Google My Business Profile Optimization - Ultimate Tutorial for 2023 (Every Secret Revealed!)

this is what I call a non-optimized Google business profile it looks uninviting not credible not trustworthy and highly unlikely to attract many customers if any at all here is another profile which belongs to one of my clients can you spot the difference this Google business profile is fully optimized and contains tons of information and features that help showcase what this business is about its reputation where it operates and much more the results it appeared across Google search and Google Maps 7817 times over the past six months which led 573 people to either call my client message him or visit his website not bad if you ask me considering a Google listing is totally free if you fill your Google business profile is not attracting as many customers as you would like it to it's probably because you're not making the most of it in this Google business profile optimization tutorial I'm going to show you how to fully optimize your listing so you can attract attract more customers and generate more Revenue in the process to make this course as easy as possible I have organized it into chapters so even if you don't watch all of it today you can easily come back to it later and start again from where you left off using the timestamps on the timeline of the video if you're watching this video I assume you already have a Google business profile set up if not you can watch my tutorial Google business profile setup first and come back here later if you're ready let's get started foreign to the Google account you use to sign up for a Google business profile in the Google search bar type the following my business this will bring up your Google listing or listings if you have more than one just click on The View profile button of the listing you want to optimize this will display your Google listing panel along with the many options available to edit it and write under them a list of Google recommendations about what you should be considering doing next the interface you are seeing may be different and will depend on your account you might see a list of icons like these which you can expand or the other alternative will be just three buttons like in this example to make this easy I'll call them interface number one and interface number two respectively it doesn't really matter which interface you are actually seeing they both do the same things I'll make sure throughout this tutorial to use both so nobody gets lost let's have a look at our first item foreign your business name is an important part of your profile because it influences where your listing ranks on Google Search and Google Maps let's say I'm a handyman based in Dallas having both keywords handyman and Dallas as part of my business name would help me tremendously to rank in Google for anyone searching for those words and as you can see it is no surprise that the top three businesses ranking for the query handyman Dallas all have both words in their business name having said that most of you watching this video have likely chosen your business name a long time ago and changing it so it includes relevant keywords wouldn't be an option but like many other business owners you might be tempted to add keywords to your business name on your listing to boost your visibility like in the example of the sky refractor who is clearly trying to rank for many keywords but I wouldn't recommend doing it it is against Google's guidelines which specify your name should reflect your business's real world name as used consistently on your shop front website stationary and as known to customers not abiding by these rules may put your listing at risk and could result in your listing being suspended however you might be able to legitimately add more relevant keywords to your business name without infringing Google's guidelines here is an example of a listing for a beauty salon called Chiswick Boutique when I check their shop front right under their business name I can see the words nails and Beauty the website also displays those keywords so this is clearly how they represent themselves in the real world therefore they should be able to add both these keywords to their name which will abide by Google's guidelines to edit your business name through interface number one click on edit profile however on the business name option and then click on the pencil icon don't forget to save your changes to edit it with interface number two click on the edit profile from the pop-up window click on business information and do the exact same thing let's move on to our next chapter [Music] adding a business address to your listing sounds like a straightforward exercise but many of you get it wrong let's run through the various possible scenarios if you're on a brick and mortar location and customers visit you at that location then you can add an address to your listing like in this example you may also want to include a suite number or indicate which floor your business is on if so it is recommended you add these details to your second address line to do this from interface number one click on edit profile and from the pop-up window click on the location link in the menu make sure your address is correctly entered and if you want to add a suite number just click on ADD address line then add a suite number for example from interface number two click on edit profile then from the pop-up window click on business information and finally click on location then follow the same steps we've just covered note Google doesn't take sweet numbers or flaws into consideration to differ differentiate businesses it's just a good idea to add them to your listing so customers can find you easily another couple of important points to highlight is for those of you who operate from what is known as a virtual office such locations are not eligible for a Google business profile you will not be able to claim a listing either if your business is based in a co-working