The Ultimate Guide To Google Business Profile For Local Businesses

What is Google Business Profile?

Google Business Profile is a free listing on Google that allows local businesses to showcase their information across Google, including Search and Maps. This listing includes your business name, address, phone number, hours of operation, photos, and reviews from customers and is a way for local businesses to manage their online presence and be easily discoverable by potential customers who are searching for businesses like yours.

Think of it as an online business card that helps improve your local search visibility by connecting with customers in your community and driving more traffic to your business.

Why Should Your Business Use a Google Business Profile?

1. Increased visibility: A Google Business Profile helps your business appear in local Google search results. For example: “personal trainer in Huntington.” This is especially powerful when users are searching on a mobile device for the particular product or service you offer while they are physically in your local area.
2. Improved credibility: Customers can leave reviews on your Google Business Profile, which can help build trust and credibility with potential customers.
3. Easy to manage: You can easily update your business information, such as your hours of operation, photos, and products or services offered, directly from your Google Business Profile.
4. Showcases your business: You can create posts with photos and videos that feature updates about your business. This helps customers get a better sense of what you offer and what they can expect when they visit your business.
5. Cost-effective: Creating a Google Business Profile is completely free, making it a cost-effective way to reach new customers and improve your online presence.
6. Data insights: You can see how customers are finding and interacting with your business through Google’s data and insights, helping you make informed decisions about your marketing strategy.

How To Claim Your Google Business Profile

Here are the steps to claim your Google Business Profile:

1. Search for your business on Google to see if it already has a listing.
2. If you see your business listed, click on it to open the listing and then click on the “Claim this business” button.
3. If you don’t see your business listed, click on the “Add your business” button on the Google My Business website (www.google.com/business).
4. Sign in with your Google account, or create a new account if you don’t have one.
5. Follow the steps to add your business information, including your business name, address, and phone number.
6. Verify your business by either having a postcard with a verification code sent to your business address or verifying your business over the phone. As of 2022, Google may request your business to verify by more than one method. For more detailed instructions, learn more about how to verify your small business on Google.
7. Once your business is verified, you can add additional information to your Google Business Profile, including your business hours, photos, and products or services offered.

Watch Google’s step-by-step demo here to help claim or add your company to a Google Business Profile:

If you need help at any point in the process, feel free to contact us or reach out on Facebook and someone from our team will help you.

What Should You Include on Your Google Business Page?

Here are some practical tips on what you should include on your Google Business Profile. By including these key elements on your Google Business Profile, you can give customers a complete and accurate picture of your business and what you have to offer.

1. Accurate business information: Make sure your business name, address, and phone number are accurate and up-to-date. This information will help customers find you and get in touch with you.
2. Business hours: Specify your business hours, including any holiday closures or special hours.
3. Description: Write a brief, clear description of what your business does and its basic mission statement.
4. Products and services: List your products and services to help customers understand what you offer.
5. Photos and Videos: Adding photos and videos help showcase your brand.
6. Categories: Choose the categories that best describe your business so that customers can easily find you when searching for businesses like yours.
7. Website: Include a link to your website so that customers can learn more about your business.
8. Reviews: Encourage customers to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile to build credibility and improve your online visibility. Also, make sure to respond to all reviews, both positive and negative, to show that you value customer feedback and care about your reputation.

In general, review your profile regularly to ensure your information is up-to-date and make changes as needed so your profile is always accurate and relevant.

Optimize Your Google Business Listing for Best Results

The most important thing to keep in mind when optimizing your Google My Business listing is consistency. All your information needs to be consistent across all online listings, including your website, Google Business Profile, and other directories. If your Google My Business page isn’t consistent, Google will not trust your business as a credible source of information.

Here are some recommended tips for optimizing your Google Business profile:

1. Keywords: Use keywords in your business description, products, and services that customers might search for when looking for a business like yours.
2. Add high-quality photos: This will make your listing more appealing and stand out on the Google search results page.
3. Easy to read: When writing descriptions, write in a natural, helpful, and easy-to-read language.
4. Google favors content: The more great content you add, the better Google will position your business relative to the competition.

And as always, if you need help, let’s hop on a free call, and I will tell you exactly what you need to do to improve your Google Business Profile or help you set one up for the first time.