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A Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business, is a free listing that businesses can create on Google to provide information to customers about their business, including their address, phone number, hours of operation, and customer reviews. We find that it is one of the easiest tools to use in branding your business properly online, but yet one of the most neglected. Since it’s one of the first things people look at when they search for your business, it’s crucial to your brand that your GBP be set up properly and maintained consistently.
It’s possible to downplay your Google Business Profile and discount it as important in lieu of your website. While your website will definitely take center stage, your GBP provides the incentive for people to visit your website in the first place. If your Google Business Profile makes a poor first impression, you’ll never get the chance to wow them with your website. You can't afford to ignore it.
5 Reasons Why a Google Business Profile is Crucial for a Business’s Online Presence:
1. Increased visibility
When a potential customer searches for a business on Google, the Google Business Profile is often one of the first things to appear in the search results. This can increase a business's visibility and make it easier for customers to find them. A GBP allows businesses to showcase their brand with a logo, photos, and videos. A GBP can also improve a business's visibility in Google Maps, which is becoming increasingly important for local businesses.
2. Improved credibility
A Google Business Profile can include customer reviews, which can help to establish a business's credibility and trustworthiness and provide social proof of the quality of the business. Positive reviews can also help to attract new customers. Nobody likes negative reviews, but the fact is, one or two negative reviews can add an element of authenticity to your profile. People trust what is authentic… they don’t trust anything that appears too perfect. Nobody is perfect. If you get a negative review, respond quickly and remedy the situation. Often, a person will come back and add a comment sharing how well you handled it afterward. You can’t buy that kind of credibility.
3. Better customer engagement
A Google Business Profile can provide customers with important information about a business, such as its hours of operation, phone number, and website. This can make it easier for customers to engage with a business and can lead to more inquiries and sales. Your GBP is frequently used as a tool for buyers who are toward the bottom of the buying funnel. It’s the first thing many searchers click on in “near me” locational searches.
4. Valuable insights
Google provides businesses with analytics about how their Google Business Profile is performing, including how many people have viewed the profile and how customers are interacting with their business online. This includes how often their profile is viewed, how customers are finding them, and what actions customers are taking (such as clicking through to the business's website or calling the business directly). This information can be used to refine a business's marketing strategy and improve its online presence.
5. Improved Search Engine Rankings
Having a GBP can improve a business's search engine rankings as it provides Google with more information about the business, including its location, hours of operation, and contact information. This helps Google better understand the business and its relevance to search queries, thereby improving its visibility in search results.
Just having a professional-looking Google Business Profile is a small but crucial component of a business's marketing strategy. Next is to ensure that it is set up properly and that you have a strategy in place to maintain it. With a little effort, you can polish your GBP so that it makes a good impression and successfully drives conversions.
