Learn about the top Google Business Profile tips to help you and your customers get the most from their Google search.

If you have a Google Business Profile (previously called Google My Business), you may not be aware of all of the ways you can use it to help improve your business through strategies such as ads and posts. In this post, I’ll dive in to several Google Business Profile tips so you can make the most of it. From how customers find you, to how they take the next step to get in touch, there is a lot of data to be mined from your Google Business Profile, all provided in easy-to-read charts and graphs!

If you follow these tips, not only will your profile be helpful to viewers, but it will look good in the eyes of Google. When your business is easy for Google to understand, is relevant, and is well-maintained, Google will have it rank higher too!

Benefits of Your Google Business Profile

But first, there is so much you can do with your Google Business Profile so let’s take a quick moment to review that first. It’s a one-stop shop for all the important information customers are looking for about your business, including:

• Contact info (all in one easy-to-read place!)
• Location on Google Maps
• Easily readable SERP (Search Engine Results Pages)
• Reviews from past customers
• Common Questions & Answers
• Photos and Videos
• Announcements (new hours, days closed, etc.)
• Insights/Analytics (see more below)

Your Google Business Profile is the small listing that appears in Google Maps in the browser. Google always puts the map listings at the top of the page so its important to make sure you’re optimizing your profile.

Here are my top Google Business Profile tips:

1. Fill out your profile as best as you can – and correctly!

To avoid confusion or uncertainty, it is best practice to fill out your Google Business completely and accurately. Hours, location, parking information, dress code, how to make reservations, kid friendly, etc. – these are all items that are useful to searchers. Just think, what would you like others to know about your business? Start there and keep going.

2. Include photography

People love photos! It is so helpful to see the outside of the building, products sold in store, atmosphere inside a restaurant.. the list goes on. Be sure that the photos you add are photos you have taken or have the rights to upload. High resolution, well-lit photos always do best. If you have trouble taking nice photos, hire a photographer or ask a friend who is good with a camera.

In addition to having nice photography on your profile, you should also add photos periodically to your page (atleast once a month or so) to show Google you are actively monitoring your profile. If you’re a business that sells clothing or home good or something similar, it is nice to see that the products in store reflect the time of season!

3. Check your Google Business Profile often

Not only do you want your profile to be current with photos as previously mentioned, but you will want to make it a habit to check your profile in case anyone has left any questions or reviews. Many customers see this as a reflection on a business’ customer service and the better customer service you can apply to your profile, the better your business will appear to those reviewing your Profile.

4. Use the Google Business Profile analytics to your advantage

Google Business Profile analytics is a goldmine for a lot of great information, and it’s free! The type of insights Google Business Profile provides include:

• How customers find your business through a Google search, including search terms used that led to your listing
• How your business listing performs (number of views, website visits, communications, etc.)

Let’s dive a little bit further into analytics and take a look at some key statistics that can help your business.

1. Take Note of How Customers Search For & Find Your Business on Google

Customers can find your business listing on Google in 3 different ways. The statistics for all of these will show up in your Analytics:

• Direct search: The customer already knows the name or address of your business and specifically searches for it on Google.
• Discovery search: The customer finds your business by searching a certain keyword or type of product or service (ex “restaurants near me”). Since more than 80% of searches are through this method, you’ll want your Google Business Profile to be as optimized and complete as possible so you show up higher in search results.
• Branded search: The customer searches for a similar company and comes across your listing. Again, having a complete and strongly optimized profile is key here. 

Your Google Business Profile analytics will also show you where customers viewed your business on Google:

• Search
• Maps
• Total views

Through the chart, you can also see the pattern of how many customers view your business per day (total and via each method).

2. Actions Customers Take After Finding Your Business on Google

After viewing insights into how customers first come across your business on Google, you can then dig deeper to learn about customer actions and behaviors. You can learn a lot about how people engage with your business and how you can improve and tailor these interactions to better serve your customer base.

The available customer actions are:

• Website visits: The number of customers who go from your Google listing to your website. Google Business Profile is a great way to drive traffic to your site!
• Request directions: The number of customers who put in their address to get directions to your business in Google Maps. This data will help inform where your customers are located (by zip code, city, and/or state) to help you more directly target your base.
• Calls: The number of customers who use the call button containing your phone number to get in touch with your business. This not only includes total calls, but breaks them down by day and time to pinpoint when your particular customer base is most active.

3. What Your Business is Known For

This is another helpful metric in Analytics, where you can get some useful insights into what customers are saying about your business in their reviews. Google will track common keywords such as “good for families” and create a chart that will illustrate the things customers are mentioning when they talk about your business.

4. Popular Search Keywords

The search queries section will tell you which keywords customers are using most to find your business on Google. This will help you in creating ads that target these keywords, and posts that utilize the keywords to draw in traffic.

5. Add Products

The last tip is to add products to your Google Business Profile. Even adding a few sample products can help a customer gauge your business. If you own a clothing store, perhaps add a few different popular clothing choices. Are you a trainer and have a few package options? Add your packages as your products to help give Google more information about your offerings. If products are not applicable to your business, you can leave this section blank.

Google Business Profile Tips Summary

There are so many benefits to filling out your Google Business Profile that simply just starting will do so much! If you follow these top tips, your business profile will stand out: 1. Fill it out completely, 2. Add nice photography, 3. Check your profile often, 4. Use the Google Business Profile analytics to help see customer trends, and 5. Add products to the product listing section (if applicable).

You know what the crazy part of all of this? Creating a Google Business Profile is free and includes all the extra analytics that comes with your page. Think of it as your no-cost employee working 24/7 and will tell everyone about your business. How cool is that? What are you waiting for?! Go spruce up (or create) that profile page!