Google Business Profiles (Formerly Google My Business) are free online listings provided by Google that displays essential information about a business. A well-optimized GBP helps businesses enhance their online visibility by improving their chances of appearing in local search results (the Map Pack) and Google Maps.
Optimizing the profile also entails acquiring reviews each month, setting up direct messaging, and responding to reviews placed by users. Regular updates and using a central management tool are key. GBP statistics help businesses refine their strategy and leverage insights to attract more customers and maximize their online presence without wasting time or working on the wrong areas.
Why Businesses Should Prioritize Optimizing Their Google Business Profiles
An authoritative Google Business Profile (GBP) is a game-changer for small businesses. Setting one up accurately and maintaining it is what shows Google that they should be sending customers your way. Google then uses the data from its platforms (Search and Maps) to determine various quality scores in the context of local searches. Here’s why you should prioritize the optimization of your GBP/GMB:
- Boost Local Ranking: Google’s algorithm considers proximity, but also relevance, authority, and information quality. The last 3 of which can be managed.
- Enhance Business Engagement: Consumers increasingly use Google without visiting other websites. An optimized GBP allows you to engage directly with potential customers in a more convenient and user friendly way.
- Convert More Customers: Having a GBP that is filled out and shows great images can significantly increase conversions even if you already get tons of eyes on the listing.
Investing time into your GBP is investing in your local success. It’s the key to unlocking new customers, building trust, and ultimately, business success.
Step-By-Step Instructions on Using Trackright’s Google Business Profile Optimization Checklist – Audit Template
TrackRight’s Google Business Profile (GBP) Optimization Checklist provides a systematic approach to enhance your online presence and local SEO. The following are step-by-step instructions for using this valuable resource:
- Identify Competitors: Start by identifying local competitors and auditing their Google Business Profiles to understand the local market landscape. Use a geogrid tool to precisely see how the given rankings appear over the particular city you are working on. Use the geogrid snapshots to find the top 5 or so top competitors.
- Check for frequency of new reviews, images, and posts.
- Check for website traffic and authority metrics.
- Conduct Audits and Verify Info: Conduct an audit on your profile, fill out all missing fields on the GBP as well as other online directories, gather Google reviews to match your competitors, and verify the info on the GBP matches the info exactly as it is found on the website as well as all associated online profiles and directories.
- Audit the Address: Audit the business address, ensuring it is not placed on a mailbox address or virtual office. Check if there is already another listing of the same category that is already well established as an authority in that city. Avoid listing your business on such locations to avoid filtering or volatile ranking movements.
- Review Completion: Refer to the Google Business Profile’s Strength Widget to see what else is missing that the platform recommends. Simply having a completed profile will show the platform that you are putting in the effort to show quality results for search users.
- Update Business Information: Perform prompt updates to the Google Business Profile if you have recently changed your business hours, official name, address, or any other business detail.
- Additional Maintenance: Encourage customer reviews, respond to inquiries, and ensure recurring media uploads to maintain an active Google Business Profile.
Remember that consistency and a commitment to continuous improvement are key to achieving lasting success in the local search landscape.
Key Elements to Focus on When Optimizing a Google Business Profile
When woking to improve the performance of a Google Business Profile (GBP), it’s crucial to focus on these key elements that can significantly impact the profile’s visibility and engagement:
Accurate Business Information: Ensure the business name, address, phone number (NAP), and website URL are accurate, consistent, and up-to-date across all online platforms to establish credibility and improve search rankings.
- Do not limit yourself to only the Google Business Profile itself. In order for its data to be deemed accurate or trustworthy, Google Search and other Search Engine platforms cross-verify the data with third party sources.
- For Example: State Business Directory, Local Chamber of Commerce Directory, Industry-Specific License Directories (such as Bar Associations), Yelp, Bing, Apple Maps, and many more.
Compelling Business Description: Craft a concise yet informative business description using relevant keywords to effectively communicate the business’s offerings and unique selling points, improving search visibility and user understanding.
- If you offer many different services, try your best to craft a description that best represents all of them instead of just picking out one that you want to rank for the most.
High-Quality Visual Content: Upload high-resolution images and videos showcasing the business’s products, services, and premises to enhance the profile’s visual appeal and engage potential customers effectively.
