The convenience of swift online searches, such as ‘food near me,’ is growing in popularity as people seek to quickly locate nearby eateries and many other daily essentials. But how can you ensure your business profile appears as a viable option when potential customers perform Google searches?
Considering Google’s dominance with over 90% of the search engine market share, there’s no better time to claim your Google Business Profile or learn how to best optimise your existing one for maximum effectiveness!
What is a Google Business Profile?
A Google Business Profile displays essential information about your business in one accessible place, including your address, opening hours, website link, ‘about’ section and contact details. Additionally, it grants you the flexibility to tailor various elements, such as images, social media profile links, a list of the services you offer, google posts and even a business overview. Another significant advantage of having a Google Business profile is the ability to receive and respond to public reviews.
A Google business listing is not only cost-free, but it is a vital asset for any business, regardless of size or physical location. Don’t have a physical storefront or location, a Google Business listing can accommodate your business as well!
How to Optimise Your Google Business Profile
Categories
Selecting the right business type or category plays a key role in optimising your business profile. Ensure the category you choose best aligns with the business, as this significantly enhances your visibility when potential customers search terms such as ‘Asian Restaurant’, ‘Marketing Consultant’, or even ‘Gym’. Selecting a relevant category is vital to ensure your business is gaining the traction and exposure it deserves.
Feel as though your business falls into more than one category? You can select up to 10 relevant categories. However, it is crucial to remember that your first, primary category holds the most importance. Finally, be mindful that if you add or modify your existing categories, you may be required to go through the business verification process once again.
Business Description
When crafting a business description for your Google Business Profile, optimisation is key. While you have the option to write up to 750 words, be mindful that realistically most users won’t read such lengthy descriptions. Therefore, it is best to keep the copy concise and impactful. It is best to prioritise the most important information about your business within the opening sentences.
Integrating relevant keywords related to your business is essential for boosting your profile’s search ranking. Strategically use keywords throughout to keep your listing’s rank high and provide customers with a clear and compelling snapshot of your business.
High Resolution Images
Google rewards businesses that consistently update their profile images. Ensure the images uploaded are high quality and are directly related to the business. Effective profile images can include exterior/interior shots of your location, captivating product or service visuals or even images of your dedicated team members. Google also offers the option to upload videos, ensure they are less than 30 seconds and smaller than 100mb. By regularly refreshing your visual content not only will you align with Google’s preferences but also provide potential customers with an authentic and appealing view of your business.
Accurate Information
An obvious one, although commonly overlooked is ensuring all information on your Business Profile is accurate at all times. There’s nothing more frustrating for potential customers than arriving at a location only, only to find that the business closed or has relocated. As humans, we will then almost always choose an alternative business instead. Keeping information accurate will assist with search rankings and prevent potential customers from turning to competitors instead. So set yourself reminders to adjust your listing for public holidays or seasonal changes to opening hours especially.
Collect and Respond to Reviews
Reviews act as real-world indicators of what people think about a business and are key to ranking higher in local searches. Reviews shown on your public profile are an excellent way to instil trust and encourage potential customers considering your product or service to take action. To generate Google reviews, actively encourage customers or clients to share their feedback on Google. You can do this through face-to-face conversations, follow-up emails or social media posts.
Finally, as a business owner, it is vital to interact with all reviews, irrespective of them being positive or negative. This will demonstrate your commitment to address and genuinely care about customer experiences, therefore, building trust among past, current and prospective customers.
Regularly Post on your Google Business Profile
To further optimise your profile, consider regularly publishing Google posts related to your business. These posts can offer several benefits, including improved SEO for your profile, increased viewer engagement, and the potential to generate clicks or sales!
You can create these posts using various types of content, such as recent blog updates, business announcements, useful tips and tricks, or featured items of the week. A highly effective strategy for managing these Google posts is repurposing content from your recent social media activities. To achieve maximum optimisation, we advise posting on your Google profile at least once a week. This consistent posting schedule will enhance your profile’s visibility and keep your audience engaged with your business.
Don’t Miss Out on the Google Business Profile Benefits
Ensuring your Google Business Profile is detailed and up to date at all times is essential. You will be missing out on sought-after business if you are not taking the time to continuously update and optimise your profile. The guidelines provided can be tailored to all business types and are guaranteed to provide instantaneous benefits.
If the realm of Google Business Profiles seems overwhelming, our expert team at Purple Giraffe is here to help you take your business to the next level. Chat with us today!