space unless that office maintains clear signage receives customers at the location during opening hours and is stuffed during opening hours by your business stuff let's move on to businesses that don't operate from a physical location but instead travel to customers at their homes these businesses are known as service area businesses typical examples would be plumbers electricians Pest Control Specialists Etc if you fall under this category according to Google's guidelines you should not add a physical address to your listing but instead specify the areas in which you operate let me show you how from interface number one click on edit profile and then on the location menu link if you see an address there it should not be visible to customers since you are a service area type of business and you should technically toggle It Off then the next thing you'll need to do is to specify the areas You cover by clicking on the service area option from there you can add regions cities postcodes or districts that your business serves you can include up to 20 areas as long as they are within a two hour drive of where your business is based from interface number two just click on edit profile and from the pop-up window choose business information then click on location and follow the same steps we've just covered don't be tempted to add areas you don't cover in a hoop it will help you your business rank in Google service areas are not a ranking Factor they just help customers to visualize the Zone your business covers on Google Maps which are highlighted with a red boundary like in this example before concluding on service area businesses there is a very important point I'd like to flag although according to Google's guidelines service area businesses shouldn't display an address you may have noticed a lot of them do there are two main reasons behind this the first one is if you don't show an address on your listing you won't get a pin on the map which could discourage potential customers from calling you the other reason is it would seem that listings without an address would have a tendency to not rank as high on Google search results as the ones that do the problem is if you don't abide by Google's guidelines and decide to add an address to your listing despite being a service area business Google will not help you when you encounter issues with your listing unless you correct this first worse your listing could get suspended obviously the decision to display or not an address on your listing if you're a service area is entirely up to you you'll just have to measure risks versus rewards before making a decision what I recommend is to always follow Google's guidelines to avoid any nasty surprises further down the line the last scenario I quickly want to cover is for businesses known as hybrid businesses there are businesses that deal with customers face to face at a physical location but who also visit customers at their homes typical examples would be restaurants that also do deliveries if you fall into this category then you can add a physical address to your listing as well as specify areas in which you operate time to move on to our next step foreign most of you would have added a phone number to your listing when setting it up if you need to edit it or simply need to add one from interface number one click on edit profile and then click on the contact menu link add the primary phone number that connects directly to your business if you also use a toll-free number for example you can add it as a secondary phone number by clicking on this link if you use a call tracking number you must make it your primary number and add your main number as a secondary number using interface number two click on edit profile then on business information and the contact option then follow the very same steps please note don't use premium rate telephone numbers as they are not allowed [Music] according to the 2021 local search ranking factors survey your primary business category is now the most influential factor that impacts the rankings of your listing that's why it's important you choose it wisely depending on your business type picking the right category might be trickier than you think let's say you're a dentist for example should your primary category be dentist cosmetic dentist or perhaps dental clinic my recommendation here is to choose the category that matches the service or product that brings the most Revenue to your business alternatively you can spy on your competitors listings to see what categories they have chosen you can quickly do this using a free Chrome extension called GMB everywhere which you can install on your browser once installed go to Google Maps and search for a keyword you'd like your listing to rank for GMB everywhere will automatically overlay the categories for each business as part of the results the star icon next to a category indicates it is the primary category this specific business as selected all the other categories you can see are secondary categories these businesses have also added to their listings which are not visible to the public to edit your business categories from interface number one click on edit profile from the pop-up window hover over the category section then click on the pencil icon from there you will be able not only to modify your primary category but also to add secondary categories you feel are relevant to your business you use a GMB everywhere extension to see what secondary categories your competitors have added to their listings you can add up to nine secondary categories to edit categories from interface number two just click on edit profile from the pop-up window select business information and follow the same steps as previously described if your business is seasonal here is a very important tip to take into consideration switch your primary category according to season let's say you are a heating ventilation and air conditioning specialists also known as HVAC you might want to set your primary category as air