Google Business Profile: The Ultimate Guide to Optimise Your GMB

You can use this guide to optimise your Google Business Profile (previously GMB) for better search visibility on relevant queries by local customers.

Google Business Profile is a free feature of Google that allows business owners to manage their online presence through a portfolio of search engines and an ever-growing utility that includes Google Maps. Experienced SEO professionals use Google Business Profiles to leverage location-based strategies.

Creating a Google Business Profile is the first step to a successful local search. And for good reason, GBP offers the greatest impact for brands seeking local exposure. A feature like Google’s Local Search emphasises the need for a GBP for both new and established businesses.

1. The Basics for Google Business Profiles

It provides a list of nearby businesses and much of the information needed to find a specific business such as:

• Business address.
• Business hours.
• Category.
• Reviews.

Google Knowledge Graph also uses verified information from the Google Business Profile.  It helps to generate insights for a database of companies and related entities relevant to specific searches.

When a new profile is created, a location on Google Maps is created. This syncs with traditional Google Search for easy access and search. It certainly helps that the majority of organic searches come from Google – around 90% of the global search engine market share. It also shows the value of an effective GBP and local SEO.

Use this guide to make sure you’ve completed your Google Business Profile correctly and optimise every possible aspect of the tool. It will also give your business the best performance across Google and third-party platforms that use the Google Maps API to generate location information for users.

If digital marketing is a bit new to you and your business, there are some basics you need to know. And it’s good to understand Google Business Profiles and the value they offer. First off: Yes, using Google Business Profile is free. And, no, a GBP doesn’t replace your business’s website.

Google Business Profiles complement a brand’s already-existing websites by giving it a public identity and presence with a profile on Google. Information provided on a company through Google Business Profiles may appear in Google Search and Google Maps.

Any third-party platforms that use the Google Maps API will also display your Google Business Profile, regardless of the device type used for your search. If you’ve previously used certain Google tools to complement your business (Google+, for example), or your business has been operating for a while, chances are your business is already listed on Google Business Profiles.

Google My Business, Google Places for Business, and the Google+ Pages Dashboard were the best ways to manage your business information previously. These have been automatically updated to Google Business Profile, Google’s universal platform.

2. Set Up Your Google Business Profile

The first step to getting your Google Business Profile up and running is to do a Google search to make sure your business isn’t there yet. You can also use Google’s in-platform search feature to locate your business on GBP.

If your business has been around for a while (several years or more), chances are it already has some GBP and you just need to claim it.

Once successfully claimed, you can manage the information as if you started GBP yourself. You will be notified if your business profile already exists. You may also be notified that someone else is already claiming your business.

If that happens, follow the steps on Google Business Profile help.

If your business profile hasn’t been created yet, you can set it up pretty quickly. Verification takes a little longer but can usually be completed within a week. Start with the official business name before entering any more important information. Then enter the main business categories.

You can change and add to this later, but this is a critical part of completing (and optimising) your brand page.

Try to find the best category for your business. There are many variations to choose from, but there should be at least one that best summarises your business. Then you will be asked if you want to add a place for the customer to visit, for example, a shop or an office.

This is valuable information as many companies operate as a service business and do not need/allow customers in physical stores. In such cases, the specific location of your company will not appear on Google Maps. However, the company will still appear in the Services section of the relevant search.

However, the business will still show up for relevant searches in its service area.

If you are a business that operates in a particular service area and you do not want to see the actual physical location on the map, select one or more service areas that belong to that business.

You can then add contact information for the business, including the contact phone number and the current website URL. For businesses with that brick-and-mortar location that people can go to during business hours, you should add the business address next.

Once the address is set, Google Business Profile will ask if you “also service customers outside this location?” It allows you to determine where and how far your business is physically willing to travel to deliver goods or services. If yes, you will be able to browse the business details of the same service area.

You can add or change service area details at any time. If you do not want to service customers outside the store, select No and enter your contact information at the following prompt.

Verifying your business is important for profile visibility and performance. It’s important to know that Google won’t show your business or its edit, until your business is verified.

