8 Reasons You Need a Google Business Profile

If you’re like many business owners, you probably don’t think about your Google business profile that often, but your profile could bring your business significant benefits. When potential customers search for your business online, wouldn’t it be great if they were able to find you easily on Google? A well kept Google listing can help attract new customers. Here are eight reasons why you should keep up with your Google business profile.

1) Build awareness

In an increasingly digital world, marketing your business locally has become more difficult. But with a Google My Business account, you can make yourself available to customers in your community and give them an easy way to reach you. It’s easier than ever to connect with people who are interested in what you have to offer—whether they live down the street or across town. And when people know about your business, they can find it when they’re ready to buy! Get started today by creating a free Google My Business profile, and learn how to set up your own local listing on Google My Business. You should also create a local listing on Google Maps so that customers can find your location quickly. Once you do that, add details that will draw in customers, such as photos of your business (it helps if these are professional photos), hours of operation, driving directions, and customer reviews.

2) Build trust

If you’re able to show that your business is legitimate with a well kept Google profile, you’ll build trust with new customers. If a consumer checks out your profile and sees that you have great reviews, it can make them feel better about buying from you as opposed to someone who has no presence or reviews. It’s also important because many consumers are looking at reviews before they buy anything, so if you have a good rating, then you’re more likely to convert than if you don’t. And even if they don’t buy from you right away, they may remember your brand name and come back later when they do want to purchase something.

3) Build inbound links

If you want people to see your local business online, you need to make sure it’s easy for them to find. To do that, you need to make sure that web crawlers and search engines know you exist by building links back to your website or Yelp. A simple way of doing so is by filling out a Google My Business listing. More advanced tactics include writing high-quality articles on websites that index highly in Google, building social media profiles, and joining networking groups where your expertise will be valued.

4) Grow online traffic

Growing your online traffic is easy if you have a business profile. Studies show that 60% of consumers look at reviews before they buy, so it’s important to connect with new and existing customers through Google. From your Google My Business listing, they can see reviews and then click on the link to your website or Facebook page directly, once they’re satisfied with the quality of your reviews. If you don’t have an online presence, or even if you do, set up your free business listing to attract new clients and improve customer service.

5) Boost your website ranking

A Google My Business profile is a good way to increase your visibility online and help you get more customers. This process requires setting up your business’ information and reviews on their website. If you have a lot of positive reviews and a complete profile with all of your contact information, you are more likely to appear at the top of search results on any relevant terms. If you don’t already have a Google My Business page, now is the time to create one. Be sure to take advantage of everything it has to offer by adding photos, videos, special offers, and much more! When building out your profile, make sure to include as many details as possible about your business and how people can find you. Include social media profiles that link back to your main page so they are easy for potential customers to find and follow. Don’t forget to add links from all of these profiles back to your primary site as well. Google Maps is another important tool in helping potential clients find you.

6) Improve customer experience

A Google My Business profile is easy to set up and allows you to connect with your customers through Google Search, Maps, and other popular platforms. Showing your business information from multiple sources gives customers one central place to find all of your contact information, reviews, hours of operation, directions, and more. A single, reliable source of information helps streamline customer-service communications. For example, if someone asks about your store’s address on Twitter, you can reply with a link to your Google My Business page. This way, you don’t have to answer questions individually across different channels. Additionally, it provides an opportunity for you to tell potential customers why they should choose your business over others in their area.

7) Enhance Brand awareness through reviews

When someone sees your business in their local search results, they’ll likely click on it and read more about you. That’s an opportunity to build your reputation. People often trust online reviews as much (or more) than what they hear from friends and family, especially if you have a high star rating. If customers see five-star ratings on your profile, it’s easy to assume you provide excellent service—and who doesn’t want that? They might also be inspired to leave their own review of your business after having a great experience with you. Reviews are one of many tools at your disposal to enhance brand awareness through social media marketing. For example, they can be posted on Facebook or LinkedIn, or used in a Tweet.

8) Get more leads

If you have been running your business without having any type of online presence, then it is time to rethink that strategy. Having an active profile on Google My Business allows you to drive leads right to your website. So many people are going online to search for local businesses; why not be at the top of their list? It doesn’t cost anything extra, either—what do you have to lose? With such low costs and high potential benefits, what is there to think about? This can help you gain more exposure and potentially increase revenue!

In conclusion, setting up and maintaining a current, accurate Google My Business profile (an important part of local SEO) will help increase your presence and be seen by more potential customers. Keep your profile up-to-date so that customers can reach you easily!