- Unlike your website, you don’t want to downsize your images before sending them to Google Maps. As the platform is better suited with high resolution images and videos.
Customer Reviews and Ratings: Encourage and manage customer reviews, promptly responding to feedback to build trust and credibility, as positive reviews and high ratings can influence consumer decisions and improve local search rankings.
- If you must, utilize a third-party software to help assist with review-acquisition outreach campaigns.
Accurate Business Categories: Select the most relevant and specific business categories to ensure the profile appears in relevant search results and attracts the right audience. If you are not sure which ones to use, check the ones that your competitors are using.
Insights and Analytics: Monitor GBP insights to understand customer interactions, profile views, and other performance metrics, allowing for informed decisions and continuous improvement of the profile.
- Many times, we have seen marketers work on SEO campaigns before actually identifying what all needs to specifically be worked on. Avoid excessive spend or time waste by checking where you rank and for which of your service queries before breaking down the efforts you want to take on. Place more weight on queries that are performing poorly, but which are higher margin than the others.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Google Business Profile Optimization
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is your digital storefront, attracting customers and shaping their first impression. Lurking in the shadows are hidden pitfalls that can sabotage your optimization efforts. Let’s identify five common mistakes to avoid and keep your GBP shining bright:
#1 Neglecting the Power of Visuals
Think blurry snapshots and stock photos. Invest in high-quality images showcasing your business, products, and team. A captivating cover photo is your digital billboard, so choose wisely. Remember, visuals are the first impression, so make it count and increase your conversions from this simple part of your profile.
#2 Ignoring the Data
Data is your friend! Utilize Google Business Profile Insights to track profile views, engagement metrics, and search queries leading users to your profile. This data is gold, helping you refine your strategy and optimize for maximum impact.
Other than using Geogrids to visualize the strength of each of your target queries, setup keyterm tracking to learn what local rankings you already hold, as well as to best understand the movements that occur as you make changes and improvements to your website and SEO campaign.
Remember, data-driven decisions lead to success.
#3 Neglecting The Business Website
A common mistake that many marketers make is claiming that they are well-suited for “Local SEO” or “Maps SEO”, but they don’t offer services that include management of the website, content creation, or link building efforts.
Gone are the days where you can list a keyterm in the name of your Google Profile and expect to surpass everyone around you. Same goes with previous tactics for spammy building of mentions such as excessive directory listings on sites that are made just to fill up space on Search Engines, or mentions from free blog sites that are published just for the sake of providing a deliverable.
For competitive campaigns such as SEO for lawyers or medical professionals, the website will have to perform well enough to be ranking for the same target queries but on Google Search instead of just Google Maps. Although the acquired rankings using the pages of your website do not immediately translate into a superior local rankings (maps rankings), the regular flow of traffic towards a page that is relevant for the area as well as for the service will provide you with added authority for how well you stand against the competitors around you and their respective page for the same service query in question.
- This means you have to bring in traffic to the web pages that serve the same target queries to increase the perceived authority of your Google Business Profile.
Avoid these pitfalls and focus on the best practices to transform your Google Business Profile into a powerful tool for attracting new customers and growing your local business. Stay vigilant, adapt, and keep shining.
Additional Resources and Tools for Businesses Looking to Improve Their Google Business Profiles
Optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP) is a journey, not a destination. While the provided checklist offers a solid foundation, consider these additional resources and tools to truly unlock your GBP’s potential:
Google Profile Business Insights & Reports With TrackRight
Although Google and other platforms offer basic data to provide insights into performance, you will find that the timeline is not the most convenient if you are trying to track long term gains or if you are identifying issues where calls have been dropping.
This is why tools like TrackRight exist to extend the view on what is provided by Google and allow for regular reporting to know how your GBP is performing at all times.
- Track changes in rankings as well as for calls, website button clicks, and even the queries you are getting served on to ensure that you are either making real progress with your SEO campaign or you are successfully maintaining an optimal and competitive ranking on your service queries.
Find Local Search Success
This Google Business Profile Optimization Checklist is your simplified roadmap to local search success. Regularly revisit this checklist (for updates), analyze data, and refine your strategy. Embrace new features, stay updated, and don’t be afraid to experiment. With dedication and a commitment to continuous improvement, you can transform your GBP into a powerful magnet, attracting new customers and propelling your business toward local search domination.