When it comes to gaining more visibility on search engines, Google Business Profile and SEO go hand in hand. In today's highly competitive digital marketplace, it's essential for every small business owner with a website to set up an updated Google profile.
While there are many ways to help boost Google rankings, few are as influential as your Google Business Profile account to improve local SEO.
In this blog post, our small business SEO experts at The Mad Caddy will discuss:
What Google Business Profile and SEO are
How Google Business Profile works
How to use Google Business Profile for local SEO
We'll also talk about how to optimize your small business Google Business Profile account.
Table of Contents:
What Is Google Business Profile And SEO?
How Does GBP Work?
How To Use Google Business Profile For Local SEO
Interact With Consumers
Provide Business Highlights
Get Insights
Perform Local Search Engine Optimization
Optimizing Your GBP Account
Understanding Google Business Profile Ranking Factors
Conclusion
People Also Ask:
Does Google Business Profile Help SEO?
Yes! GBP helps Local SEO! A verified and optimized Google Business Profile stands a better chance of being in the local 3-pack. It can also help your website rank.
Why Google Business Profile is important for SEO?
Google Business Profile allows you to take control over how your business listing appears in local search results. It's a powerful tool that can help drive more traffic to your website.
Is Google Business Profile worth it?
Yes, absolutely! Google Business Profile is a free, innovative tool designed to aid the local search for companies worldwide.
As an alternative to directories and sponsored listings, this interface gives small businesses the opportunity to market themselves on the local market.
What Is Google Business Profile And SEO?
Google Business Profile (GBP) is a free and easy-to-use tool designed by Google for businesses and other organizations to manage their online presence across the search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.) GBP allows small businesses to connect while Google helps local companies rank higher in search engine results.
With a Google Business Profile, you can:
Connect with your customers
Keep them updated about company changes
Gain the attention of a new audience
Track how consumers interact with your business on Google
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In simple terms, it's the process of using different strategies to improve the quantity and quality of your websites organic traffic. The more traffic to your website, the higher your chances for ranking well on the search engines.
GBP is vital for local SEO, and vice versa. This is because Google Business Profile helps your small business appear in local search results.
How Does GBP Work?
When potential customers in your area search for the products or services your business provides, the local search listings dominate the results. Having a GBP account means your company will show up among the listings.
For Google Business Profile to work, you need to make an account and claim your company. Once you fill out your NAP details, this information will show up on Google's sidebar, Google Maps, and local search results.
NAP stands for:
Name
Address
Phone Number
It's absolutely essential that your business NAP details are filled out completely and correctly! Why? Because Local SEO experts know that Google cross-references your NAP information with various websites and other online resources to validate your small business's legitimacy.
How To Use Google Business Profile For Local SEO
GBP is not your Business Profile, but a powerful tool to help enhance your Business Profile to improve its online visibility, legitimacy, and authority. The trick is to know how to use your Google Business Profile listing to boost your local SEO efforts.
Interact With Consumers
There are many ways for consumers to engage with your Business Profile, and you should be using your GBP to interact back with them. The more your business interacts with existing and potential customers, the better it is for Local SEO.
You can use GBP to answer questions, respond to reviews, allow direct messaging, and set up alerts. You can even use Google Business Profile to publish and share content on your Business Profile.
Provide Business Highlights
With your GBP account dashboard, you can highlight important business information. The more detailed and accurate information you provide, the better Google can help boost your local rankings.
Business highlights can include hours of operation and a link to your website. They can also include pricing, products, attributes, and any other details that make your more company unique.
Get Insights
With your GBP dashboard, you can gain valuable insights into your audience and local SEO performance. By clicking the analytics tab, you can view the queries (questions) consumers use to find your online Business Profile.
These analytics can show you if your business was found on Google Search or Google Maps. They can also display insights such as business photo and video performance and breakdowns of actions taken on your GBP listing.
Perform Local Search Engine Optimization
In addition to Google having algorithms for ranking websites and ads, it also has an algorithm for ranking Business Profiles. Through your GBP dashboard, you can add relevant keywords into your Business Profile and perform other essential SEO tactics for local search optimization.
Optimizing Your GBP Account
Now that you've claimed your Google Business Profile listing, it's time to optimize it for success. Remember; everything you add to your listing must match with the information on your website. Inaccurate information will kill your listing and your chances for higher rankings.
The following actions are the best ways to optimize your GBP account:
Claim your business with its actual name
Choose the most accurate category possible to your business
Provide as much information about your business as you can
Check and verify your phone number
Verify and check your business hours (open, close, holidays, etc.)
Review your photos and videos
Develop business citations on other sites
Keep your GBP listing in check with your website
Keep your business information updated
Understanding Google Business Profile Ranking Factors
While GBP uses many factors to determine search engine rankings, it goes without saying that some are more important than others.
The most influential GBP ranking factors are:
Primary Category - When setting up your GBP account, make sure that your primary category is the most relevant one regarding your small business. Having additional categories helps rankings also, just as long as they’re relevant to your company.
Pro Tip: Be sure to keep your categories up-to-date. Google rolls out new categories all the time!
Business Title Keywords - Businesses with descriptive keywords in their name are more likely to perform better in Google Business Profile. Remember, while you may not be able to control your company name, that doesn't mean you should stuff keywords into it.
Google doesn't like keyword stuffing!
Searcher Proximity - Google gives your business a ranking boost if it's close in proximity to where searchers are located. Unfortunately, you can't control this ranking factor.
Links to Local Pages - If you own a business with multiple locations, you should link your GBP account to each location page. By doing so, Google can crawl your location pages to find local, relevant content. This sends the right relevancy signals.
Positive Google Reviews - Google is more likely to trust and recommend you if your customers do. Well-rated businesses with positive online reviews will rank higher in the Local 3 pack and on Google.
Conclusion
Google Business Profile is a vital tool, especially for small businesses. It can help you get in front of prospective customers, increase your local SEO rankings, and provide opportunities to engage with customers.
Want to sign up for GBP but don't know where to start?
The Mad Caddy can help! Our team works closely with small business owners like you looking to boost their local marketing game.
We offer innovative GBP management services designed to help you improve your online visibility. By doing so, we give you a fighting chance against your competition in today's digital business world.
Click here to book your free, online consultation!