A complete and accurate Google Business Profile (GBP), formerly known as Google My Business, is a critical tool for businesses looking to increase their online presence and attract local customers.
In this webinar, Jon and Matt discuss why GBPs are vital for all businesses, their key benefits, essential elements for optimisation, and strategies to manage and leverage customer reviews for business growth. Check out the replay below.
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Why is your Google Business Profile important?
Okay, can we be blunt? This is not just a nice-to-have to get around to one day. An effective GBP is absolutely critical for any business – regardless of your industry or niche.
At the most basic level, it communicates to the world a sense of completeness and professionalism. Beyond that, it opens up a wealth of opportunities to increase traffic for your business – whether that’s online traffic via visitors to your website, or foot traffic coming in-store to your physical location.
Matt, our senior SEO strategist, shares that 77% of consumers use Google when looking for local business information. And, 76% of people who conduct a local search on their smartphone visit a physical place within 24 hours, with 28% of those searches result in a purchase.
We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again (and again, and again!). Visibility is king in digital marketing, and your GBP is a highly effective and FREE tool that, when utilised correctly and optimised for success, has the power to skyrocket your online presence and get more customers through your door.
Key benefits of an optimised Google Business Profile
Enhanced local search visibility
Google Business Profiles essentially have their own search function, with profile listings often appearing ahead of organic search results and sometimes even ahead of Google Ads. What this means for you: if you don’t have a GBP set up, or you have only included your most basic business information, you’re missing out on making sales – big time.
As someone enters a local search query, for example, Google uses the information from GBPs to rank businesses in search results. Think “italian restaurants brisbane” or “mechanic near me” kinds of searches. When your profile is complete and accurate, it signals to Google that your business is legitimate and relevant, which directly improves your ranking in those local search results.
Google also looks at your business categories and any relevant keywords in your profile (eg. business descriptions, services, and products) to understand the context of your business and determine if your GBP will appear in searches related to those keywords and services.
You can learn more about Local SEO in this comprehensive guide.
Building credibility and trust
Did you know a whopping 62% of consumers would avoid using a business if they found incorrect information about it online? Some of the most common issues users run into are an inaccurate or missing address, phone number, trading hours and/or website. Such simple things to stay on top of, yet they quite literally have the power to make or break your business’s credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of potential customers!
Google reviews are another powerful component of GBP that are often neglected by small businesses. We get it – it’s not always top of mind to chase reviews from your clients and customers. But, 93% of consumers will read online reviews before making a purchase, and most expect businesses to have at least 20 to 99 reviews. And as much as 50% of consumers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family.
Ensuring your GBP is complete, accurate, and built out with a healthy number of positive reviews communicates two key things:
- It tells Google that your business is credible and widely-used, which encourages Google’s search algorithm to display your business profile higher up in search results
- It says to your potential customers that your business is competent, well-liked and trusted to deliver, which is exactly the information consumers want to see when considering their options.
Driving store visits and sales
In the webinar, Matt and Jon also highlight the impact of a well-maintained GBP on actual store visits and sales. We’ve already seen how impactful a complete and accurate GBP is for improving your search ranking and enhancing your visibility online. When potential customers search for local services or products, Google prioritises businesses with detailed and up-to-date profiles. A higher ranking makes it more likely for your business to be seen and considered by users actively looking for the products or services you offer.
Layered on top of this, simply having your business information readily available in your GBP makes it easy for customers to contact and/or visit you! Keeping your opening hours, phone number, address and website up to date means that anyone who comes across your GBP in their search has everything they need to either get in touch or come instore for a visit.
Essential elements of a high-quality Google Business Profile
Creating a high-quality GBP requires attention to detail and a methodical approach. Here are the essential elements that must be included:
Accurate and comprehensive business information
It should be clear by now that the foundation of an effective GBP is accurate business information. This includes your business name, address, phone number, website, business category, trading hours, and your products or services.
