Over the last few years, Google Business Profile (GBP), formerly known as Google My Business, has grown in tremendous relevance and popularity amongst business owners.
As a local property operator, particularly one attempting to build impact, authority, and visibility in the local market, you’re probably on the lookout for powerful online tools to promote your business and brand to prospective residents. This is where GBP comes in.
Google Business Profile is an incredible service that enables properties to list their businesses online for free. It allows you to provide insight about your property and establish a web-based presence across Google’s search engine.
If you’ve already claimed your location in the Google business listing and got an account set up, the next thing you should be concerned with is optimizing your Google Business Profile. This is a very powerful step in building an online presence. Not many know the nitty-gritties, best practices, or the optimal methods to make use of their profile, so we are here to help!
In this blog post, we’ll be giving you the best tips on how to optimize your Google Business Profile.
Include the Correct Name, Address, And Phone Number
This may seem pretty obvious but having the correct name, address, and phone number are of great essence. You want those who search for you to know what you do, your business hours, and where you are.
Search results favour businesses with complete and accurate information as they are easier to match with the right searches so be sure to enter your complete data.
There should be no question that your property is a real and credible place to live. You’ll want to always ensure that your GBP displays the most up-to-date information. A GBP listing that does not display correct information will never be known as credible.
Stand Out With Your Business Description
Google typically gives you 750 characters to depict your business, so you really want to make the most of it and put your best foot forward. As much as it is tempting to do, don’t fill up your description with keywords and salesy promotional talk, rather keep it real by enlightening your potential clients as to what specifically you do, unique qualities, and differentiators about your business.
At this point, you can include your business’s central goal- such as a mission statement or vision, values, benefits, etc. However, you want to go about it, make sure to keep it concise, compelling, and insightful.
Including High-Resolution Images Goes A Long Way
We know what images can do to your website’s ranking. It’s no different here. As a matter of fact, it will be your GBP and not your website that will most likely be your first impression with potential clients.
Quality photographs are an important part of any business profile. It helps you achieve the “show don’t tell.” Beyond what you say, pictures help potential clients really see for themselves what you’re about and provide them with a feeling of your business.
The right picture can have a significant effect in convincing clients to visit your area, it’ll help you stand out from other businesses that offer similar products but don’t utilize pictures on their profiles. Upload lots of high-resolution photos including pictures of your property, the exterior, interior, amenities, and other unique features of your business. To do this, simply:
- Sign in to your Google Business Profile.
- Open the section where you would like to add photographs.
- Select Photos in the menu.
- Pick the photo you will like to upload to your profile.
- Click on upload.
Be Very Responsive
Be responsive as reviews come in. It doesn’t matter if the reviews are good or bad, take some time to reply to their comments and acknowledge their feedback, ensuring great customer service.
This lets them know you value how they feel about your property. This is especially useful for bad reviews from dissatisfied or unimpressed residents. Apologize where necessary and address whatever issue they might have raised in the most understanding way possible. In doing so, you will instill confidence in your potential residents that their voice matters.
Free Ads With Google Posts
Google Posts are essentially free display ads you can use to get more engagement. Post promotional offers, events, or news you want to share.
There are various available post templates to do this.
- What’s New Posts
- Event Posts
- Offer Posts
- Product Posts
When you click on a post, it displays a thumbnail image and a short overview, which expands to a full-sized image and more text when clicked. They appear at the bottom of your desktop profile panel and in a dedicated tab in the Google Maps app.
To put up a GBP post, simply go to the “Post” tab. There you click the blue button on the bottom right. Then select the category of your post and craft the accompanying copy. Include a photo to go with it, and click on “Publish.” Viola! You’re all done. Make sure you select a picture that is at least 1200×900 pixels. Also, watch so that important details are not cropped out in the thumbnail version of your upload.
Prior to now, posts used to last only seven days. Now, they don’t expire at all. So use that to your advantage.
Use Keywords
You didn’t think we’ll wrap up an article on online optimization without talking about keywords right? Just like traditional website SEO, your Google Business Profile can rank higher when you properly use keywords and relevant search phrases.
Incorporate relevant terms used to search for your business into your description. Be sure not to keyword stuff as that could actually hurt your rankings instead. Typically, local results and ranking are based on relevance, distance, and prominence. Optimizing the right keywords can help you solve the issue of relevance.
Final Words
As much as the process of optimization isn’t super complicated, it can also be confusing and frustrating, particularly if it’s your first go at it. Regardless, optimizing your GBP is important and pays off, so don’t sleep on it.
