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How to Optimize Your Google Business Profile and Rank Higher

Google is the most widely used search engine. As a local business, you depend on customers being able to find you which is why optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP), formerly known as “Google My Business”, is vital for your top-of-funnel performance.  

Keep reading for our Google Business Profile best practices.  

Why are Google My Business optimizations so important?

In 2024, Google received about 8.5 billion searches a day. The search engine captures around 78% of all online searches, 82% of desktop and 96% of mobile. If you want your business to be found and to rank higher in local search, Google Business Profile optimization is the way to go.  

Here are some Google Business Profile optimization tips to help your company drive local traffic to your door:  

Claim your business and make sure your listing is updated – We talked about this in our local SEO strategies blog. Claiming your business online and ensuring that all the contact information is updated is an obvious but often missed step. People need to be able to find you and Google is the primary place where they will start the search. That’s why claiming your listing and using Google Business Profile optimization best practices is imperative.  

Select your category and appropriate attributes – People often don’t know the name of a business, but search for general terms. As part of your Business Profile optimizations on Google, you’ll want to select a primary and secondary category. For example, you might choose the primary category of “Mexican restaurant” with “bar” as a secondary category, or “accountant” with “tax preparation.” 

Select the top few attributes that make the most sense as it can become quite overwhelming for customers if there are tons of attributes selected. For our Mexican restaurant example above, you might show dine in, take out, live music and outdoor seating as attributes. Here are some attributes from a local restaurant:

Include a “from the business” description – Your business will receive a couple descriptions. One will be created by Google itself, and the other will be submitted by you through your Google Business Profile. Create a welcoming description that helps customers know what your business is all about.  

Share photos – Nothing adds to the authenticity and helps Google Business Profile optimization as much as photos of the actual business. Show food and your dining room if you’re a restaurant. Salons can show station setup as well as completed haircuts. Whatever you add, be sure the images are high quality and ideally professionally taken. Other users and reviewers can add photos as well, but make sure that the photos you add as the business are polished.

Ask for reviews, monitor and respondAs a customer, when you see those high star ratings pop up under a business name, you know they are legit. In fact, 73% of customers trust a local business more if it has positive reviews. To stay on top of your Google Business Profile optimization, you’ll need to consistently ask your customers for reviews. Shoppers will check those out, including the date the review was posted, as part of the decisionmaking process. (Need help getting reviews? Check out our previous blog on how to drive positive customer reviews.) Be sure to monitor your account and respond to both positive and negative reviews when appropriate.

 

Post to your GBP Did you know that you can post to your Google Business Profile just like a social media account? Highlight special offers, events and more in this section.

Include Q&A – Anyone can post and answer questions, so be proactive and address some of the most common questions for your business.  

  • What types of payments do you accept?  
  • Where is the closest parking?  
  • Is there valet?  

Want to take your Google Business Profile optimization to the next level? Try including keywords and phrases in your Q&A section where it makes sense and reads naturally.  

Set up messaging capabilities and respond – Customers might choose to call your business with questions, but many prefer to text, so having messages enabled with notifications will come in handy. This way you can provide a direct and easy way for customers to connect with your business for any additional questions that weren’t answered in the Q&A.  

Google Business Profile: Optimized

Make the most of this free resource and be sure to update your Google Business Profile. By simply claiming your page, ensuring all the information is current and putting in a bit of effort to completely fill out your profile, you can help your business rank higher in local search results. These Google Business Profile optimizations are an easy way to connect with your local customers.  

Need some guidance with GBP profile optimizations? The experts at Beyond Fifteen can help you complete and get the most out of your Google Business Profile.

Connect with a Beyond Fifteen Marketing Specialist today!

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