If you haven't set up your Google Business Profile, you could be missing out on customers
The latest data shows that Google processes over 99,000 searches every second. Let’s be honest, we had to Google that statistic just to find an opener for this blog. And with the staggering number of Google searches happening every minute, if you were to look up your business, it must come up, right?
Sure, your business may come up if you Google it. But does the search have your correct business hours? Does it have a phone number to call? Your business’s address? Or even worse… does it bring up a competitor?
In this Business Builder’s blog on the Google Business Profile, we will cover why having this setup is essential for your business, the basics of your profile and where to learn more.
What’s the importance of a Google Business Profile?
A Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is a tool that allows you to influence how your business appears on Google Search, Google Maps and Google Shopping. With this tool, you’re able to connect with customers, post business updates, list your products, services and more.
It’s important for several reasons, the first being its influence. When you don’t know the answer to something – whether that’s how many pounds of krill does a blue whale eat in a day, to the name of that song that’s stuck in your head, or the address of that new restaurant you’ve been meaning to try – usually, you Google it. Have you ever considered that your business might be the answer to someone’s question or their recent Google search?
Having your Google Business Profile set up properly allows you to influence your customer’s buying decisions in a positive way and helps them get their questions answered. Hopefully, your business is the answer. Additional benefits to maintaining a Google Business profile include…
It’s 100% free to manage your Google Business Profile. There are tons you can get out of it without paying a dime, which we’ll review in the information below.
It can help increase your visibility on Google. If you’ve recently searched for a business on Google, you’ve probably noticed a map will come up and show the business you’re looking for and similar ones in the area. It includes Google Maps results and the business’s information. Businesses with well-optimized Google Business Profiles are much more likely to appear in these results.
According to Semrush, “If a user is physically near your business and searches for a general term like “restaurant,” your business is more likely to pop up as a geolocated result if it’s well-optimized.”
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You’re able to gain credibility with reviews from real customers. Did you know that 98% of users read reviews of local businesses? Reviews help customers find valuable feedback about your business. And when you respond to reviews – both good and bad -- it helps build trust with your customers. The good news is that customers don’t expect 100% perfect reviews. In fact, according to Google, a mix of positive and negative reviews is more trustworthy.
And you can share business information with your customers through posts, business hours, contact information, services, etc. You can also post about temporary changes such as holiday hours, temporary closes or full reopenings.
If you re to create a post on your Google Business Profile, these posts can include text, photos, or videos. Semrush recommends making posts about the following:
Where can I learn more?
We’ve partnered with M&M Multimedia, a multimedia & marketing company based in Fort Myers, to help local businesses break through the smoke and mirrors behind search engine optimization and Google Analytics. On Tuesday, April 25 beginning at 8:00 a.m., we will be hosting a Digital Marketing Course entitled “Can your business be found on Google?”
In this interactive, easy-to-understand workshop, we will skip the slide deck and look at live campaigns and tools (free and paid) from Google and others to research and monitor powerful website data for making fact-based business decisions.
Attendees will also learn the most critical tactics to focus on to avoid getting lost in the weeds and wasting time and money on low-impact activities, witness real examples of companies who have increased their website ranking and organic traffic from SEO activities and how they measure return on investment and learn best practices for shopping for professional search engine optimization services and red flags to look for. The cost to attend the course is $50, but the knowledge attendees will leave with will prove to be far more valuable. To register, click here.
The Digital Marketing Courses were designed with the small business owner in mind. Serving as a comprehensive start-up resource, these courses will provide professionals with the tools they need to help their businesses thrive.
If you’re unable to attend the upcoming course, sign up for SWFL Inc.’s Business Builders updates where we provide valuable information to our local businesses on the industry’s latest news and trends.