What is Google Business Profile? (Google My Business)
Google offers many tools for businesses that enable organizations to grow, advertise services, and manage their online presence. These tools include Google Ads for advertising, Analytics for traffic evaluation, Search Console for website monitoring, Merchant Center for placing products in search, and Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) for placing your business profile in Google search and on Google Maps.
What is Google Business Profile? (Google My Business)
Google Business Profile (better known by its old name Google My Business) is a free and easy-to-use tool that allows you to control how your business appears in Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Shopping, reaching a new audience of potential customers. Google Business Profile is your business card on the Internet. By updating and confirming your business information, you help people find you and stay in touch with them.
The main purpose of Google Business Profile is to provide users with a short but detailed directory of local businesses. Based on the entered query and the user’s location, a business card is displayed in the upper right corner of the search. It contains the company’s address, its type of activity, hours of operation, contact information, photos, user reviews, a graph with peak hours, and a section with frequently asked questions and related search queries.
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Benefits provided by Google Business Profile
Maintaining a business profile can increase your visibility in Google, raise the level of trust in your organization through reviews, and allow you to control your business information. With GBP, you can connect with customers, post business updates, and list products or services.
You can create a GBP account even if you don’t have a physical store. For example, a plumber who visits customers at home can still have a Google business profile.
Main advantages of Google Business Profile:
Increased brand awareness and transitions to the site from Google search
When a user enters your brand name or a query related to your services, Google shows an expanded description of your organization with a logo, photos, hours of operation, main services, etc. Companies that have confirmed information in Google My Business are much more effective in promoting in Google search. Companies that add photos to their profiles receive 42% more route requests on Google Maps and 35% more clicks to the site.
Placing a business on Google Maps
People around the world use Google Maps to search for services. Displaying your business on Google Maps is a prerequisite for offline businesses, as this service can become the main source of new customers on the Internet.
Interaction with consumers
There are many ways consumers can interact with your business profile, and you are able to use your GBP account to interact with them. In Google Business Profile, you can respond to reviews, answer questions, use direct messages, and receive relevant notifications. You can even use Google My Business to post to your business profile, like on Facebook or Instagram.
Informing customers about the most popular issues
Through the Google Business Profile account dashboard, you have the opportunity to specify hours of operation, links to your website, products and prices, attributes, and other details that make your business unique.
Advantage in local SEO
The information provided in Google My Business about the field of activity, address, and main services is taken into account by the search engine and can affect ranking. With the Google Business Profile toolkit, you can include keywords in your business profile and perform other optimizations to help it rank higher in results in a specific area.
Audience and site transition analytics
You can use the Google Business Profile dashboard to get key insights about your audience and local search performance. For example, the platform’s analytics tab allows you to view the queries customers use to find your business profile, find out where they found you (on Google Maps or Google Search), get a breakdown of actions taken on your listing, and even see how well your photos are performing compared to other profiles in your category.
In addition, you can track the number of calls to the phone number listed in Search and Maps, as well as clicks from the business profile using UTM parameters and Google Analytics. This makes it easy to create effective campaigns and evaluate their performance.
Who needs Google Business Profile?
Google Business Profile is a versatile tool that almost every organization needs:
- Physical businesses. Stores, restaurants, cafes, hotels, beauty salons, service stations, and other local businesses can use Google My Business to provide information about their location, hours of operation, contact details, and to receive feedback.
- Representatives of online businesses can also use Google My Business to attract a target audience, even if their business is exclusively on the Internet. They can specify a virtual address, hours of operation, and provide information about their products or services.
- Professionals and freelancers in various fields, such as lawyers, doctors, stylists, designers, photographers, and others, can use Google My Business to provide their services, specify working hours, and receive feedback. This helps to increase their visibility in search results and the level of trust.
- Non-profit institutions, such as charities, museums, libraries, and others, can also use Google My Business to disseminate information about their activities, events, and attract volunteers.