conditioning contractor during the summer and heating contractor during the winter foreign you link your listing to also plays a significant part in how well your business ranks on Google Maps just like everything else we have covered so far although linking your Google profile with a website should be easy there are a few things to take into consideration before you proceed the first one is the page of your website you should link your listing too if you only manage one listing the decision is straightforward and in most cases you should link your profile to the home page of your website the important factor to keep in mind is to make sure the content of your home page is in line with a primary category you've chosen the keyword you are targeting and the service you offer like in the example of this family law attorney based in Phoenix for those of you who run businesses with multiple locations link each listing to a dedicated location page on your website like an example of this dog grooming company this means you'll have to create location pages on your website for each listing if you haven't already done it if you decide to change your primary category based on seasonal Trends as we saw in a previous chapter change the website link of your listening to a page on your website that will be in line with a seasonal category you've selected to update a website link using interface number one click on the edit profile icon from the pop-up window hover on the website option and click on the pencil icon then add or modify the link using interface number two click on the edit profile option and from the pop-up window business information you should be able to locate the website option from there and follow the same steps last thing regarding links you are not allowed to link your listing to social media Pages if you don't have a website you can build a free one directly from your Google listing here is a typical example of a nail salon located in San Diego using this free Google website it is created automatically based on your Google Business listing information and only takes minutes to customize to build one from either interface click on the website option you should see a dialog box that says you have a website created with Google click on manage this will take you to the old Google business profile manager customize your site to your taste using the built-in options once you're done click on publish it will automatically associate the link to this site with your listing [Music] it shouldn't come as a surprise to you that reviews are crucial to the success of your listing and your business overall so make sure that a recent survey conducted by bright local revealed that 98 of consumers read online reviews for local businesses reviews are displayed prominently on your profile and on their own can make the difference between someone calling your business or not so you should take them very seriously beyond their impact on your reputation reviews also play a huge part in your listing visibility in search results according to the 2021 local search ranking factors three of the most influential ranking factors are review related so if you want to stand out from your competition improve your ranking in search results be perceived as a credible business and increase conversions and leads I think that covers everything it's important you get more Google reviews the good news is all you need to do is ask your customers to post reviews on your profile as recommended by Google you can do this via text email or social media platforms Google even created a shortcut link to simplify the process to find it from interface number one click on the ask for review icon and select the appropriate option alternatively you can copy the link and use it any way you like anyone clicking on it will trigger the review pop-up for your listing you can do this too from interface number two just click on the promote button and from the pop-up window select the ask a review option once you've received a review it's important to respond to them as it will contribute to building customer trust don't just respond to positive reviews believe it or not you will also receive negative reviews respond to them too and make sure you remain professional at all times when a customer posts a review on your profile you will be notified via email or your phone if you are logged into your account it will also be mentioned in the recommendations right under the icons or buttons where you update your listing just click on it to post your responses if you're planning on requesting reviews via email you can use my review request template which is downloadable from the description below it's completely free before moving on to the next step if you like this video so far please remember to hit the like button as it helps my channel grow and allows me to continue making more videos so I can help you out further thanks a lot [Music] there is nothing more frustrating than turning up outside of a business only to find out the doors are closed despite showing it was opened on their listing keeping your business hours accurate and up-to-date is Paramount if you don't want to miss out on generating revenue or avoid customer backlash such as a negative review for example to update your hours from interface number one click on the edit profile icon from the pop-up window click on the hours menu link from there you'll have the option to add your regular business hours but also set holiday opening hours you can even add more hours for specific Services you provide such as happy hours online operating hours arrows for the elderly and more these options will vary depending on the primary category you have chosen for your business to edit hours from interface number two just click on edit profile from the pop-up window select business information and follow those same steps as previously described sadly with a covid-19 crisis it has been difficult for a lot of business owners to keep their opening hours up to date due