Having a google business profile can be an asset for any small business. If you are wanting your business to be searchable.
Google is currently one of the largest and leading search engines. Google is where most people research any and all of their suppliers. By ‘telling’ Google that your business exists, you are putting yourself on the map ( Literally!)
By creating a Google My Business account you have access to managing how your business shows up in a search. Google will verify you as a professional business. And once this is done, people can start finding you with ease!
You can manage your own profile easily and it does not require much attention like other social media platforms.
There are so many beneficial features that can help aid you gain more leads. The most effective features are Google Maps for local searches and a place to store reviews and testimonials from past clients.
Google Maps
Think about how many people use google maps to get around nowadays.
By having your business listed, you show up on everyone’s map. This is great for local leads, as someone would have found you by location.
They may be searching for a target word that appears in your Google Profile name. This is likely to be the services you provide. For example, if we look at the map above, my company (Storme Makeup and Hair) would come up for a local woman in Richmond. If she had searched for ‘Wedding Makeup’ on google maps… I may not have been first on the list. There may have been a supplier closer to her, however, my business would feature 2nd or so.
That’s why you want your profile to stand out. If you are not first on the list, make yourself stand out so that they will have a look at your profile. This could be anything like a great write-up of your business, all your information is there, you have added eye catching images, and so forth.
Google Reviews
The next step, over location, might be your reviews. You can stand out from other local suppliers by having more reviews or a better star rating. People love to hear from people! So gaining more reviews is something that you can keep working on. The more the better! Ask all your clients to leave a review after working with you. Not all will, but those that do, make your profile stronger on your Google My Business profile.
You will notice in the image above that Google Maps states the business name, the address, and the review rating in stars as well as the number of reviews one can read through. So with that little block of information, you want to stand out and definetly have all the necessary information accounted for.
Someone is more likely to engage with a business that may be
- Nearby, easy found and local to them.
- Have reviews to confirm the quality of services and for social proofing. Some businesses don’t have anyone, so even one review can make a difference!
- Have images that they are drawn to. Nows the time to share what you do!
- All the information is easily available. Ie your website link is there for further investigation, your contact information if they wish to get hold of you.
What your profile looks like:
You will have a ‘Google Box’ on the right. This is what other people see.
On the left is where and what you can mange on your profile.
You will be able to gain valuable insights such as
- Monthly views
- Business profile interactions
- How people are finding you, maps or google search. And even what they searched. See below:
This is all organic because you have made your business ‘searchable’. Let me say that again! Its organic – people have found you on their own! It is completely free to have a Google My Business profile, and once it is set up it does not need much of your attention at all.
Google my Business Best Practices:
- Frequently try to ask past clients to leave you a review on Google. There will be a link that Google My Business provides that you can send out to steer past clients to leave a review.
- Images can grab people’s attention. I have made it a monthly task to add ONE image to my profile. It should be your best images.
- You can repurpose content to your profile. Yes, if there is a piece of content that is doing well on your socials, or if you have a blog – post about it on your Google My Business profile.
Hopefully this blog post has highlighted that taking advantage of this free tool can be a game changer. Because it will certainly make your business more searchable. So what are you waiting for? Put yourself on the map and be found! And if you have an account already, then make sure you are optimising it!
I would love to know your thoughts, and if you have any trouble with getting up or getting any reviews, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
If you enjoyed this content, be sure to check out more of my blogs, such as ‘ Your Portfolio – A Hair and Makeup artists’ most important tool’
Thank you for reading,
Storme x
