Whether you have a local, brick-and-mortar business, a service area business (SAB), or a home-based business, you need to have a Google Business Profile (GBP).
For a local shop, restaurant, service, or office, where you want customers to visit you, it’s connected to Google Maps. If you provide a local service (SAB) like HVAC, plumbing, contracting, dog grooming, etc., you need to have your GBP set up properly to rank for your services. (It’s tricky, but there’s a way!) Then, if you’re a home-based business like a consultant or ecommerce store. You don’t want people knocking at your door!
Why is Your Google Business Profile (GBP) Important?
That’s how you get found. Besides being directly connected to Google Maps, according to a report from BrightLocal…
80% of US consumers search online for local businesses on a weekly basis, and 32% search for them daily. and 72% of consumers use Google to search for local business information.
BrightLocal
For instance, a potential customer may search for “homeopathic doctor near me”. This person has a medical issue, and lives or works in your neighborhood. Google knows, based on the searcher’s GPS location, and it will pull up all the clinics matching the criteria based on their Google Business Profile.
As another example, people may search for “self-storage in {your town or city}”. This could be someone who’s relocating or needs storage in a specific vecinity. At any rate, your exact address needs to be the same everywhere and not just in your GBP.
Additionally, in your GBP, you can highlight all your services, amenities, and products, as well as post your hours. Most importantly, customers can leave reviews. Potential customers can “Ask Maps” specific questions! This is a new Google AI feature!
Furthermore, you can brand your page by uploading your logo and images. Additionally, you can help boost your Google rankings by posting to your GBP regularly, like special promotions, tips, blog posts, and even events. Eventually, a feature that’s “rolling out” (that means that not everyone sees it at the same time) is showing your social media posts, which means you also need to have your social media marketing act together!
I can help you set up or spruce up your Google Business Profile! It starts with a FREE Discovery Call and analysis of your digital marketing efforts.