to constant changes resulting in a lot of inaccurate information on a lot of Google listings to fix this issue Google is planning to automatically update the business hours of 20 million businesses around the globe in the next six months using AI technology there is a great likelihood your listing might be one of them while this sounds great in principle the way Google is going to Source the data is debatable and your listing may end up with the wrong information which is the last thing you want here is how you can avoid this from happening make sure you add your operating hours on your website as this is one of the first places Google will look to verify if the information they hold match is with what they can find on the web you might want to update your business hours straight after watching this video for example you could set hours for a special holiday day in advance for next year this will fly to Google you're keeping your hours up to date finally make sure you manually verify every now and then if your opening hours are still accurate [Music] adding an appointment link to your profile is another way to generate more leads to your business directly from your listing you don't have to run a restaurant be a hairdresser or a dentist to add an appointment link to your listing you can also add an appointment link to your profile if you're a service type of business such as a lawyer an accountant or even an electrician like many other business owners you can simply use your contactors page as a way of encouraging people to make a booking with you I would still encourage you however to use a more appropriate booking facility instead of a contactless page as it will look a lot more professional here is an example of a web design agency that uses an app called calendly in my opinion it looks a lot better than a contactors page Canon Lee offers a basic free plan which should be more than enough to entice more customers to make a booking with you as opposed to a contactors page to add an appointment link to your listing from interface number one click on the Arrow right here to explain the list of available options click on bookings on the links to your online booking tools click on add a link add the link you want your appointment link 2.2 in a field and Save from interface number two click on edit profile select the booking option and follow the same process thank you your business description is displayed at the very bottom of your listing panel this is your chance to tell potential customers what your company is about maybe a bit of your history what you stand for and so on your business description could be compared to an about us page you can find on most websites it's very important to know that your description has zero influence on where your listing ranks in Google search results so there is no need to stuff it with keywords you are trying to rank for don't add links don't write your copy in uppercase and refrain from using emojis as well as it doesn't look very professional the description can hold up to 750 characters however only 244 of them will be shown visitors will need to click on more to reveal the rest of it to add or update your business description from interface number one click on edit profile then from the pop-up window hover on the description option and click on the pencil icon add your description to the field and save it using interface number two click on the edit profile option and from the pop-up window click on business information you should see the description option listed there [Music] you may have noticed that some business listings on the Google Map Pack and Google Maps results show how many years they have been operating this information can be quite reassuring for some customers especially if those businesses have been established for many years the good news is you can set this up yourself to do this from interface number one click on edit profile from the pop-up window select opening date and to the date when your business started operating then click on save to do this from interface number two click on the edit profile option and from the pop-up window click on business information you should see the opening date option listed there Google will automatically add the number of years you've been in business to your listing based on the opening date you've provided I know what you're thinking since adding your opening date is a manual process you can easily add whichever date you want and make it look like you've been in business for a long time yes you can but I believe in transparency so try not to fool prospective customers because they will eventually find out note the number of years you've been in business only shows on your listing in Search and Maps but not on your panel [Music] if you've never heard of business attributes before they can be described as labels which can appear on certain Google listings in search results and help business owners convey certain features or qualities about their business for example women owned curbside pickup no contact delivery lgbtq plus friendly wheelchair accessible and more when adding certain attributes to your profile your business might appear and rank in Google when people search for specific places with those attributes the attributes available to you will be determined by the primary business category you have selected to add attributes to your profile from interface number one click on the edit profile icon from the pop-up window select more the attributes available will be split into different categories explore each category and select the ones that apply to your business from interface number two click on edit profile from the pop-up window click on business information then click on more this will take you to the exact same spot where you can add attributes [Music] the questions and answers section is a Google business profile feature that is overlooked by most business owners which in my opinion is a big mistake this is why since members of the public can