This blog is a guide to optimising your Google Business Profile (GBP). The guide outlines essential steps for businesses to enhance their digital presence and attract more customers through Google Search and Maps.
Key topics include claiming and verifying your business, completing your profile, adding high-quality photos, gathering and responding to reviews, and engaging customers with posts.
Additionally, the guide covers optimising for local SEO, leveraging insights, listing products and services, and maintaining consistent information across platforms to build trust and improve visibility.
Whether your business is a local bakery or a busy enterprise adhering to best practices not only ensures your GMB stands out but also builds trust for your audience.
1. Claim and Verify Your Business
Why Is It Important?
Claiming and verifying your business means that you have control over your business listing and prevents others from making changes and adds credibility to your profile.
How to Do It?
How to claim your business:
- Search for your business on Google Maps
- If it appears, click "Claim this business." If not, create a new listing.
Verifying your business:
- Google offers several verification methods such as phone, email, or postcard.
- Follow the instructions to complete the verification process.
Supporting Resources
- Verify your business on Google
- How to add or claim your Business Profile on Google
- How to claim and verify your Business Profile on Google
2. Complete Every Section of Your Profile
Why Is It Important?
A complete profile provides more information to potential customers and increases your chances of appearing in relevant search results.
- Business Name - Use your actual business name and avoid the use of extra keywords such as location names.
- Address - Share your actual address; make sure it matches the address on your website, other online directories and your social media channels.
- Phone Number - Use a local number where you can and avoid using a call tracking number, unless it’s consistent across all your online listings.
- Website - Add a link to your website; sharing the most relevant page for your local customers such as your homepage or a dedicated location page.
- Hours - Make sure your operating hours are up-to-date, including special timings for holidays or events.
- Category - Select the most appropriate primary category for your business. You can also add secondary categories to describe additional services or products.
- Attributes - Highlight special features like "wheelchair accessible," "free Wi-Fi," "outdoor seating," etc.
- Business Description - Write a clear, engaging description of your business in no more than 750 characters. Focus on what makes your business unique and why customers should choose you.
- Opening Date - Add the date you opened your business. This adds credibility and gives customers a sense of your levels of experience.
Supporting Resources
3. Add High-Quality Photos
Why Is It Important?
A well presented and good looking GMB listing helps it stand out and makes your brand more welcoming and trustworthy.
How to Do It?
- Profile Photo - Upload a high-resolution logo. This helps with brand recognition.
- Cover Photo - Choose an image that represents your business. This photo will appear prominently on your listing.
- Additional Photos and Videos - Add pictures and videos of your business location, interior, products, services and your team. Share photos that give a sense of what it’s like to visit your business.
- Photo Guidelines - Use high-quality images (minimum 720px wide by 720px tall). Don’t use stock photos and make sure that all images are relevant and professional.
Supporting Resources
4. Gather and Respond to Reviews
Why Is It Important?
Reviews will influence a potential customer's decision to entertain the idea of working with you and can help to improve your local ranking on Google.
How to Do It?
- Ask for Reviews - Encourage happy customers to leave reviews. Provide them with a direct link to your GMB review page.
- Respond to Reviews - Often an overlooked action. It’s important to reply to all reviews, positive or negative, in a professional manner. Thank customers for positive reviews and address any concerns raised in negative reviews.
- Review Strategy - You should develop a strategy for requesting and responding to reviews. Visitors to your profile will often check to see when reviews were left. It’s therefore important to ensure that you have a steady flow of reviews, so that your last review is never too long ago.
Supporting Resources
5. Use Posts to Engage Customers
Why Is It Important?
Regularly sharing posts to your GMB profile will keep customers and prospects informed and engaged. This can take the form of updates, offers, events and news.
How to Do It?
- Create Posts - Use the GMB dashboard to create posts. Including images, text, and a call-to-action to drive traffic to your website.
- Post Frequency - Aim to post something at least once a week to keep your audience engaged and to show that your page is regularly maintained.
Supporting Resources
6. Utilise the Q&A Feature
Why Is It Important?
The Q&A feature allows user-generated questions about the business to be asked, and then answered by the business.
How to Do It?
- Monitor Q&A - Regularly check the Q&A section and respond promptly to any queries. You can set up a notification, which will send you an email when a question has been asked.
- Post FAQs - Proactively add frequently asked questions and provide detailed answers.
- Manage User-Generated Content - Encourage your customers to ask questions, but monitor for inappropriate content and report if necessary.
Supporting Resources
7. Optimise for Local SEO
Why Is It Important?
Optimising your GMB profile for local SEO improves your chances of appearing in local search results and Google Maps.
How to Do It?
- Use Keywords - Where appropriate incorporate relevant keywords in your business description, posts, and responses to reviews.
- Local Listings - It’s important that you are consistent with how your business name, address and phone number (NAP) appears across all online directories and social media channels where your business is listed.
- Citations
Build local citations by listing your business in relevant online directories and local business listings.
Supporting Resources
8. Leverage Insights and Performance Metrics
Why Is It Important?
GMB Insights provide valuable data on how customers interact with your profile. This information can be used to help you make informed decisions about your business.
How to Do It?
- Check Insights - Regularly review metrics such as views, search queries, and customer actions (e.g., clicks, calls, direction requests).
Supporting Resources
9. Add Products and Services
Why Is It Important?
By listing your products and services on your profile, you can help visitors to understand what your business does and can help it to improve its relevance in search results.
How to Do It?
- Add Products - Use the GMB dashboard to add products, including a description, price, and photo.
- List Services - Provide detailed descriptions of your services, including any special features or benefits.
Supporting Resources
Bonus: Maintain Consistent Information
Why Is It Important?
Making sure the information you share about your business is the same across all digital platforms will help build trust with customers, prospects and search engines.
How to Do It?
- Audit Listings - Carryout regular audits of your business information across all online platforms (e.g., website, social media, local directories). Produce and manage a master document where all of this information is stored. Create a recurring diary activity to carry out your audit, using the master document to update the various platforms.
- Update Changes - If there are any changes to your address, phone numbers or hours of business, update these immediately and don’t wait for your scheduled audit to make the changes.
Supporting Resources
Optimising your Google Business Profile is an essential step for increasing your online visibility and attracting more customers.
By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can ensure your business stands out in local search results and builds trust with your audience. Remember to regularly update your profile, engage with customer reviews, and use insights to make informed decisions.
Are you ready to take your business to the next level with these tips? If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out—we're here to help!
Image credits: Google.com
