How to Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Utilizing your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is a surefire way for your business to be found on Google, where more people search for local businesses than on any other search engine. Local search is powered based on your company’s Google Business Profile (GBP) and to what extent your business utilizes the various features GBP provides.

Whatever your industry or company size, GBP is a simple yet vital marketing tool to ensure prospective clients find your business online. Not sure how to claim your GBP or fully optimize your profile? Read on to find out how.

How Do I Claim My GBP?

Alongside the newly revamped GBP name also came a few critical updates. Businesses can now claim their profile directly in Google Search or Google Maps. Your company first needs to show up on Google Maps before being able to claim your listing. The process to do that is as follows:

1. Sign in to Google Maps2. Add your business. This can be accomplished in a few ways:

• Enter your business address and (on the left in your business profile) click "add your business."
• Right-click on the map, then click "add your business."
• Click the menu icon on the top left, then "add your business."

Once your business is added to Google Maps, your next step will be to claim your profile. To do so, follow these steps:1. Open Google Maps.

2. In the search bar, enter your business name.

3. Click your business name.4. Click "claim this business > manage now."

What Information Should Be Included in Your GBP?

There are additional pieces of information to incorporate in your profile:1. The name of your business.

2. Your business category (i.e., insurance broker): Be as specific as possible.

3. The physical address of your business.

4. Phone number

5. Website URL: If location-be specific, include a location landing page.

Suggested Fields

1. Photos: Feature and display high-quality images. Avoid stock photography. Good examples to include are images of your office interior, office exterior, business logos, or photos of current employees.

2. Hours of Operation: Be sure these do not overlap.

3. A URL to book an appointment

4. Covid-19 available options, if applicable.

5. Additional categories (hospital, home goods, dentist)

6. Business attributes (e.g., wheelchair accessible)

Optional Fields

1. A description of the business

2. Specific services the company offers

3. Specific products the company provides

How Can I Optimize My GBP for SEO?

Boosting your ranking and optimizing your GBP for SEO includes generating and responding to customer reviews. A business with reviews on their GBP will collect more clicks and conversions than other GBP profiles with or without negative reviews.

Data reveals that fewer than 50% of consumers would consider using your business if your listing has less than four stars, and 87% of consumers read real reviews for local businesses. Be sure to ask customers to leave reviews and have an employee own a strategic response strategy.

The number of reviews and stars you receive will directly impact consumer decisions and how Google perceives your business. Specifically, Google gives more online real estate to companies with more reviews.

Good reviews allow for public acknowledgment of the great work that occurs throughout your company. More customer reviews also mean more keywords from client feedback, allowing Google to understand what your business does and connect that with a consumer’s search query.

What if Your Business Receives a Bad Online Review?

At some point, your business will likely receive a less-than-glowing review, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Bad reviews afford your business the chance to show consumers your willingness to resolve an issue quickly and efficiently, as well as your dedication to customer service. Unfortunately, you may also run into a situation where the company receives a poor review that is spam or directed at a different business. Although deleting a negative review, generally speaking, is not a good strategic move, in cases like the above, then your business may decide to delete the review.

How Can Mployer Advisor Help?

Managing a GBP can and should take a lot of time and effort, especially if you’re a brokerage with multiple locations. Here at Mployer Advisor, we do all the hard work for you, so you don’t have to. Schedule a demo with us today, and learn more about how we can optimize your digital presence to help you generate more online reviews, drive business growth, and identify new strategies to stand out.

Looking for similar content? Download our free e-book, “A Digital State of the Union: What Your Insurance Brokerage Needs to Know About Google My Business,” and check out the Mployer Advisor blog for the latest industry news and insight.

Want visual content? Download our On-Demand Webinar “How to Harness Your Digital Presence to Drive Growth in Today’s Evolving Industry.”

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