search and Google Maps. Using your Google My Business account effectively will help attract new customers to your business by increasing your visibility in Google search results.
Google likes to prioritise business profiles that remain active and provide users with the best possible experience. Ensuring your profile is optimised effectively and up-to-date will improve your chances of ranking higher in local search results. Regularly updating your business hours, adding high-quality photos, responding to customer reviews, and posting updates or special offers can enhance your profile’s appeal and engagement.
What is a Google My Business Profile?
But what is a Google My Business profile and how do you spot it in search results? Google My Business is a free tool for those looking to promote their business on Google Maps and in the local results of Google Search.
Business profiles in Google search look like this:
Business profiles in map results look like this:
For mobile users, business profiles look like this:
Who Needs a Google My Business Profile?
According to Google, business profiles are suitable for restaurants, stores, or service providers. A business profile is an opportunity for customers to do business with businesses easily and directly, with product inventory allowing users to order, book, request a quote, and more.
How to Optimise Your Google My Business Profile
There are many ways to optimise your business profile effectively to achieve maximum visibility in search results. Google regularly releases new features for business profiles, and as of 2024, here are some of the best ways you can optimise your profile to stand out above your competitors.
1. Ensure Your NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) is Accurate
Ensuring your name, address, and phone number are accurate on your business profile is crucial for customer trust and accurate information. You can find and edit this information under the “edit profile” section of your Google Business profile.
2. Complete Your Business Profile
Completing your business profile is important because it provides crucial information to potential customers, such as your location, contact details, and hours of operation. You will find a coloured rating based on your profile strength in your account, which provides an opportunity for you to complete your business information.
3. Make Your Business Category Accurate, Including Services
To optimise your business profile for maximum visibility, it is important to ensure you have selected the most relevant primary category based on the services your business offers. For example, if you offer electrical services in Chichester, your primary category would be ‘electrician’. Once you have selected your primary category, you can choose additional categories under ‘services’ to support the main service that your business offers.
4. Post Regularly on Your GBP
Remaining consistent on your business profile is essential. By releasing regular updates, events, offers, and confirming public holidays or adding hours so customers know when you’re open, tells Google that you’re actively managing your business and providing current, relevant information to customers. This can improve your visibility in local search results and enhance your online reputation.
5. Add Your Social Profiles
Google released a new feature to business profiles in October 2023 that allows businesses to link to their social media profiles. This feature can help improve visibility in local search results and make it easier for customers to connect with your business across platforms.
6. Ask for Google Reviews
Google reviews are one of the most important aspects of optimising your business profile. We regularly encourage our clients to gather as many reviews as possible from customers, staff members, or associated individuals connected to the business. Google reviews are crucial because they influence potential customers’ perceptions and decisions about your business, directly impacting its online reputation and visibility.
To make it quick and easy when asking people to review your business, Google provides a self-generated review link which you can find under ‘ask for reviews’.
7. Add High-quality Videos and Photos
Adding high-quality photos and videos to your business profile highlights the features that customers consider when making purchasing decisions. Including relevant photos or videos in your profile once or twice a week will enhance your local positioning and increase engagement with potential customers.
8. Be Responsive!
Being responsive to users enquiring through your business profile will enhance customer satisfaction and strengthen your reputation. It’s important to promptly acknowledge messages and reviews, address concerns or questions, and provide helpful responses to users.
This not only shows your commitment to customer service but also builds trust and encourages repeat business. This will also highlight to Google that your business values engagement and customer interaction, potentially improving your local search ranking and visibility.
Need Help With Your Google My Business Profile?
Do you still need help managing your Google My Business profile? Are you struggling to verify your account? Our team of SEO experts at Fandango Digital has a proven track record in optimising business profiles to increase visibility in Google search and map results. To find out more, get in touch today.
