Are people searching for your business but it is not showing up in search engines like Google? Or, are they having trouble finding you as the local business they need? Well then, it’s time to get your Google Business Profile up and running and optimised.
Formally Known as Google My Business (GMB)
Setting your website up with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and using Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business (GMB) is a great tool for your business.
You can use Google My Business to increase your business’s visibility locally when people search for products or services that your company offers.
Whether you’re a business based in Melbourne or anywhere in Australia, using a Local SEO Specialist will help get your Google Business Profile set up correctly. This will help attract your ideal customers and increase traffic to your door.
But, even with someone managing this for you, knowledge is always power. So here are some key points about Google Business Profile that we feel are important for you to know. Using this knowledge will help to increase traffic and exposure for your business in local search.
What is Google Business Profile?
Google Business Profile (GBP) is a platform that allows businesses to increase their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. By optimising your listing, you can improve your visibility to potential customers searching for products or services like yours.
Why You Need A Local SEO Agency To Manage Your Google Business Profile
Having a dedicated local SEO agency to optimise and maintain your listing will ensure that:
- Your business is more visible in search results.
- You have up to date contact information.
- Keep your business details relevant.
- Drives interest and contact from potential customers.
Staying ahead of the game for your website can be a full-time job in itself. With search engine rules constantly changing, it’s rare for business owners to have the time to keep up with all the latest trends.
That’s where using a dedicated digital agency comes in. Agencies specialising in local SEO services know how to help drive more targeted traffic to your site. This targeted traffic means they’ll be there longer and more likely to convert. And by having a local listing, you’ll likely see more customers coming through the door.
In addition, your business will also be more likely to appear in the Local Pack and Google Maps when people are searching for relevant companies in your area.
If you’re not already using a Google Business Profile, we highly recommend starting! It’s a great way to improve your online presence and reach new customers.
Benefits of Using Google Business Profile For Your Business
There are many benefits to making sure your business is using a Google Business Profile as part of your SEO strategy.
Your local SEO agency should work hard to make sure your listing gets great visibility for local searches. This can lead to more exposure to potential clients, and more contact from customers.
Additional benefits of using Google Business Profile for your business include:
Benefit #1: Reach more customers
A business optimised well for GBP will naturally make it visible for local searches in Google. This helps you reach more potential customers in your area searching online for products or services like yours.
Benefit #2: Increase interest and contact from potential customers
Keeping your posts and events updated in Google Business Profile will stay relevant for potential customers looking for your services. This also helps your business listing appear higher in search results, driving new interest and enquiries.
Benefit #3: Build trust with your customers
With regular posts using photos, you can inform your customers of your products and services or recent work your business has completed. You can also collect and display reviews from customers. This helps to build trust for people wanting to do business with you.
Benefit #4: Compliment your existing Local SEO campaign
Suppose you already have a local SEO campaign in place. In that case, you can really boost your results by adding Google Business Profile to your strategy. This can help improve your ranking in Google Maps searches. An improved ranking makes it more likely that people will find your business when looking for relevant companies in your area.
Benefit #5: Make it easy for customers to find you
Having up-to-date contact information, website address, and street address is essential for all local businesses. This is how people will find you easily and more likely to come to visit you. If they can’t easily find your location or how to contact you, they will quickly move on to another business.
Avoid Revenue Loss From A Poorly Optimised GMB
Losing potential customers due to a poorly optimised Google My Business (GMB) can easily be avoided. And if not managed right, this can really impact the bottom line of your business revenue.
Having each of these setup and maintained regularly ensures customers can find you, contact you and buy from you. Staying highly visible when people search the local area is a must for any business.
Keeping these components up-to-date can be time consuming, but that’s why you need a dedicated local SEO agency to manage this for you. This keeps your GMB well maintained, leaving you to do what you do best.
Knowing that your business will show up when searched and how it will show up to your customers is peace of mind.
3 Places Your Business Will Show Up When Searched on GMB
When using Google My Business, you will see your listing appear in different ways on search engines. The three main ways your listing will appear are:
1./ The Knowledge Panel
Google has a feature called ‘knowledge panels’. These information boxes provide quick snapshots of data about the business searched based on what Google knows. Elements include contact details, website address, opening hours and street address. This information is gathered from your listing, making it easier for customers to find you.
