Are you familiar with your Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google My Business? 

 

Although it looks like a simple digital directory, your Google Business Profile can be optimized to benefit your business in several ways! So in this blog post, we will be covering what your Google Business Profile is, and how you can optimize it to cater to your customers’ questions, build your social proof and connections, and develop your SEO. 

 

 

What is Your Google Business Profile?

Your Google Business Profile, or your GMB Profile, is essentially an online listing for your business. It appears on Google when your customers search for your business directly, or when your potential customers search Google for a business similar to yours. 

 

For example, if you operate a yoga studio and someone makes a google search for your specific one, your Google Business Profile should appear. And, depending on your SEO, your potential customers may also see your Google Business Profile if they make Google searches with related keywords. So, if your yoga studio is located in Surrey BC, your studio’s online Google listing may appear if someone makes a Google search for “Guildford Yoga Studios”.

 

Your Google Business Profile should act as the primary source of information for all things related to the services you provide, the products you offer, and how your business operates.

 

 

 

 

Catering to Customer Questions

Every day hundreds of Google searches can be related to your business… And If your Google Business Profile is a top result, you want to ensure you make the best impression possible, answering any questions that your potential customers may have!

 

This means having a Business Profile that is 100% complete and fully optimized.

 

To do this, you need to ensure that you have accurate business information, high-quality photos,  and active Google reviews. In other words, you need to fill out all of the information you can and use every feature available, so that your potential customers can find the answers to their questions.

 

Today, digital first impressions can be just as important as the ones you make in person. By having your Google Business Profile set up as a great resource for information with eye-catching photos, you can ensure that your first impression online wins over new customers!

 

 

Building Social Proof & Connections

One of the most important pieces of information on your Google Business Profile are your reviews. 

 

Unlike other forms of social proof, like your website, Google reviews provide a valuable unbiased 3rd party perspective. By responding to both good and bad reviews on your Google Business Profile, you can develop social proof and a relationship with your customers that will ultimately result in a positive reputation for your business.

 

For example, when your reviews are positive, your friendly response can build a connection with the reviewer themselves, plus, anyone else looking over your Google Business Profile can see how you take the time to say thanks to your customers.

 

As for your negative reviews, your responses can indicate a claim is fraudulent, but if the claim is genuine, a response that resolves the issue at hand can also encourage the reviewer to delete their negative review to improve your overall rating. 

 

You can learn more about Google Reviews in our blog post – The Power of Google Reviews 

 

By actively responding to both the good and the bad Google reviews that come your way, you can win over the potential customers looking over your Google Business Profile by showcasing your positive connections and willingness to resolve problems.

 

 

Developing Your SEO

Unfortunately, you’ll need more than a great product or service to put your business on the map… You’ll need to develop your SEO! But how does your Google Business Profile relate to Search Engine Optimization?

 

As a business, Google benefits from remaining the number one search platform, and by keeping your Google Business Profile up-to-date, you are essentially ensuring that the public can continue to reliably use Google to search for and find businesses. So, if you have an optimized Google Business Profile, Google will reward you for supporting their search platform by improving your business’s Google ranking. 

 

In addition, you can also improve your SEO by aligning the information listed on your other social media profiles with the info listed on your Google Business Profile. Similarly, since this would reinforce Google as the primary source of information online, Google will benefit as a business, and they will subsequently reward you by improving your business’s Google ranking.

 

Lastly, you can also include keywords within your writing to improve your SEO, but, you should be wary of going overboard and keyword stuffing! For example, in the “products” section of your Google Business Profile, you can feel free to write using the buzzwords related to what you offer. However, if you include keywords in the title of your business, you can have your Google Business Profile suspended!

 

You can learn about other Off-Page SEO techniques in our blog post – Fundamentals of Off-Page SEO

 

 

Amongst the other benefits of having an optimized Google Business Profile, by keeping your business information up-to-date, in sync with your social media profiles, and strategically keyword written, you can also develop your SEO and boost your Google ranking.

 

In conclusion, while simple looking, your Google Business Profile can be a powerful aspect of your business, but only if you optimize it to answer customer questions, showcase how you handle positive and negative customer experiences, and contribute to your Google ranking.

 

If you weren’t familiar with the importance of your Google Business Profile before, you should be now!

 

Looking to develop your SEO? Contact us to learn more about our services!