Billion people use Google every day to look for a range of information, including a nearby coffee shop, home improvement advice, fashion trends, celebrity news, and much more.
With a market share of more than 75%, the search engine has easily maintained its position as the most widely used search engine in the world, and it’s just getting bigger. In reality, Google is believed to get over 5.6 billion searches every day, with a significant portion of these searches having a local focus. This indicates that a significant portion of searches is made by people seeking locations nearby.
About Google Business Profile
When someone searches for similar goods or services, a listing for the business known as a Google Business Profile will show up. The directory contains details about the company, including its name, address, phone number, operating hours, and website. Additionally, it features images of the company and evaluations from clients. The entry, which can be accessed on Google Search and Google Maps, was made and is kept up by the company owner.
You may manage and change your contact information, company hours, and other crucial information as necessary on your Google My Business page. If you want to let people know that you’ve added services, temporarily closed, or completely reopened, you may post updates (an especially useful feature during emergencies like COVID-19). The information you give will rank above third-party websites that could contain outdated information since Google Business Profiles have excellent local SEO.
Setting Up a Google My Business Profile
In order to create a Google business profile, you may do the following:
- Go to google./business and click on the ‘Start now’ button.
- You are immediately logged into Google Business Profile Manager if you are already signed into a Google account. If not, log in with your normal Google credentials or make a new Google account.
- Enter your business name and address. You can also add a phone number and website if you have one.
- Verify your business by either getting a postcard sent to your business address or by phone.
- Once your business is verified, you can add additional information, such as business hours, photos and products or services offered.
- Your business profile is now live and can be found on Google Maps and in Google Search results.
Please be aware that depending on your area and the sort of business you have, the procedure could change.
Importance of Google Business Profile in Daily Life
A Google Business Profile is an online listing that provides information about a business, such as its location, hours of operation, and customer reviews. Having a complete and accurate Business Profile on Google can be important for a number of reasons, including:
Increased Visibility
The ability to increase a company’s exposure in local search results is one of the major advantages of having a Google Business Profile. Businesses with thorough and accurate listings may have a higher chance of showing up in the “local pack” of search results, which is determined by Google using the information in the listing to assess how relevant it is to a user’s search query.
Reputation Management
It enables companies to control their internet reputation. Customers may submit evaluations on Google Business Profiles, which can be a useful tool for companies to assess their performance and pinpoint areas for improvement. In order to gain the confidence and credibility of potential consumers, businesses can also reply to online reviews.
Insights
Google offers information and insights on how customers engage with a company’s web presence, such as the number of individuals that called or came into the location through the business profile and how many individuals asked for instructions. This can assist companies in deciding on an effective internet marketing plan.
If it necessitates making several trips to a variety of different websites, the process of researching local businesses can be tedious and time-consuming. Google Business Profile is a quick side-by-side comparison tool for customers with little time on their hands. By clicking on a listing in the search results, the searcher may instantly obtain important details, such as review-star ratings for a variety of nearby companies. It is simple to move items up and down the list, which makes decision-making faster and less stressful.
Being able to share neighborhood news, submit photos, highlight your finest reviews, and publish news and exclusive deals from your profile is crucial for local businesses, especially in markets with fierce competition.
By fully using your GBP listing, including posting expert photos, gathering and responding to reviews, and promoting discounts and special deals, you will be actively encouraging nearby customers to pick your company.
Read Also: How to Handle Negative Reviews
Google Business Profiles and Zero Click Searches
Because it can make them visible in “zero-click” search results, Google Business Profile might be crucial for businesses. A search that is answered by Google with no extra links required by the user is referred to as a zero-click search. For instance, if a user searches for “coffee shops near me” or “coffee shops hours,” Google would often provide a “local pack” of search results with the names, locations, and phone numbers of nearby coffee businesses.
When a company has a comprehensive and accurate Google Business Profile, it is more likely to show up in the local pack of search results, which increases the likelihood that users searching for nearby companies will notice it. Additional details like company hours, images, and reviews may be added to a business’s Google Business Profile, which can help it show up in zero-click search results.
Being more visible in search results and attracting more foot visitors to a location are two reasons why having a Google Business Profile can be extremely effective for businesses. Additionally, it may enable companies to show up in zero-click search results and give clients the data they want to make a choice without requiring a link click.
Conclusion
By now, it should be obvious that GBP has several advantages for both businesses and searchers. The process of finding, contrasting, and choosing a suitable local business for local consumers is made considerably simpler by it in addition to being the top local SEO ranking criteria. It may also significantly impact your local business thanks to features that improve your bottom line, such as booking and reservation buttons and the opportunity to publish promotions, news, and images.