Last modified on: April 15th, 2024
Want to maximize your Google My Business Profile's potential in local search results?
Here are 9 Google Business Profile optimization tips for better local SEO in 2024.
As we move into 2024, having an optimized Google Business Profile is essential for targeted local visibility online.
Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business or GMB) is a platform introduced by Google in 2014 designed to help businesses get found in local search results as well as help searchers find local businesses based on their search.
With an optimized business profile on Google, you increase your chance of getting found by more potential customers in your local area when they search on Google Search or Google Maps for your company name or the products or services you offer.
Optimizing Your Google Business Profile
Here are 9 Google Business Profile optimization strategies for 2024:
1. Make Sure to Update Your Listing Often
Having an updated Google Business Profile is important for ranking and user experience purposes. Your company’s current information including what appears on your site should match the info on your Google Business Profile.
NAP consistency (NAP meaning name, address, phone) is a major factor Google uses to determine how your business ranks locally, including the quantity and quality of your business citations online. Higher business information consistency signals a more trustworthy business.
Make sure the following elements are up-to-date on your Google Business Profile and consistent with other listings:
- Business name
- Address
- Phone Number
- Contact details
- Categories
- Description
- Product/service info
- Location/s Served
- Business hours
- Business website
- Brand logo
Consistent and up-to-date business information across your listings online will only help your local search rankings.
2. Include All Relevant Data in Your Listing
The importance of providing relevant data in the listing lies in the process of how search works. Google prioritizes listings with the most relevant data and puts them upfront in local search results for prospective customers.
Don't take any chances or rely on your own conclusions. Your listing should always include basic information like what your company does. It should also contain your business location or locations served, and contact information.
For a service area business, make sure to include all the locations you serve. You can add locations down to the zip code level. If you're a service area business, check out these local SEO tips for service area businesses.
Another important factor is to include relevant categories and keywords in your listings where possible. The right categories and keywords can help your listing get found by the right potential customers when they search using keywords related to your business and offerings.
Google evaluates hundreds of signals to surface search results, just like traditional search engine optimization, so it's a good idea to provide as much helpful information as you can on your business listings, including a link to your site.
Another way to provide helpful local information and incorporate relevant terms is to publish Google Posts through your profile. You could test publishing local Google Posts once a week to start and see what kind of engagement you get with your target audience.
Further, if you run Google Ads, you can connect your Google profile to your ad account for the option to add location extensions to any local ads you run.
3. Monitor and Respond to Reviews
Online comments and review sites provide consumers with a lot of quick information. This makes their opinions and reviews crucial to a business’s success.
For businesses, this might be daunting, but online reviews can also be a great source of recommendations. Google reviews and other positive reviews online can also help boost your local rankings and are worth earning as part of local SEO strategies.
There's no need to be alarmed if you come across a few negative reviews, but be sure to respond as quickly as possible without irritating an already irritated consumer.
This usually entails asking to speak with the consumer offline so you can work out their issue on a one-on-one basis rather than in a public online forum. Remember that you won't be able to please everyone all of the time, so concentrate on cultivating loyalty.
4. Share Photos to Boost Authenticity
Photos help Google Profile listing optimization and ranking higher on Google Maps in more ways than most business owners and marketers realize.
According to these Google Profile stats, listings with photos are 2x as likely to be considered reputable than businesses without photos. What’s more, these listings generate around 35% more click-throughs to their sites.
5. Allow Customers to Message you
Google Business Profile provides an option to let customers send messages directly through your local business listing by clicking on a “Chat” button on your profile.
When you allow messaging, prospective customers will then be able to message your business using their Google accounts. Customers can be greeted with tailored automatic answers when they receive messages.
While enabling this chat feature adds a bit more responsibility to your business, it can help to improve the reputation of your business, especially if you provide quick and helpful responses. It's vital to keep message response time within 24 hours for the best performance and exposure through your Google Profile listing.
Today faster is often better in regard to customer service. Depending on your type of business and expectations set with customers, no one wants to be kept waiting for a response, especially customers who can easily find an alternative to your business if they find themselves getting ignored or their messages sidelined.
6. Always Refer to Consumer Insights
Consumer insights are “the comprehension and interpretation of customer data, actions, and feedback into conclusions that can be utilized to improve product development and customer service.”
These insights can help business owners answer important questions by giving them a better understanding of how customers think.
The Insights section of your Google business dashboard provides valuable information about customer interactions with your profile and data you can use to further optimize your site content.
Example insights include the searches people use to find your business online, a pie graph that shows how customers find your business, the number of mobile click-to-call interactions through your listing, clicks to your site, and more.
7. Add Info About Products or Services
The Products and Services sections of your Google Profile make it easy for you to provide more descriptive information about your business offerings. Most businesses, as long as they’re small or medium-sized companies, are eligible to exhibit their offerings.
When you add your products or services information to your Google business account, local searchers can click on a tab that showcases this information, which can help encourage customers to reach out and do business with you.
8. Showcase Extra Amenities You Can Offer
If you're a family-owned small hotel, for instance, the facilities you provide might make all the difference between you and a rival receiving a reservation.
Do you provide a laundry service? Perhaps you offer pet-friendly rooms? Be thorough with the information on your listing, sometimes it's the tiniest details that result in a conversion like a new booking or sale.
9. Improve Google Business Profile Reporting
Some of the leading SEO reporting software such as Semrush include integrations to connect your Google Business Profile to the software for additional insights.
It's always a good idea to analyze your Google Business Profile stats in combination with other important SEO metrics from SEO software for maximum insight.
Optimizing for Google Search
I hope you’ve found the above Google Business Profile optimization tips helpful for your business. Following these tips will help you keep your business in good standing online and improve your local search visibility on Google.
This list is a good starting point, but don't restrict yourself to just these suggestions. Continue to evaluate your company and consumers as they develop, grow, and adapt.
If you keep your eyes open and keep track of consumer insights, you'll discover fresh methods to improve the consumer experience and your overall profitability.
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