Using Google opens up a world of easy to use templates, documents, tools and services – for free. One in particular that works hard for your business is ‘Google Business Profile’, previously known as Google My Business. It makes sure that customers can find you when they search for local businesses online. Having an optimised profile will make you stand out from your competitors.
The easiest way to be found on Google
Imagine you are searching for something and you are using Google, like most people you will find what you are looking for on the first page via snippets without having to click through to any links. Bear this in mind when you are setting up your business profile (and your website so that it all matches).
To rank on Google by SEO and keywords takes a lot more time and effort but a quicker win is to focus on local SEO in the short term, Google My Business being a huge part of that… By adding as much information as possible to optimise your profile you can get more traffic. It is also important to keep this information fresh and it should be updated weekly/monthly.
Information to include on Google Business Profile
- Business name – use the full name that represents your company on Companies House or your accounting details.
- Contact details – if you have a landline number use that first, then add any additional mobile numbers, out of hours number and email address. Always add your full address, including postcode and any additional information such as – first floor, entrance at the rear, buzzer to gain entry.
- Hours of business – include your standard opening hours and then ensure to adapt and update them across Bank Holidays, late nights and events prior to them happening.
- Services – include a service list so that potential clients can see at a glance what is offered.
- Products – by including products viewers can see what kind of brands you use and offer within your business.
- Bookings – make it as easy as possible to book your services, a booking link can include all or your services or a top line offering.
Including photos in your Google Business Profile
The best way to show off your business space to a potential client is to include images. If you have a budget to have professional images taken (that can also be used for your website and social media) then include as many clear shots of your clinic/salon as possible. Include the outside so that it is easy to see from the road what your street facing signage looks like.
You can also include images of staff members, clients having treatments, treatment rooms, products and candid shots. All of these will portray the image of your business and what to expect. The general public can also add images so encourage your clients to do so too. This could be a part of your ongoing customer journey programme – you could ask them at every other visit to have a photo taken and then upload it.
We recommend you upload 5 new images a week to fully optimise your Google Business Profile page. Once Google likes to see profiles with over 100+.
Google Business Profile also has additional options to add posts, these include updates, offers and events. These posts are additional and include an image, date option and links. This is a ‘live’ way to interact on Google Search and will further optimise your page to get in front of people with up to date news. The links can direct viewers to a specific part of your website as a ‘call to action’ to book or purchase.
Client reviews and questions
Google Business Profile is interactive. It allows people to add reviews and ask questions about your business. You will receive an email notification every time this happens. It is important to respond to these – even if they happen to be negative!
The reviews and questions are online for everyone to see, by responding you can show you are in touch with your audience, it also gives you the chance to show off client testimonials. As part of your customer journey programme you could set up an automation (email or text) to encourage them to write a review after a service. Google Business Profile gives you a specific link to share with them to make it as easy as possible.
Google Business Profile is a FREE powerful tool for your day to day business marketing and to attract new clients. It does take time to optimise your page though so you will need to factor in weekly slots to manage it. As far as free advertising goes it is one of the best so well worth the time investment.