Pro tip: Matt (strongly!) recommends that you get really granular with listing your products or services. Think of the kind of searches people are performing to find you. You might be a plumber, but is it enough to simply list “plumbing” as your key service? Nope. You’ll get much better results from listing each of the specific services you provide, like tap fitting, bathroom plumbing, burst pipe repairs, dishwasher installation, downpipe replacement, etc.
Quality images and videos
Profiles that include professional photographs of products, services, and even the physical premises tend to attract more attention and engage potential customers better than those without. Matt and Jon stress the importance of business owners taking control of their visual presentation on their Google Business Profile. Instead of relying on the generic Google Street View images that Google defaults to, they recommend uploading high-quality custom photos to really showcase what you have to offer and what customers can expect from their visit.
For example, well-lit images of a restaurant’s interior convey its cosy and inviting atmosphere. Photos of a cafe’s most-ordered meals or bustling morning rush give potential patrons an idea of the type of food they can expect, while showcasing its popularity. Clear contextual images of a retail store that’s tucked away behind the main street help new customers to easily find the entrance. Using custom photographs also allow you as the business owner to strategically highlight key aspects of your offerings (eg. promoting your best-selling products, new arrivals, or current promotions).
This visual engagement is more important than you might initially think, because it can influence the decision-making process of customers. We all know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but let’s face it – we do. Consumers will often make purchase decisions based purely on the visual appeal and perceived professionalism of your Google Business Profile, so use this to your advantage!
Regular updates and engagement
Regularly updating your profile with new posts about current promotions, upcoming sales, or special events helps to keep your audience informed and engaged. This is particularly important during periods like public holidays when normal business operations and trading hours might change.
Staying active on your GBP does more than just inform; it boosts your SEO efforts. Google’s algorithms favour active and current profiles, as frequent updates are a signal that the business is operational and responsive. By adding fresh content to your GBP, you’ll help to increase its visibility and relevance in search results.
Managing your Google Business Profile
The power of Google reviews
Using the GBP Insights tool
Google Business Profile verification
There are several hurdles that can impact both the setup and ongoing effectiveness of your GBP. One of the initial challenges is the verification process, which is designed to ensure that only legitimate business owners or representatives can claim a profile.
Typically, this involves Google sending a postcard to the business’s physical address with a verification code that must be entered into the GBP. While this step is essential for preventing fraud and maintaining the accuracy and security of the information on the platform, it can delay the setup process – and it’s definitely a source of frustration if the postcard is delayed or lost. Matt notes that Google does now offer alternative verification channels, such as a phone call, video call or email confirmation, so be sure to look at all of the available options to streamline this process for your business.
Sourcing and managing reviews
Once your profile is active, keeping the information current and engaging with customers through the platform can also pose challenges. As we’ve discussed, sourcing reviews from customers is particularly important. But, it can be difficult to ask for and follow up on these, and managing inevitable negative feedback effectively requires a proactive strategy.
Matt and Jon confirm that businesses can benefit from asking for reviews shortly after a purchase or service experience, when the customer’s satisfaction is highest. It’s also worthwhile writing thoughtful responses to reviews, whether positive or negative, to show existing and potential customers that you value feedback and are committed to improving your customers’ experience. This can significantly uplift your profile’s value and enhance your brand’s overall reputation.
Pro tip: When politely requesting reviews from your clients and customers, encourage them to include keywords (eg. the services they engaged or standout features of your product) in their review. This will help your GBP standout to Google and climb even higher in those search results.
For more detailed strategies on how to source and handle Google reviews, including how to respond to negative feedback effectively, check out our recent blog post here.
Download your free copy of our GBP Checklist
Optimising your Google Business Profile is one of the most effective (and free!) ways to boost your local search visibility and get more customers through your door. It isn’t something you can set and forget, though.
To help you set up and optimise your profile, we’ve put together an extensive and easy-to-follow Google Business Profile Checklist. Download your copy for FREE, follow the step-by-step instructions, and watch your profile rankings soar!