post questions and answers directly on your listing inaccurate information could end up being displayed on your profile or worse you could end up with something that looks like this FAQ on the famous London Eye listing while I'm sure you can appreciate the funny side I believe this is not something you'd want to see on your own listing you can avoid this by making sure that whenever someone posts a question on your listing you are notified straight away so you can respond to it immediately to do this from interface number one click on the three dots above the list of icons from the drop down menu you select notifications and make sure the alert for questions and answers is said to on follow the exact same steps from interface number two as a business owner you can also post your very own questions as well as provide the answers to them which is something I strongly recommend you do make a list of the top three or four most popular questions your customers ask you and add them to your own listing to do this from interface number one click on the Q a icon from the pop-up window click on ask a question add your question then click on post another pop-up window will appear to confirm you've added your question click on the ask another button to add another one once you're done click on finished from the next pop-up window simply provide the answers to your own questions to do the same thing from interface number two click on the customer button from the pop-up window choose the Q a option then follow the same step as just described last but not least questions can be liked and the most liked question will appear directly on your listing the minimum requirement for a question to appear on your listing is three likes choose the one question you think will be the most valuable for Searchers to see and give it a thumbs up then ask a couple of your friends to do the same within minutes it will display on your business panel foreign needless to say your photos play a massive board in showing off your business and how it will be perceived by prospective customers but photos also contribute to the overall performance of your listing according to google businesses that add photos to their business profiles receive 42 more requests for directions on Google Maps and 35 more clicks through to their websites than businesses that don't that's why it's important not to overlook this aspect the cover photo of your business is the first image visitors will see and your chance to make a good first impression so make sure you use something that represents your brand the best and is of high quality the recommended cover photo size is 1024 pixels by 576 pixels and should be either in a JPEG or PNG format and not exceed five megabytes please note that Google retains the right to choose a different cover photo for your listing if it deems it to be more representative of your business the other equally important photo on your listing is your logo as it helps your customers recognize your business on Google the recommended Google my business logo size is a square with the following Dimensions 720 pixels by 720 pixels ideally in a PNG format so it retains its quality and it shouldn't exceed 5 megabytes to add or change your cover photo or your logo from interface number one click on the add photo icon and select the relevant option from the pop-up window choose your desired photo then save it from interface number two click on edit profile and select the relevant option from the pop-up window beyond your cover photo and your logo it's important to add photos to your listing regularly so you can drive customer engagement and leads the best photos to add are the ones that will showcase your services your products your team members the exterior and interior of your business and so on your photos should be in either a JPEG or PNG format not exceeding 10 megabyte and be a minimum of 720 pixels by 720 pixels do not use free stock photos as they are not representative of your business and likely to be automatically removed to add more photos to your listing from interface number one just click on the add photo icon and from the pop-up window choose the photo option from interface number two click on edit profile and select the photo option from the pop-up window [Music] depending on your business type you might have the option to add the products you sell or the services you offer to your listing both options can be a very powerful way to generate additional revenue and leads let's start with product the great thing about this feature is how it visually enhances your business panel when adding products to your listing you can include images and prices and even create different product categories all of which really increase the real estate of your listing because products are placed very high on your business panel they are very eye-catching visitors can scroll through the list of products you sell and explore the various categories available clicking on a single product will open a pop-up window where you can find a product name its price a description a call to action and the ability to call the business directly from there you can also access all the products available to add products to your listing from interface number one expand the menu and click on the edit product icon this will redirect you to the old Google business profile manager if this is your first time adding products to your listing click on get started select your product photo the recommended size is 1200 pixels by 900 pixels give your product a name and assign a category to it you can also add a price a description and a call to action which are all optional once you're done just click on Save and repeat for other products from interface number two click on edit profile from the pop-up window click on the product option and follow the same steps we've just covered let's move on to Services if you're a service type of business you can add the list of services you provide to your listing unfortunately this feature is