Google Business Profile is a must-have for small businesses who are interested in ranking in local search.
By setting up your profile the right way, you increase your likelihood of appearing in the Local Pack section of Google when customers in your area use local search terms, like “gluten free pizza near me.”
In this post, I share data-driven tips on how to optimize Google Business Profile.
1. Claim Your Business Listing On Google, and Get Verified
Unfortunately, you don’t need to add your business to Google yourself in order for it to show up in local search.
Sometimes Google creates listings automatically from data it discovered from other sources. I’ve even heard of skeevy businesses creating Google listings for their competitors then adding their own website link to it.
However your business listing got on Google, if you don’t have ownership over it, you won’t be able to control what information gets published to it.
You should also verify your business on Google as soon as possible. You won’t be able to update your business hours or respond to customer reviews without doing so.
2. Fill in Every Field
According to a statistic by Birdeye that I reported in my article on Google Business Profile statistics, verified Google Business Profiles that have complete data are 80% more likely to show up in search results for local keywords.
This means you should take the time to fill out as much information on your profile as possible.
Fill out these sections at the very least:
- Edit Profile
- Edit Services
- Q&A
If you have products or have services clients need to book, fill out these sections as well.
Choose your primary and secondary categories carefully, and add every service and product you provide to customers, especially if consumers use them as keywords to find businesses like yours.
For example, if you work in dentistry and provide teeth whitening services, you’ll want to add the “teeth whitening” service to your profile to target a search query like “teeth whitening near me.”
The most important thing you can do is keep your business information as up to date as possible, especially your opening hours.
While many consumers will click through to your website link, a lot will only read whatever information they can find on your Google Maps profile without ever leaving the search engine.
3. Complete Your Profile’s Description
Your description on Google is an important part of your profile that gives you an opportunity to tell potential customers what your business is all about without them having to leave Google.
It appears under your reviews and has a heading that says “From [business name].”
It also gives you an opportunity to fill your profile with local keywords relevant to your business.
According to data uncovered by Localo, about 75% of the businesses who appear in one of the top three positions in local search have complete descriptions.
Here are a few tips on how to write a Google Business Profile description:
- Stay within the 750 character limit, but try to keep it as short as possible
- Include local keywords naturally (no keyword stuffing)
- Let customers know what kind of business you are
- Share what services you offer
- Share the types of products you offer
- Share a specific service or product you’re known for
- Share details about your business, such as your opening date, achievements you’ve accomplished, whether or not you’re a family-owned business, and more
Things that are not allowed in your business description, as stated in Google’s guidelines for Google Business Profile:
- Low-quality content, like misspellings and gibberish
- Irrelevant content
- “Gimmicky character use”
- Mentions of special offers, promotions or sales
- Links
- Other content that’s prohibited everywhere, like hate speech, sexually-explicit content, and misinformation
Here’s how Google says you should represent your business in your description:
“Use the business description field to provide useful information on services and products offered, as well as the mission and history of your business.
You should be upfront and honest about the information provided, focusing on content that’s relevant and useful to your customers to understand your business. Content that’s irrelevant to your business or has no clear association with it isn’t allowed.”
4. Use Category-Based Keywords in Key Places
Category-based keywords are keywords that contain your business categories in them, such as “nail salon,” “coffee shop” or “book store.”
These are keywords customers are most likely to use to find businesses like yours on Google.
Here are a few areas you should consider adding category-based keywords to:
- Business name
- Description
- Services
- Products
- Q&As
You might also consider using local keywords in these places.
For example, when you search “pizza new york city” on Google, you find businesses that name the street they’re on or area they’re located at in their business names even though those words are not included in their legal business names.
Examples:
- Name On Business Sign
- Joe’s Pizza
- Abitino’s Pizza
- Zia Maria
- Name On Google
- Joe’s Pizza Broadway
- Abitino’s Pizza Financial District
- Zia Maria Little Italy
Because these places are notable parts of New York City, they count as local keywords.
And in case you’re wondering if any of this is worth doing, Birdeye’s research shows that 86% of profile views come from category-based searches.
5. Get More Google Reviews
According to Localo’s study, businesses that rank in one of the top three positions on Google have more than 240 reviews on average.
This means that while you focus on filling out your Google Business Profile and keeping your business information up to date, you also need to focus on getting more reviews on Google and getting them more consistently.
The most effective way to get more reviews has nothing to do with the sales process—it has to do with your business as a whole.
According to a statistic I quoted in my article on online review stats, 24% of customers choose not to leave a review because the experience wasn’t noteworthy enough.
This statistic came from a survey conducted by BrightLocal, and it made up the majority of responses when consumers were asked why they don’t leave reviews.
This means the best way to get more reviews is ensuring your customers receive a life-changing experience or at least an experience that’s far superior to your competitor’s.
The second best strategy for getting more reviews is asking for them by using these strategies:
- Ask in person by including a review prompt on handouts or saying “don’t forget to rate us on Google” at the end of sales transactions
- Include an email to ask for reviews in your sales funnel. Our plugin Starfish Reviews can help with this
- Ask through support portals
In BrightLocal’s survey, 17% of customers also say the reason they don’t leave reviews is because they don’t have time.
Save them time by giving them a prompt to answer and by creating a review link for them to use.
6. Respond to Reviews
According to BrightLocal’s consumer review survey, 46% of consumers expect businesses to respond to reviews, even consumers who are only reading your reviews.
This means responding to reviews should be part of your marketing strategy.
Here are a few tips on responding to positive reviews:
- Personalize your reply by mentioning your customer’s name and including things they mentioned in their review
- Thank them for taking the time to leave a review
- Share insights into something they mentioned, such as where you got the recipe for a food item they enjoyed
- Address any concerns they had head on
- End with a light call to action (try our world-famous onion rings next time!) and a friendly send off
And, of course, a few tips on responding to negative reviews:
- Personalize your response
- Thank them
- Take responsibility and ownership over any problems your customer addressed
- Give insights on changes you intend to make to ensure those problems never happen again
- Try to make things right by offering refunds and inviting your customer to return, possibly with a discount
- Customers aren’t always right, so be sure to stand up for yourself if a review seems fake or overexaggerated
Related: The 7 Essential Steps for Mastering Online Reputation Management
7. Add a Website to Your Profile
Business profiles on Google have three primary links:
- Website
- Directions
- Call
According to Birdeye’s data, the majority of interactions (48%) with Google Business Profiles are made for the website link.
Furthermore, according to Localo, 85% of businesses that rank in one of the top three positions on Google have URLs added to their profiles.
This means it’s very important that you add a link to your website to your profile, even if it’s just a link to your Facebook page.
Check out our sister website wpXPRESS if you need help setting up a website for your business.
8. Add Images to Your Google Business Profile
Finally, take the time to snap some images of your business, including some that showcase interior and exterior areas as well as a few that showcase your products, services and final results.
If you take the time to make your business feel and look unique and special, customers will be more likely to take photos and include them in their reviews.
According to Localo, businesses who rank in one of the top three positions on Google have around 250 images added to their profiles on average.
And Birdeye’s data states that verified businesses who have more than 15 images added to their profiles receive more interactions.
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