Is Google Business Profile free?
Yes, creating and managing a Google Business Profile is completely free. Google Business Profile is a significant advantage without costs.
The Wise IT team provides services for setting up Google Business Profile. Leave problem-solving to official Google Cloud service partners! Get a free consultation right now:
What is Google Maps API (Google Maps Platform)
How to create a Google Business Profile
If you want to create a Google business profile from scratch, follow these steps:
Step 1. Go to Google Maps and add your company
If you already have a business account, sign in and skip this section.
Go to the Google Business Profile page and click “Get started”.
Step 2: Fill in your company name and category
First, enter your company name. As you type, Google will display a list of existing companies in its database.
- If your company appears in the list, go to the next step to learn how to claim your company.
- If not, continue entering the full company name.
Do not add keywords to your company name, as Google may suspend your account. You will add relevant keywords to your company description later.
After that, choose one of the three global categories “Online retail”, “Local store” or “service business”
The first category is ideal for online stores. The second is suitable for physical establishments, from clothing stores and supermarkets to beauty salons, cinemas, and gyms. The third category is suitable for any business that provides services without being tied to a specific address.
Please note that you can choose several, or even all options. Do this if your organization falls into several categories.
Next, start typing your company category and select the most accurate option from the list. Your company category tells Google what your business is, which makes it more searchable. You will have the opportunity to change your company category or add more categories later if needed.
Step 4. Add your location
Add your location if your company has a physical address — some company categories, such as “Restaurant”, require a location.
Users will be able to see your address on Google Maps, so make sure it is accurate.
Google will check your address to make sure there are no duplicate businesses. If one of the lines shows your business, select that line and proceed to confirm ownership of the company.
Step 5. Select the service area
This step depends on whether the company address has been added. If you have added a company address, this step is optional. Google will ask if you deliver or visit home and office. Select “Yes” to inform users about the areas you serve. Select “No” to go to the next step. If you have not added a company address, you must complete this step. Select an area from Google’s suggestions or start typing the name of the area you serve.
Step 6: Add your contact information
Enter your phone number and website URL, if you have one.
Make sure your contact information is accurate, as search users will use it to find you and contact you.
Step 7. Subscribe to updates and recommendations
Google will ask if you want to receive updates and recommendations for your Google business profile. We recommend choosing “Yes” to get best practices directly from Google.
Step 8: Verify your business
Your business profile will not be searchable without ownership verification, so be sure to complete this step immediately or later.
There are five ways to verify business ownership, the availability of which depends on the type of organization:
- Real-time video call: provide proof of your location, business equipment, and that you are an authorized manager during a live call with a support representative.
- Video recording: record a video that confirms your location, business equipment, and that you are an authorized manager.
- Postcard: you will receive a postcard at your registered address with a verification code.
- By phone: you will receive an automatic call or SMS from Google with a verification code.
- By email: you will receive an email with a verification code.
How to claim a business on Google Maps
In some cases, your business may already be displayed on Google Maps. In order to link the page to your profile, you need to confirm that you own this business. If you see your organization on the map, but cannot manage this page, find the item “claim this business” in the place description. You will be redirected to a form with which you can go through the steps of ownership verification.
In which cases should you contact Google Business Profile setup specialists?
In the process of placing your business on the map, you may encounter the following problems
- Failed ownership verification
- Difficulty creating a business profile with a large number of branches
- Difficulties in solving problems with duplication of the company profile
- Need for constant support and profile update
The Wise IT team provides services for the implementation of Google My Business. Leave problem-solving to official Google Cloud service partners! Get a free consultation right now:
Get a consultationGet started with Google Business Profile today
Having a clear idea of what Google Business Profile (Google My Business) is, how it works, and how to use it, you can see that this free tool is not just a good solution for local marketing, but a necessity. Order Google Business Profile setup today so your business can outperform competitors and attract more customers in the world’s most popular search engine.
