Google Business Profile: Why You Need It & How Professional GBP Management Can Help
You’re a busy business owner who simply does not have the time to sit down at night after a long, hard day at work to educate yourself on how Google Business Profile works.
Let alone, manage it. It just ain’t gonna happen.
And even if you do have the time, the reality is that unless you really know what you’re doing and online optimization is a walk in the park for you… you’re most likely just going to let sleeping dogs lie, go about your business, and sweep this ‘little’ task under the rug.
And never find out what could have been done and how powerful GBP listings are for enhancing your business’s online visibility, attracting more customers, and skyrocketing your business growth.
What are your options then?
Hiring your nephew for a measly ten bucks to just have your GBP listing sit there to accomplish nothing?
Well, have you considered that hiring a professional digital marketing agency that specifically focuses on GBP management might be a worthwhile investment in your marketing strategy?
If not, here are 3 good reasons why you should:
Enhanced Visibility
Even if you have no idea what GBP stands for, Google’s algorithm has most likely already created one for you based on what already exists on the internet.
Wherever you might have registered your business address, from your local Facebook Business Page to Yelp to the arbitrary small local business directory website… if Google can see a business was ‘registered’, it will kindly list it for you.
Even if you have no idea that it exists. (Thank you Google!)
So the first port of call is to check whether there is a listing. And if you happen to be one of only a few businesses in town the chances are really good that you’ll rank for the Google Map Pack.
I have a friend who opened the only flower shop in our town and ranked №1 for the town and №2 or №3 for surrounding searches.
Her business stats went through the roof! For a little florist in a small town, she was getting around 1,000 visitors to her GBP listing alone!
And all because she took the time to optimize her listing. Not bad for a few hours or days of trying to figure things out.
Attract & Convert More Customers
This is where it can get a bit problematic. I’ll tell you why.
I have first-hand experience of trying to save said friend’s business which was getting 1,000 traffic hits in a single month.
Folks, she was getting the customers. Or at least they saw the listing and clicked on it.
One thousand plus specifically looking for flowers. A hugely pre-qualified traffic audience, if there ever was one!
Sadly, she closed her business not long after that due to a lack of sales. I know what you’re thinking. Wait, what???
Can anyone guess why this was so?
Because she could not convert her visitors into customers.
She had no proper landing page and no eCom store. I tried so hard to convince her to allow me to at least create a simple little store with lovely, more professional photos — but try as I might, she would not listen to me.
Yes, she had optimized her Google Business Profile listing with average-looking photos and even used their free website service but somehow failed to create a landing page that would convert.
It’s a long story but it brings me to this point. If you cannot or do not know how to convert your visitors into customers you might find yourself in no man’s land.
All the hits in the world mean nothing if you cannot convert them into business. Give your clients what they want.
In that case, dear friend, I strongly suggest that you consider hiring a professional for your GBP management. They will help you create landing pages that can convert interested visitors into customers.
Remember that they have made it their business to know how to help you!
A good service will at the very least also conduct a hopefully free local SEO audit, help geotag your images (NB!) — and reply to any queries or comments with carefully selected keywords included in their answer.
Other things that are also quite crucial are regular weekly SEO-friendly posts or updates — 3 being a great number with the cream of the crop agencies uploading at least one video per week.
That sounds like a good plan so far, right?
Skyrocket Business Growth With Extra Strategies
That’s the beginning, folks — it sure ain’t all of it.
Skyrocketing business growth takes a whole lot more than that. Let’s consider what else must be done to ensure we do, however, follow this great trajectory.
It sounds like a lot but at the very minimum the person or agency you interview must include the following in their service for you.
They need to claim your GBP listing, if you have not claimed it already, make sure you have your logo, photos, cover, and 360° uploaded and add a well-written keyword-optimized description of your business.
It goes without saying they will add your business details accurately — that would be your address, phone number, website, and your working hours. Plus, what areas you will be operating in, related primary and secondary categories, and set up your product or service menus.
Wow, that sounds like a lot already! But we ain’t done yet!
They also need to include business attributes such as dine-in, curbside pickup, or outdoor seating. Things like that.
Add to that Google Question and Answer seeding which is asking questions people most likely will ask and giving just the perfect keyword-optimized answer for those questions!
And then last on our must-do list but most certainly not least is precise pin placement in Google Maps. That would be quite important for driving directions and even embedding the map on your website.
And there we have it.
A full comprehensive list of what you should expect from a professional Google Business Profile management service.
It’s always a good idea to check out their testimonials and make sure other businesses have had positive results as well before hiring them.
Dear business owner, you’re one GBP management agency away from better online visibility, more customers, and business growth!
