How to Optimize Your Google Business Profile Listing

Just like anything else in business, you can create a Google Business Profile listing, but that listing may not be as powerful and dynamic as it could be. That’s because simply posting your business’ name, address, and contact number isn’t enough.
After all, there’s a good chance that there are more than three businesses in your industry in the local area. And if you want your listing to rank above the others, namely in the top three spots Google reserves for local businesses in their search results, you need to add to it and know how to completely optimize it. That will give you the best listing, and the best possible ranking. Follow the tips below to help you do it.

Don’t forget the details

While you certainly want to make sure that you’re including all pertinent details in your listings, such as the business’ name, address, and phone number, you also want to make sure that those details are the same across the board. So, if your website says that your business is located on “Main Street”, don’t use the abbreviated form of “Main St.” in your Google Business Profile listing. The specifics of your name, address, and phone number (NAP) should be the same across all directories too, as variations can confuse Google and lower your overall rank.

Also, while you’re focusing on the details, don’t forget to add them to the business category. For instance, if you’re running a restaurant, choosing the category “Italian Food” will get a higher rank than just “Restaurant”.

Once you’ve got those basics down, it’s time to focus on other details. Enter a brief tagline and the logo of your business. This will help you stay consistent online but these things will also attract more people, and get more views and possibly more customers. Remember to add a description of your business too, as this will also help customers. And when writing that description, don’t forget to add relevant keywords, as Google will love them and you may get a higher rank for it.

Make sure your website is worth visiting

Your Google Business Profile listing involves more than just your actual listing. It involves your website, too. Having an interesting website that provides value to readers and has helpful and useful information helps your listing, too. Google places readability and usefulness above all other rank factors, as a website that isn’t useful to readers won’t help readers. But, Google also has their own rankings and algorithm factors that come into play, too. Because of this, it’s important that you include keywords and metadata as much as possible into your website so that Google knows how to find it. Also, look for ways to get as many links as possible to your website, as every link will count as a vote for your website in the eyes of Google, and that will help not only your site, but also your listing will rank better within the search results.

Make sure you’re mobile and know how to use it

The trend of online searching has gone mobile, and there’s no way to stop it. Mobile use is now much more prevalent than using desktop computers, laptops, and even tablets. Google knows this and so one of their algorithms places an important on the mobility of factor and ranks mobile-friendly websites higher than those websites that aren’t. Because of this, it’s crucial to make sure your website is mobile-friendly, but also that you know the difference of what desktop users and mobile users are searching for.

Because mobile users are often already in the neighborhood, they’re often searching for things such as hours of operation and the address of a particular business. Those who are using desktops and laptops on the other hand, are more likely to be searching for specific products and the availability of those products.

Include images

Online users are all about the visuals these days, meaning that they’d much rather peruse through pictures than read a long page filled with text. But this visual aspect pertains to your Google Business Profile listing, too. Pictures will really make your listing stand out and get the attention of those scrolling through the listings. It’s important to have at least six images posted to your listing and while they don’t have to be professional quality, they also need to be good quality, meaning nothing too small or grainy. This latter type won’t only turn off visitors, but they’ll also make your business look like an amateur. But just posting pictures one time isn’t enough. Always make sure to upload new photos periodically to keep the listing fresh and to keep users interested.

Use Google Business Profile Posts

Last year Google unrolled posts in their Google Business Profile listings, and they’re something every business owner should take advantage of. Google Business Profile posts aren’t the same thing as blog posts. Instead of long paragraphs of text, these are mini-ads that show up right in your Google Business Profile listing. And they’re a great way to get even more free advertising out of these listings! You can post about:

• an event your company is having,
• a sale,
• a dynamic blog post you just published,
• new products that have just come in, and even
• holiday messages.

You can also do more than just ‘talk at’ your customers using these posts. You can include images, calls to action, and even links to another page or website. If you’re on Yext, you can also create Google Business Profile posts right from your Yext dashboard.

Use the “booking” button feature for appointments

Another one of Google’s new features is the booking button feature. This is especially useful for businesses that rely on customers making appointments, such as hairdressers or dentists. With the booking button feature, customers can make appointments right online, bringing in even more new customers!

Messaging

Another new feature, customers can now directly message you all from within your Google Business Profile listing. All you have to do is find the “Chat” button on your Google Profile and customers will be able to message you any time they want. You’ll receive a notification of any message that has been left, so you can respond to any message right away. You can even create an automated welcome message anyone will see after they message your business.

Questions and Answers

Yet another feature from Google, this one allows customers to ask questions right within the listing so you can answer them. This feature is not visible within the Google Business Profile mobile app so you’ll need to log into your dashboard to see if there are any questions that need to be answered. But if you use an Android and do want these questions available on your mobile you just have to download the Google Maps app and you’ll receive notifications when someone asks a question about your business. Using this feature helps you interact even more with your customers, and it helps your customers too. After all, if one person has a question, there’s a good chance another customer has the same question.

Help is available

When it comes to your Google Business Profile don’t forget about daily posting to increase viewer interest, interaction, and sharing. That’s something we can off your hands by doing all the work – so you can stay focused on running your business. If you have questions about Social Posting or anything else feel free to reach out to us here.