From a marketing standpoint, your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to stay in front of clients. If you don’t already have a Google Business Profile, it’s a very easy process to get started and you should put it on your to-do list asap. You can get started with creating your Google Business Profile here. The process is easy, free, and what most people underestimate or do not realize is that it helps improve your SEO and rank you higher in search results.
Let’s begin with optimizing your Google Business Profile page the right way. Creating an optimized Google Business Profile is your first step in leveraging local search page success. Ultimately your Google Business Profile will have the greatest impact on local search exposure.
For those who already have an established Google Business Profile, making sure all the relevant business information (address, hours, website, contact info) is correct will be an important part of making sure your Google Business Profile is reflective of current and accurate information. It’s easy to forget to update this information as businesses evolve and grow overtime. The most important aspect of your profile is to make sure that it properly communicates what your business does, the location, and how consumers or clients can access the services or goods you are offering. You’ll also want to keep your SEO in mind here to help you populate in searches as well. Use relevant keyword information to describe your business.
Google Business Profiles allow users to further optimize their profiles with relevant photos and posts. Don’t underestimate how integral photos are to your profile as statistically Google My Business Profiles with photos see roughly 40% more map request driving directions and over 30% more click throughs to websites than profiles without photos.
One of the most commonly looked over aspects of a Google My Business Profile is the posting feature. Google My Business allows you to update your page by creating frequent posts. All posts on your Google My Business page expire after seven days which ultimately means that the general rule of thumb is to update your page by posting weekly.
Your Google Business Profile should have the following content to be the most effective for SEO purposes; photos, keywords, and compressed content. Using high quality imagery in your posts helps keep your brand standards on point and reflective of the successful business you are. Keywords should be no surprise since the digital world since the majority of online digital success correlates highly with proper keyword functionality. Keeping your posts concise and short allows you to target your audience and their short attention span while researching relevant businesses for their needs. Ideally, your posts will fall within the 150-300 word total. An easy way to update your Google Business Profile with posts is to just repurpose the content you are already making on other platforms such as your social media channels.
Our last recommendation for your Google Business Profile’s optimization is to stay on top of your Google reviews. Asking your clients to post reviews is a very important form of marketing. Not only does their information help provide you with constructive feedback for creating the best business possible but it encourages new clientele to use your products or services for the first time by way of popularity. No one wants to waste their money while making purchasing decisions and they are much more likely to read reviews and base new purchases on the opinions of others in the same way you’re likely to read Amazon reviews before making a purchase. Also, be sure to reply to every single review you receive. It shows you regularly engage with your clientele and find their feedback important to your overall business model.