2./ The Local Pack
It includes three listings from popular and well optimised My Business Profile entries in your area. They are determined by the relevance of the product or service offered along with how well they have been customised for Google search engine optimization (SEO). The pack also provides map links so that users can easily explore all nearby places on their own without having any difficulties navigating through different areas.
3./ Google Maps
Having your business appear on Google Maps helps your customers see where you are and navigate to your premises. Having your location visible allows customers to choose a local business close to their location. To be listed on Google Maps, you will need to make sure your address is clear and specific in your Google Business Profile.
Interactive Features of Your Google Business Profile
Collect and Display Reviews
Google Business Profile lets you collect and display reviews from customers, which can help build trust with potential clients. New users love being able to read about other people’s experiences using a company’s products or services.
Reviews let others know:
- How good businesses were in providing what was promised
- Were there any problems that came up along the way
- How issues were handled
- The quality of products
- Customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction
- Will they buy from the business again
All this information helps them make an informed decision when choosing who to do business with.
Why you should ask your clients for GMB Reviews
You can ask your customers for feedback on your business by using the ‘Leave Review’ option on Google My Business. They’ll rate you out of 5 stars so that others know what kind of service was provided in advance before visiting. People also have an opportunity to write short comments about their experience with your business.
These reviews help build a profile of what customers can expect when purchasing products and services from you.
Google My Business helps build both credibility and trust. It makes it much easier for your potential client to choose your business as they can see real reviews and also see what your business offers.
Profile Posts
Google Posts are similar to Facebook posts, but businesses create them to showcase their products, services, and offers. They can often be overlooked and not used effectively on profiles, but they can make more of an impression than you realise!
These updates can contain an image or video along with text and links that will take customers directly to your website. These posts are used for advertising discounts, current projects, or simply letting people know about your new products. The beauty is they can also be seen on your knowledge panel showing customers what you have to offer.
The importance of regular posts for your Local SEO Campaign
Regular posts allow customers to see what your business is about and direct them to your contact information and website. You can use them to show snippets of blogs, products or services you offer, completed or current projects, etc. They are great for catching your potential client’s interest and directing them to your store or website.
The key to success is to have someone manage your Google Business Profile and posts. Your SEO specialist should ensure your GBP is updated regularly. These posts should be kept constant in style and tone without repetition.
Questions and Answers
As well as collecting reviews and creating posts you can have a ‘Question and Answers’ option for your profile. This allows your customers to ask questions and receive an answer but also stays on your profile so others can read them too.
This is a great way for frequently asked questions to be addressed and seen, which helps your customers with their buying decision.
Keeping your posts, reviews, services, and FAQs up-to-date and relevant for your ideal customers is a must. Using a dedicated local SEO agency can manage the scheduling and posting, leaving you more time to focus on your customers.
Using Local SEO Services in Melbourne to Optimise Your Google Business Profile
Setting up a Google Business Profile is a great way to improve your online presence and reach new customers. By optimising your listing, you can increase your SEO visibility, drive interest to your website and make contact with potential customers.
If you want to make the most of your Google My Business Profile, it’s important to optimise your listing. Our local SEO team can create and optimise your Google My Business listing and provide ongoing monitoring and reporting. This gives you the best chance of reaching new customers and boosting your business.
What makes our Local SEO Services different?
We pride ourselves on getting to know you and your business so we can optimise your listing. Being based in Melbourne, we work with local businesses across the Melbourne area and beyond. Not in Melbourne? Not a problem. We can easily work with you online and on the phone to create the listing and website you need.
We don’t believe that one size fits all when it comes to different businesses, as we know every company will have different needs. We create unique plans to optimise your SEO and help your website be more than just No.1 on Google.
Our agency offers a wide range of SEO services to help you get the most out of your website. We not only create written content for your site but also provide natural link building, local SEO techniques, and ongoing keyword and market research. This allows you to get the most out of your site and improve your ranking in search engines.
In addition, our services are designed to be affordable and effective. We offer a variety of packages to meet your needs and budget. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you grow your business.
Calem Koek is a web designer and owner of leading Melbourne-based digital marketing agency Elevate Websites. He has been helping businesses in Melbourne and across Australia scale their business online through quality website design and world class SEO services.