Make the Most of Your Google Business Profile
You may already have a verified Google My Business Profile, a no-charge service that helps local customers find your business on Google. But, if you want to take full advantage of your Business Profile, you need to do more than just create your listing, verify it, and hope for the best.
Why you should update your Business Profile after it’s verified?
Neglecting your Business Profile is like keeping your dream home empty and undecorated. But a bare home might just make you a bit uncomfortable (along with any unfortunate visitors), while a Business Profile that lacks complete and up-to-date information could lose you customers.
How can this help you turn searchers into customers?
Your profile can help convince searchers to do business with you rather than your competitors. Up-to-date profiles can help since they are 2.7x as likely to be considered reputable by customers.
How can you maximize the potential of your Business Profile?
To make your profile complete, add as much info as you can — like photos. You may already have some photos, but make sure they’re the right type.
Add Photos
Most people are painfully familiar with stock photos and the unrealistic lifestyle they portray. As tempting as it is to post photos of businessmen running on a beach, don’t use them. Instead, feature real photos of your business. Add photos of your workplace interior and exterior, nearby landmarks, and other relevant pictures that help visitors know more about your business and location.
Also, your images should be a minimum of 720 x 720 pixels. Anything smaller and you risk customers wondering why you’re suddenly featuring abstract paintings in your photo section.
Along with photos, another important image to include is your logo. This helps customers quickly identify your business. Keep in mind that the image will get cropped.
Add Virtual Tour and Videos
Another great idea to help your Business Profile stand out is to add a virtual tour. This type of tour will allow customers to virtually “walk” through your store and see what’s inside. It’s a nice way to introduce them to your business, get them comfortable with how you operate and encourage them to visit in person.
To request a no-charge quote for this optional feature, just click the “Add Virtual Tour” button on your dashboard. A Google-certified professional can provide the quote and also help you create the tour and add it to your profile.
You can also add videos related to your services, work process, office tour, exterior, etc. Posting videos of your workplace is a very good way to give a sneak peek of your work environment to your visitors.
Get Reviews
Reviews are another element of a strong Business Profile. The more you have, the better. Having a lot of reviews and responding to them shows searchers that you have a large, engaged customer base that you care about. And 88% of customers say they trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations.
Also, these reviews aren’t just for the benefit of people looking at your listing. They give you insights into your customers’ experiences with your business. You can use this to make improvements and capitalize on positive feedback.
Add Work/Service Hours
Finally, a Business Profile isn’t really complete until it tells people when your business is open and closed. This may seem obvious. However, it’s easy for businesses to change their hours of operation and forget to update their Business Profile. And having incorrect hours can really frustrate and deter potential customers.
This may seem obvious. However, it’s easy for businesses to change their hours of operation and forget to update their Business Profile. And having incorrect hours can really frustrate and deter potential customers.
Once you add or update your regular business hours, you can also add “Special Hours” for those days you’re open late, closing early, or are completely closed, like holidays.
Speaking of holidays…did you know “Near Me” searches surge by 55% during the New Year holiday season? It’s a time when local customers looking for a last-minute gift or meal will want to know when you’re open.
Use Posts/Offers/Updates
Stay active and keep posting the latest updates, and offers, and connecting with your audience. This keeps your visitors informed about your business.
Use Other Features
Depending on your business category, you might see more options to add info to your profile. To see what options are available to you, click “Edit Info” in your Business Profile dashboard. Once you have a complete profile, check out the other features in your Business Profile dashboard.
Analytics
Your Business Profile comes with built-in analytics reports called Insights. It shows you how many people found your business info on Google Search and Maps, and how many people visited your website from your profile.
Insights can also tell you how many people requested map directions to your business and — a major bonus — gives you a general idea of what area they’re coming from.
If you’d like to try online advertising, the Business Profile dashboard can connect you to Google advertising to set this up.
There’s a lot to optimize in Google My Business Profile. If you want to skip this headache and want a professional to optimize your Business Profile, feel free to send me an email at hi@shehriar.com. I’d love to help you.
