WHAT IS GOOGLE MY BUSINESS?
Google Business Profile is the free business listing from Google. It allows you to provide the details and photos of your business, including your location, services, and products. Creating this free profile is the great way to increase your visibility across the Google services. Information from your Google Business Profile may appear in the Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Shopping. Google Business Profile is only available to the businesses that have contact with customers. This includes the businesses with a physical location like a restaurant or store and the businesses that will provide services by meeting with clients in other locations like consultants or plumbers.
HOW TO SET UP THE GOOGLE MY BUSINESS ACCOUNT?
Step 1: Sign in to Google Business Profile Manager
If you’re already logged into the Google account, you’re automatically logged into Google Business Profile Manager. Otherwise, enter your usual Google account login details or create the new Google account.
Step 2: Add your business
Then enter your business name. If it does not appear in drop-down menu, click Add your business to the Google. Then select appropriate category for your business and click next.
Step 3: Enter your location
If you have the physical location customers can visit, select Yes. Then you will add your business address. You may also be asked to the position that marker for the location on a map. If your business does not have the location customers can visit but offers in-person services or the deliveries, you can list your service areas. Then click next. If you didn’t enter the physical address, Google will ask you to specify which region you’re based in. Choose from drop-down menu and then click Next.
Step 4: Fill in your contact information
Enter your business phone number and the website address so customers can reach you. If you prefer not to be reached by the phone, you don’t have to enter a phone number. When your info complete, then click Next.
Step 5: Verify your business
Enter your real physical address, not the post office box. This information is the only used to verify your business and is not displayed on your Google Business Profile or shared with public. Enter your address and then click Next. You’ll be offered applicable options for verifying your account. Physical businesses will need to get the postcard by mail to verify their location. The service-area businesses can be verified through an email address.
Step 6: Customize your profile
Enter your business hours, messaging the preferences, business description, and the photos. When you’re ready, then click Continue. You’ll find yourself in the business Profile Manager dashboard.
HOW TO OPTMIZE THE GOOGLE MY BUSINESS
Fully populate your Google Business profile
A family member recently joined in online dating site, but they couldn’t figure out why they weren’t making the connections despite their hours of the clicking, swiping, and viewing. When they asked me to look at their profile, it was the blatantly clear why they weren’t succeeding. They hadn’t filled out the entire profile. There were the blank fields when it came to their interests and background, and as result, they appeared like they weren’t relevant to the potential suitors.
Fill in your business description
Your business description is the huge asset on the Google Business Profile because it allows you to contribute rich content directly to the Google. Think about it, you’re writing about your products and the services on a profile that lives on Google. The business description allows for up to the 750 characters (letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation) and I recommend you to maximize your description as best as possible.
Choose the right business categories
When you will set up your Google Business Profile, you’re prompted to select your primary business category. What the most people don’t know is that you can have up to the ten business categories. Google predefines the categories, so you can’t just enter your own, but it’s important to use categories that will be best describe your business in local SEO . Now, you don’t want to use all the ten categories. Instead, try to limit your categories to two or three.
Get google reviews
Google knows that reviews are the first influence on the consumer buying, so this is a key ranking factor in their algorithm. You can also see for yourself the impact of the reviews on ranking. For the most searches performed on the Google, the first three local results that will appear (in what is known as the “Local 3-Pack”) are the ones with the multiple reviews and solid star ratings.
Ask and answer question
Answers to these questions may be influence for the customer deciding to choose your business. However, this section is the particularly important to optimize because not only can anyone ask the question on a business’s Google profile but also anyone can answer. This can be lead to inaccurate information on your profile, or even worse, something like Q&A on this pizza restaurant’s profile.
Add products and services
Adding products and the services is especially helpful if your offerings are not made clear in your business name in search engine. Populating this section will also add content to your profile that can be help to rank for even more relevant searches.