not as powerful as a product one because it only gets displayed within the Google Map app results like an example of the slow firm located in Philadelphia nevertheless it is a valuable addition that can help Searchers make an informed decision when they come across your business to add services to your listing from interface number one click on the edit Services icon based on your category Google will suggest a list of services you might want to choose from click on the ones you find relevant if not you can add custom ones once you've created your list just click on a particular service to add a price and a description to it and Save to add services to your listing from interface number two click on edit profile from the pop-up window select the service option and follow the same steps some service-based businesses will also have access to the product feature if it applies to you I thoroughly recommend you use it even if you don't sell products if we go back to the example of our lawyer in Philadelphia you can see they have listed their services as products which really helps them stand out this is totally Allowed by Google so you don't have to worry about your listing being flagged or suspended foreign if you want to provide your customers with the latest information regarding your business directly from your profile I suggest use the post feature located at the very bottom of your business panel posts act very much like something you would publish on your social media profiles they are an easy way to let Searchers know the latest updates about your business when you organize a special event or if you are currently running an offer of some sort the content of your posts is also used by Google to help answer questions visitors may ask in the questions and answer features you can publish three different types of posts on your listing all of which have different attributes let's start with the first one the latest update posts this one lets you add an image and a description of up to 1500 characters along with a call to action that can link to a page on your site the other option is to create an offer post this type of post will only display on your listing for the duration of the offer you can add a magical to it a photo a link to a page where it can be redeemed and include terms and conditions the last post option you can use is an event post just like the offer post it will display on your listing for the duration of the event after which it will disappear you can add a description of 1500 characters a photo and a call to action to add a post to your listing using interface number one just click on the add update icon and select which post type you'd like to create then fill in the details from interface number two click on the promote button from the pop-up window you should see the three different post types at the bottom of the pop-up window select the one you want to add to your profile and fill in the details I recommend you add a post to your listing at least once a week no need to reinvent the wheel if you're already posting on social media just repurpose that content so it fits the Google post format [Music] the easiest way for searches to get in touch with your business is to use the call button that is linked to your primary phone number nowadays however many people prefer to text message rather than call so if you don't want to miss out on potential leads I recommend you consider activating the messaging feature on your profile when you do a chat button will appear as an option directly on your listing in a Google Map app but also on your posts when your listing is found in Google search results on mobile phone this chat button will not appear on your listing when viewed on a desktop but instead a very prominent call to action button labeled request a quote may be added to your business panel if you logged into the Google Map app on your phone with the Google account associated with your profile a notification should appear on your screen almost immediately when visitors message you or request a quote just tap it to respond to it alternatively open your Google Map app on the bottom menu you should see a red dot next to the update icon which indicates you have unread messages tap it then select messages and businesses you can also access your messages from your desktop from interface number one click on the messages icon this will open a pop-up window where you can access all your messages from interface number two click on customers then from the pop-up window on messages it's important you respond to messages as promptly as possible nobody likes to wait and if you fail to do so Google will automatically switch off the message feature when activating the message feature you will be able to add a welcome message and even add customized automated responses if you need more information on how to set this up I suggest you watch my video Google has a powerful new feature to Google Business profiles to activate this feature from interface number one click on the messages icon and click on turn on chat if you want to set up a welcome message or add an automated response click on the three dots here and choose the appropriate option from the pop-up window from interface number two click on customers and from the pop-up window on messages that's it for today guys best of luck and until next time happy marketing [Music] thank you [Music] [Music]

Channel: Ranking Academy

Views: 16,894

Keywords: google business profile optimization, google business profile, google business profile tutorial, google business profile optimization 2023, google business profile tips, google business profile tutorial 2023, google my business, video ranking academy, google my business optimization, google business profile full course, google my business seo, google my business tutorial, seo google my business, google my business seo 2023, google my business tips, google my business course, gbp

Id: vSDdAWwn8LU

Length: 37min 54sec (2274 seconds)

Published: Tue Oct 25 2022