How to Raise Your Google Business Profile to Attract More Customers

Marketing can be expensive, time-consuming, and risky. However, marketing with Google Business is none of those things. It is as close to a sure bet as you can get in marketing, so if you’re not using it, you’re most certainly leaving money on the table.

Whether you’re just starting with Google Business or you were an early adopter, this publication will help you leverage this free, easy-to-use tool that can help more customers find you online.

Creating a Google Business Profile

If you don’t already have a Google Business Profile, go to google.com/business to create one. You’ll fill out a form with the following basic information:

• business name
• business category (restaurant, interior decorating, auto repair, etc.)
• business description (what you sell, what makes you different, what problems you solve)
• hours of operation
• physical location (not required if you don’t have in-person contact with customers)
• service area (particularly important when you work at your customers’ locations and want to define how far you’ll travel for a job)
• business website
• business phone number

Google will then lead you through verifying your listing, including submitting a photograph of business signage or proof that you have a legitimate operation. It may take a few days for your profile to be approved and start showing up in Google search results, so be patient and keep checking the status of your profile.

Creating a Really Good Google Business Profile

Because business owners are busy working in the business, they can be tempted to do the bare minimum when working on the business. But it’s worth spending the time and energy to follow these six strategies for creating and maintaining a robust profile that will help more customers find you.

1. Write a compelling business description. The more thoughtful your description is, the more Google will reward you by including you higher up in search results. So don’t type in a generic, one- or two-word description like “lawn care,” “sports management,” or “restaurant.” Consider what your customers want to know about what you sell and what problem you’re helping them solve. It’s okay to include relevant keywords, but write like a human, not a robot.
2. Add photos and videos. Use real media (not stock images) and keywords in the file names. Not sure what to include? Consider photos and videos of happy customers engaging with your product or service. Interior and exterior photos are a must if you have a brick-and-mortar business.
3. Post frequent updates. Active profiles get more attention from Google, meaning more customers will learn about you. Post about special offers or events, spotlight products or services, and give general updates about your business. Think about it as another social media channel directly accessing everyone on Google.
4. Understand and leverage how Google Maps works. If someone Googles the exact name of your business, your website might show up on page one of the results. But most searches are vague (such as “florists near me” or “business coaches in My Town”). For these searches, Google displays a map at the top of the results page with relevant local businesses highlighted. If you want to be on that map, your Google Business Profile needs to be three things:
   1. Relevant. Ensure your business description and category closely match the search terms people use. You can start by reviewing Google Trends.
   2. Active. Post updates to your profile at least once a week. Regular updates can improve your business’s visibility on Google. Remember, Google archives your updates after 7 days, so adding images, product or service offers, and other updates weekly can help improve your business visibility on Google.
   3. Geographically precise. The closer your business is to the searcher’s location, the more likely you will appear on that results map. So make sure your service area, business name, address, and phone number are accurate and listed precisely the same way everywhere you show up online (including your website footer, social media accounts, etc.). Precisely list all your business information. Google looks for exact matches.
5. Ask for customer reviews. Add your custom review link and an “I’d love your feedback” message to your customer emails, invoices, and texts. However, follow Google’s rules for reviews.
6. Respond to all reviews. Go beyond a quick “thank you” and express genuine gratitude. (Bonus points for using keywords in your response!) Respond to negative reviews, too. Answer quickly, apologize, and offer an offline conversation to resolve the issue. Research shows that most consumers will give a company a second shot if the business responds to a complaint.

Other Marketing Resources to Help You

Leveraging Google to grow your business is one of the strategies you can use. Here are some others.

• The Master Your Marketing workshop will teach you how to grow your business with a digital marketing plan. In this live marketing workshop, you’ll learn the following:
  • How to talk about what you offer so that your ideal customers pay attention.
  • Why your website isn’t working—and how to fix it.
  • How to establish yourself as the go-to expert in your industry.
  • The secret to turning prospects into paying customers.

• The self-guided Website Mini-Masterclass teaches you how to make tangible changes to your website to boost your revenue.
• In the book Five Social Media Mistakes Your Business Should Avoid, you’ll learn about these mistakes that most businesses make that destroy engagement and sales. You’ll learn actionable steps to give your social media a makeover and increase social engagement and sales.
• Sign up for the newsletter Traction to get easy-to-implement, actionable marketing tips delivered to your inbox.
• In the Bricks-to-Clicks Marketing Podcast, you’ll learn practical marketing tips to bring in more customers and revenue. In 15 minutes or less, episodes cover the top five social media mistakes, five principles for building a thriving community, the blueprint for social media success, and the one thing to do to grow your business, nonprofit, or personal brand.
• Bricks-to-Clicks also offers One-on-One Coaching to improve your marketing.

Visit brickstoclicks.extension.msstate.edu to access these resources, or email james.barnes@msstate.edu.

Reference

Mancini, D. (2023, July 5). Tips for using the Google Business Profile updates feature. LawLytics.

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5 Social Media Marketing Mistakes Book

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The information given here is for educational purposes only. References to commercial products, trade names, or suppliers are made with the understanding that no endorsement is implied and that no discrimination against other products or suppliers is intended.

Publication 4082 (POD-01-25)

By James Barnes, PhD, Extension Professor, Agricultural Economics.