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Your Google Business Profile allows business owners to have more control over the information which Google displays about businesses when it populates Search results pages and Google Maps. This used to be called Google My Business but has since been renamed
If you’ve ever been to Google and searched for a business name directly, you’ve probably come across something that looks like this
This box on the right is called a Knowledge Graph. When you search for, in this case Crane Jewelers, the search engine gets the information in the Knowledge Graph from the Google Business Profile that the owner of the business has completed. It’s also using that information to populate Google Maps
And also the “Snack Pack”, or the local listings
Why is Google Business Profile so important?
With all this traffic that’s coming to our businesses, it’s important to optimize your Google Business Profile. Here is a list of items that you can optimize with your profile
Before we dive into each of these and show you how to optimize them, think of Google just as you do the homepage of your website. The Google Business Profile needs to have all that pertinent information. The reason is because almost 50% of searchers DON’T click beyond the search page. They are now getting all their info from your profile, without even landing on your website. This is called Zero-Click searches (they are searching but not clicking through to your website)
When you’re maximizing your Google Business Profile, it’s all about improving your Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
First, let’s start by sharing with you how you get to your Google Business Profile
Google is in the process of changing how you update your information, so you may see a pop-up message that says
If you do, you just click on the “Manage on Search” button above. Google is getting away from having a dashboard where you go to manage everything. Then, if you’re logged into Google, you can type “Google Business Profile” and it will bring up all profiles that you are an Admin for and you can click the “view profile” button
When you do that, you’ll get something that looks like this
You can see the Knowledge Graph on the right-hand side, and over to the left, you some areas that you have the ability to edit. That allows you to manage the information that would populate into the Knowledge Graph
Let’s start off with the “Edit Profile” button
The first thing you want to check is the business information. This is where it’ll list contact information, location info, hours, and more. When you fill out that information, it’ll all show up right here
Then you want to go to “Products”
When you do this, you’ll have the ability to type in and edit all the different products that your business sells. It will allow you to also leave a description of those products
Once you do that, this is where the information will show up in your Knowledge Graph
Next up, you could list services
Any services you offer you can add and list right here
Once you have those updated, this is where they’ll show up in the Knowledge Graph
The services are important. This is where the search engines pull information to match the query that people type into the search bar. The more information you can input there, the better, as when someone creates a query, the algorithm looks here in the Services section to find a match
Then, you want to add photos, a logo, and your cover photo. These are all very easy to do, as they use a drag and drop feature
When you update those, you’ll see those reflected in your Knowledge Graph here
Take a second and review the part with the photos. It’s very easy to complete. However, a lot of small businesses don’t spend the time to do that, and keep it updated. Here’s why you should
Spend a little time and ensure you have that section updated
Next, in your Profile screen, you’ll see this button, the Promote button
When you click here, you’ll see this screen
Performance is metrics about your Google listing. It’ll allow you to choose the time frame that you want, and then you can see how much traffic you had to your website, how many calls, messages, how many click to directions, and more
Towards the bottom of that informational page, you’ll see “How people discovered you.” This tells you how people came across your listing. Was it through mobile, desktop, etc. And then, on the right-hand side, you can see some of the keywords or phrases that people had searched for when your listing came into view
Next up, ask for reviews! So important
When you click this button, it’ll take you to a page that provides you a special link for your business. You can provide that link to your customers. When they visit that link, it takes them directly to where they can leave a review for your business
Once a customer leaves a review, they automatically get populated into the Knowledge Graph
For the “Add Update” button, think of this as adding a post to your Knowledge Graph
When you do, you’ll come this page
Here, you have up to 1500 characters, which is a pretty lengthy update. You can choose a button, and even add photos. This is just another way to add to the material in the Knowledge Graph. You can also add an offer here, like some kind of discount. Or, you can even add an event, like a sales promotion or something like that
When you do, this is where all this information gets populated in the Knowledge Graph. You’ll see they look like little individual posts
Now, let’s look at the Customers button
When you click on that, you’ll see this drop-down menu
Clicking on Reviews will show you all your reviews that you’re received, as well as your responses
If you don’t know this already, reviews are IMPORTANT! Not only do people read reviews, but close to 75% of people ALSO read the business’ responses to those reviews
The more reviews that you have, the more likely people are to engage with you, so the more reviews you get, the more leads you’re likely to get
The more positive reviews you have, the more purchases you’re likely to get. Consumers research and read reviews before making decisions. In fact, they read a minimum of 10 reviews before feeling confident in making a decision
The higher your reviews, the higher your rank! Google rewards businesses that have frequent and positive reviews. They are a definite local SEO ranking factor, as confirmed by Google itself
Next, is Calls
Under this section, you may see this
This is something that Google is rolling out rather slowly. This may or may not be available. To find out, click the “Learn more” button. It’ll tell you if it’s available to you at this time or not. If it is available, that means someone could click on your phone number from your Profile and Google would track it (showing information here)
A few things to know before you turn this feature on, if it’s available
If you click Messages
This is a feature that you can turn on, and you can receive text messages from potential customers who have questions. By default, this is not activated, so you do have to turn this feature on
If you do turn it on, then someone would see this option when they Google a business or if they are in Google Maps
If they decide to do that, then they will see a customized greeting and they can text back and forth with that person
If you click Q&A
This is where you can view any question that a person has asked the business, and where business owners can respond. We suggest going in and populate questions on your own, similar to FAQ’s so that there’s content prepopulated
When you do this, you’ll see them show up here in your Knowledge Graph
A Google Business Profile should be updated weekly. It will help your SEO ranking. It’ll ensure everything is correct. It also allows you the chance to ensure that all questions that are asked are answered, and all reviews are responded to
As you can see, there is a LOT that a business can do on their own to help themselves. This is a great start to get your online profile started
Once you’ve done this, then you want to take a look at SEO and Online Reputation
