How to Optimise Your Google Business Profile Like a Pro

Even as it seems that LLMs are beginning to take over almost all aspects of online marketing, there remains one component that is crucial to your ability to attract new customers, and that needs to be completed in a way that sounds as though there is a real-life human being behind it. We are, of course, referring to setting up and maintaining your Google My Business account. This account is so vital that you can focus most of your efforts on ensuring it remains active while eschewing most other online marketing techniques and still find that it generates enough business. But, as with everything, there are right ways and wrong ways to go about the process; here, we are taking a look at some of the best ways to optimize this particular account in order to gain the full benefits associated with it and ensure it becomes a long-term part of your marketing and promotional efforts.

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Choose The Correct Business Category

Choosing the correct category for your account is critical. Just as is the case with traditional SEO, relevance and search visibility play a significant factor in ensuring you receive not just a large number of visitors to your account but, perhaps more importantly, that they’re relevant. When users search for a specific product or service, whether that be an Italian restaurant near their location or a printing shop, Google matches their query to businesses listed under relevant categories. 

It also plays a crucial role for users of Google Maps, which has increasingly become a significant part of how people search for businesses, as the information they enter dictates the type of results they see. According to Signal Flow Media, a UK-based marketing agency, getting this step right could result in you being recommended for more targeted, local searches, resulting in a pretty hefty uptick in leads and inquiries. The best part is that choosing the right business category isn’t some obscure process that involves sifting through numerous drop-downs and seemingly opaque steps; instead, it is an integral part of the general setup process. However, it’s recommended to think carefully about how you wish to be categorized so that you won’t need to go back to step one again if the results aren’t as you expected.

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Ensure Your Contact Details And Address Are Exact

It’s easy to dismiss the more basic steps of the setup process and instead focus on the things you believe will have the most impact, such as regular updates and posts. However, the truth is that perfection is achieved through many small things done well. When it comes to optimizing your Google Business account, one of the little things is ensuring your address and contact details are exact. 

Failing at this stage can be catastrophic, as you will be unreachable by those who have made a concerted effort to find you, and could result in them taking even more drastic measures, such as not using you and opting to use your competitor instead. Ensuring your contact details are on point also means that your location will be correctly added to Google Maps, which, as we touched on earlier, is fast becoming the default way to search for local businesses.

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Optimize Your Business Description In A Way That Sounds Natural

In the introduction, we briefly mentioned that AI and LLMs, in particular, have taken over a large number of traditional online marketing tasks, most notably in content creation. While there are undoubtedly plenty of valid reasons for using LLMs (even when developing lots of usable content on a budget), using them to write your business description might not be one of them! Even with the best prompts and editing, there is something that remains slightly “off” about the written words they generate. When it comes to the very thing that is intended to hook a potential customer into your fold, sounding unnatural can lead to far less engagement than you might expect.

Instead, your best bet is to take your time and thoroughly explore what your business offers, its mission, and how you want to present yourself to your intended audience. This is not as straightforward as most give it credit for, but the time spent at this stage can really help you convey your message more effectively and enable those who have landed on your account to fully understand what you offer, as well as determine if you are the right fit for their specific needs.

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Encourage Customer Reviews And Feedback

It has always been the case that reviews matter, but it has become more and more evident that no matter how much effort you put into other aspects of your account, without genuine reviews from those who have used your service or bought your products, it can all be for naught. Unfortunately, it can appear as a catch-22 situation at first, where you need customers to create reviews but can’t get any reviews without first acquiring real customers. Luckily, Google makes it effortless to nudge users into leaving reviews on your page. If you are a fledgling business and in need of reviews, you can use their various tools to request that previous users leave reviews and encourage new ones to do so. Whatever you do, though, never submit to the temptation of buying fake reviews. While the best of these services do use real people and go to great lengths to ensure they appear genuine, the risk of getting found out by Google and having your account delisted is far greater than any advantage you might possibly receive.

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Respond Promptly To Customer Inquiries And Reviews

Creating and optimizing your account is one part of the puzzle, and keeping it active is another. If you fail to respond to customer inquiries promptly, you risk losing them to other businesses, as they will feel as though you are indifferent to their patronage. In addition, it can be highly beneficial to respond to any reviews that have been left, both negative and positive. Addressing the negative reviews calmly and providing a clear explanation for why they may have received substandard service can go a long way in mitigating their impact. Conversely, thanking those who have left beneficial reviews will also allow you to show new visitors that you care about the success of your business and are proud to receive shining reviews that prove you are doing something right.

Optimizing your Google My Business account is vital for numerous reasons and can make the difference between receiving a few inquiries and being inundated with lots of lovely leads. By following these steps, you will ensure that your profile matches the latter rather than the former.

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