Navigating the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing can sometimes feel like an uphill battle for business owners.
At Blaze, we excel in this fast-paced environment but understand how daunting it can be to keep up with the constant platform changes. This is why many businesses choose to partner with us, as we stay up to date with the latest changes, especially when it comes to optimising your Google platforms, such as Google Shopping.
To successfully manage your business’s online presence, it can often feel like you have to understand a million different software and learn every digital marketing term from ROI to ROAS.
This can be even more confusing when you are just a local business owner trying to compete with some big fish with substantial marketing budgets. Luckily for you, though it may seem hard to believe, not every marketing channel needs a huge cash injection.
In an industry that is often so complicated, we sometimes get a ray of light in the form of easy-to-use tools, such as Google Business Profile: a user-friendly tool for managing a business’s online presence, and an increasingly important ranking factor.
Google Business Profile is incredibly easy to use, but you must have the know-how to make the most of it. Luckily for you, as always, we at Blaze Media are feeling incredibly generous and we are happy to impart our years of expertise to you.
We’re going to have no secrets left at this rate.
Here is everything you need to know about optimising your Google Business Profile, formerly known as a Google My Business account.
How Google Business Profile Can Help Local Businesses
Before we jump into all the ways that you should optimise your business, let’s take a look at how Google Business Profile can help local businesses.
This tool is fantastic for local businesses for several reasons. First, it is completely free, so you don’t have to worry about paying to compete with other businesses.
One major appeal of using Google Business Profile is that you can manage how your local business appears across various Google platforms, such as Google Maps and Search. This allows you to ensure that local people see your service how you want them to.
Contrary to what you might think being a business owner entails, there are often times when you feel like you have very little control over how your business is perceived. Using tools such as your Google Business Profile lets you choose how your business is displayed locally, which is a huge plus.
If your main focus right now for your business is local SEO, you definitely need to make sure that your Google Business Profile is up to scratch.
Optimising Your Google Profile
Make sure that you take note of the following tips and tricks for optimising your Google Business Profile.
Claim and Verify Your Google Business Profile
It is essential that you claim and verify your Google Business Profile to ensure that you have full control of how your business appears on Google Search and Maps.
Verifying your account enhances your visibility and allows you to build customer trust by providing potential customers with all the necessary information, and showing them Google reviews
By confirming that you are the legitimate owner of your business, you can improve your local search ranking. This is especially true if users search near your physical location, which is a key factor in Google’s algorithm for determining local relevance.
Google also tends to prioritise verified businesses in local search results, so by verifying your business, you can potentially boost your ranking.
Don’t Forget to Fill Out Your Profile
Data shows that customers are 2.7 times more likely to consider a business reputable if the business has a complete Business Profile.
You can’t really argue with numbers, can you?
If there is one thing that customers hate, it is having to hunt down the information of a business, and they would much rather just move on if finding information takes additional time and effort.
To make the most out of your profile, you must ensure that all your details are accurate and current.
To further improve the visibility of your business, be sure to complete the following sections:
Business Name
You must input the exact name customers will likely search for and what appears on your business branding.
Category
You should go into your profile, and in the ‘Primary Category’ section, you should enter and select the category that best suits your business model.
If none of the options accurately reflect your business, you can select ‘Add Category’ and then in the additional category box, you can enter and select the category that you’d like to add.
Address and Service Areas of Operation
An important aspect of optimising your Google Business Profile is ensuring that all of your address information is accurate and current.
The address information you provide will influence your business’s visibility in local search results, so it is essential to enter all relevant details accurately.
If your business operates remotely or is mobile, include your service areas where you can assist customers at their location. If you have a hybrid business, it is suggested that you include both your storefront location and your service area.
Phone Number and Current Website URL
There is nothing worse than trying to contact a business only to be unable to find its phone number. We live in a fast-paced world, and if people can’t find the information they need quickly, they’ll just move on to a business that provides it without the hassle.
Provide a local phone number rather than a general toll-free number. People prefer to know they are contacting a local business.
If your business has a website- which it should definitely have- especially if you want to achieve better conversions, your Google Business Profile should include links to your website so that potential consumers can easily find your page.
Opening Hours
When people search for your business, they expect to be able to find all the information that they need quickly. Make sure that your opening hours are accurately detailed on your Google Business Profile.
If your opening hours are affected by the holiday hours, it is equally important to ensure that this is detailed. If, for any reason, you are unable to open on a certain day, you should update your opening hours.
Relevant Attributes
Google allows businesses to add attributes that help customers distinguish what the company offers. For example, if we were to add attributes for Blaze, we might put something like ‘locally owned’ or ‘employer of a world-class copywriter’- you know, the important stuff.
In your attributes, you should outline what makes your business stand out and what is important for your brand identity.
Make The Most Out of High-Quality Photos and Videos
When it comes to using a product or service, people tend to make a decision based on evidence, such as videos and images related to the business. People want to see what they’re buying, which means including images and videos on your profile is essential to achieving more clicks.
Be sure to upload up-to-date images to your website to showcase the customer experience and key services.
Write a Compelling Business Description
Your Google Business Profile presents you with a great opportunity to market your business. As one of Liverpool’s leading marketing agencies, we believe that providing a compelling business description is one of the best ways to outline your business and clarify its offerings.
When writing a compelling business description, it is essential to clearly state what your business offers, ensuring that you include any relevant keywords that may help your business show up in more searches.
If you are unsure how to approach keywords for your description, we recommend contacting SEO experts, such as our team at Blaze. Not only can we ensure that your description is great, but we can help you set up your Google Business Profile.
Build, Manage and Respond to Reviews
Reviews play a significant role in ranking, so responding to all incoming reviews and actively requesting more from your clients is crucial. As people distrust businesses, they tend to trust customer reviews more.
Responding to reviews on your Google Business Profile is essential. It shows potential customers that you value their feedback, listen to their concerns, and are dedicated to providing excellent service.
Leverage Google Posts to Update Customers
You can utilise Google Posts to keep customers informed about your business by sharing updates on sales, events, and news. Posts can feature photos, videos, text, and buttons.
If your business is very dependent on seasonal promotions, you can leverage these posts to inform your customers about any events they should expect or any promotions that may benefit them.
Doing this is completely free- so make the most of it!
List Your Services and Products
As we have already outlined in this blog, it is essential to ensure that your customers and clients are as informed as possible. Before making a purchase from a business, customers tend to research the services and products before committing.
To have the best possible chance of success, you should make sure that your services and products are clearly listed, with the prices included where possible.
Regularly Update Information
There is nothing worse than finding a business that looks good and offers a great service, only to find that all of their information is completely outdated.
Any time there is a change to your business, be that with operations, with your products or services, you need to update your Google Business Profile. By regularly updating your information, you will also let your customers know that your business is present and active.
Work With Blaze to Optimise Your Google Business Profile
Look, we understand that we threw a lot of information at you there. Hopefully, through this blog, we have been able to give you all the information you need to be able to make the most out of your Google Business Profile.
If you’re still feeling a bit lost and you want to ensure that you’re doing it properly, we strongly suggest that you collaborate with an experienced marketing agency, such as Blaze Media.
With our support and expertise, you will reap the benefits of your Google Business Profile. Contact us today to find out how we can help you.