Without verification, you cannot access page insights/analytical information or business reviews from the back end. Verification typically takes less than a week.

Google will send you a verification code postcard that you will use to verify your profile, and your business will officially be live.

After you confirm the verification method, you can add additional details about your business, including business hours, business messaging options, a business description and photos.

4. Publish Your Google Business Profile

After completing this process, you will be redirected to Google Business Profile Manager, where you can manage your business profile and change details. Here are some basic but important tips for optimising your GBP listing:

• Enter complete data for your profile

Local search results prioritise the results that are most relevant to your search. Businesses that provide the most detailed and accurate information can easily serve when searching.

Don’t leave anything to be guessed or assumed!

Make sure your profile communicates what your business does, where it is and how they can acquire the goods and/or services your business is offering.

• Include your keywords

Just like traditional website SEO, Google serves search results based on a variety of signals.

Including important keywords and search phrases in your business profile is incredibly useful, especially since your business website is correctly listed in your GBP.

Use these in your business description and whenever you publish a local post for your audience.

• Make sure business hours are accurate

It’s important to put your business hours but it’s also important to update when it changes. Google offers the ability to customise hours for holidays and other special events.

You need to constantly update your site to keep it accurate and satisfy your users. And in the era of COVID-19, GBP offers even more flexibility in terms of business hours and messages to potential customers.

• Add photos

Photos help your business profile perform better than most business owners and marketers probably understand.

According to Google, businesses with photos on their profile has 42% more requests for directions on Google Maps and 35% more clicks on their website than companies without photos. doing.

• Manage & Respond Your Customer Reviews

Replying to reviews and interacting with customers shows that your business values ​​the customers and the feedback they leave about them.

Positive reviews have a positive impact when potential customers investigate your business. They also increase your business’s visibility in search results.

Encourage your customers to leave feedback by creating a link that you can click to write a business review.

• Let your customers message you

It can be a bit inconvenient at times but messages to and from customers are only available through the Google Business Profile app.

To do this, tap Customers> Messages> Activate from App.

When enabled, customers can use the Message button that appears to send a message to their business through their business profile.

The message can include an automated response customised to welcome the customer to the incoming message. This contributes to the responsiveness and visibility of the company as the response time is less affected.

For maximum performance and visibility through the GBP, it’s critical to keep message response time under 24 hours.

But obviously faster is better.

Customers don’t want to wait for answers and oftentimes a fast answer is the difference between a customer and a non-customer.

• Use local posts

You can publish offers, events, products and services directly to Google Search and Maps through posts to your Google Business Profile.

Posts let you engage with your audience and keep your presence fresh on Google. They can also send from their mobile phone, tablet, or computer on the go.

Businesses can also influence the breakout of their knowledge panel with direct feedback about their business and the people they represent.

Some Google-provided tips for making the most out of Local Posts are: Make sure each post is high-quality – free of spelling errors, broken characters, gibberish, or useless information. And they should be respectful and non-offensive.

The best posts include images and links but the links should always go to trusted sites. Not allowed for links that lead to malware, viruses, phishing or pornography.

You can use posts in posts from businesses that handle regulated products and services but you cannot post content related to the product itself.

These industries typically include:

1. Adult services.
2. Alcohol and tobacco.
3. Pharmaceutical products and recreational drugs.
4. Health and medical devices.
5. Gambling-related services.
6. Fireworks.
7. Weapons.
8. Financial services.

• Stay connected during COVID-19

This year has brought us many surprises. The biggest is COVID-19, the madness that COVID-19 has left (and continues to keep) after.

If a store operates unusually due to COVID-19 restrictions, regulations, or safety guidelines, companies can update their profile to GBP to provide their customers with the most accurate information.

Recently added features make it easier to communicate with current and potential customers during a pandemic.

In addition to customisable business hours and Local Posts, a business can:

1. Mark store temporarily closed.
2. Manage delivery options.
3. Add healthy and safety attributes.

• Use the Special Attributes

A new feature in GBP allows you to list black-owned or women-led businesses in your profile. These also allow for other features like outdoor seating and the like.

If your business is related to health care, additional attributes may be available, such as: