With the ever-increasing competition between online and offline businesses, seeking new ways to make your business more visible to customers is essential for business growth. One such new way is optimizing your Google listing management.
Optimizing your Google My Business profile is important for many reasons; however, the most popular one is that it allows you to niche down. This way, you won’t be competing with top businesses with more than enough brand awareness to drown you.
For instance, if your business is trying to rank for a “fashion store” on the global search engine result page, y2ou will be competing with other bigger and well-known fashion brands like Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, and the like. However, with an optimized business profile on Google Maps, you will only be competing with businesses in your vicinity.
Google ranks smaller and medium-sized businesses in their map search results based on factors such as customer ratings, location, keyword relevance, etc.
In this post, we’ll discuss what Google my business is, its benefits, and how to set up an optimized profile to reach your target audience and increase sales.
What Is Google My Business
Google my business, also known as Google Business Profile (GBP), is a tool that allows you to register your business on Google so that your target customers can find you through a Google search. It influences how businesses appear on Google maps and on Google shopping and allows them to connect with customers, update business posts, list their products or services, and much more.
So, when potential customers search for a business on google, key information about a registered business brand appears, such as contact details, location, posts, working hours, reviews, business description, etc.
This tool is accessible to all sizes and kinds of businesses. Hence, it gives them an equal ground to boost their brands by allowing them to share vital information that is relevant to customers in a simple and easy way. This is likely to increase clicks and conversions.
How to Set up a Google Business Profile
Step 1: Go to Google Maps and Add Your Business
- Open Google maps on your device.
- Open the menu by clicking the button on the top left corner of the page.
- Look for the “Add your business” button on the menu and click on it.
Step 2: Create Your Business Account
You can skip this section and sign into your business account. If you already have one. But if you do not have one, then follow through to create one.
- Click on the “Create account” button and select “To manage my business” from the drop-down menu.
- Fill out the information provided (your name, username, etc.) and click the “Next” button.
- Verify your identity. You can do this with a phone number or through an email.
- Next, Google will require you to fill in a few more details before signing the terms and conditions.
- Click on the “Agree” button on the terms and conditions page to start setting up your profile.
Step 3: Fill Out Your Business Name and Category
Now it’s time to set up your Business Profile. The first step is to choose your business name and category.
- Fill in your business name. Google will provide you with a list of already registered businesses in its database as you type.
- If your business is already on the list, then it means it has been registered previously. Skip to the next step to learn how to claim your business.
Tip: Do not try to stuff keywords with your business name. Write your business name exactly as is.
- Next, choose the category that best describes your business from the list.
Your business category helps to make your business more searchable. You can always make adjustments to it in the future.
Step 4: Add Your Location
Next, you will be given the option to add a location where customers can visit. Although this step is optional, it is vital if you run a physical store. Also, some business categories, such as “Restaurant,” require you to add a location.
- You can skip this step by selecting “no” if you do not have a storefront.
- If you choose “yes,” you will proceed to fill in your addresses.
Ensure that you put a correct location as it would reflect on google Maps.
Step 5: Choose Your Service Area
This step is optional if you added a business address. You will be asked to fill in options for home/office deliveries.
- Select “Yes” to let customers know the areas that are within your reach.
- Select “No” to skip to the next step.
You can select a service area from Google’s suggestions.
Step 6: Add Your Contact Information
Next, fill in your contact details. It could be your added phone number or/and website URL. Always double-check to ensure that it is correct.
Step 7: Opt-In to Updates and Recommendations
In this stage, you would be asked if you would like to receive updates and recommendations for your Google business profile. Selecting “yes” would help you learn more from Google.
Step 8: Verify Your Listing
This is the last step in completing your business profile. Also, it ensures that your business profile is searchable to customers.
You can verify your listing by receiving your verification code either through automated texts/call from Google or through email, postcards, video recordings, or live videos.
Bonus Step: Additional Information & Google Services
After verifying your listing, you can choose to provide additional information such as your working days and hours, specific services offered, business description, messaging options, business photos, Google ads, etc.
Do I Need a Google Business Profile?
If you’re wondering how useful a Google business profile can be to you, here are three benefits it offers.
It Increases Business visibility on Google
More often than before, people tend to search for services and products near them online. An optimized profile makes your business more visible to people who would be searching for the services provided by your business
It Helps You to Gain credibility with reviews
A great number of people consider online reviews before patronizing a business. While reviews may not be 100% positive, having a greater percentage of positive reviews would help build trust and credibility.
It Helps You to Share business information With Customers
A Google business profile helps you to share business information, such as your services, work hour, location, etc, with customers. It also helps you to inform customers of changes that may occur in your business.
The goal of most businesses is to have a large customer base which always translates to more sales and profit for the business. So, if you own a business, you should consider opening a Google Business Profile. According to IPSOS research, an updated and optimized profile has been shown to boost clicks to your page by seven times.
