Google’s local business directory has been through many names over the years. Before Google Business Profile, it was: Google Local, then Google Places, then Google+ Local, then back to Google Places, then Google My Business or Google Maps.
How to Build a Google Business Profile
A powerful, simple way you can boost your web presence, harness the shop-local trend and give customers pertinent information.
By: Eddie Hill, CRM, owner, Awards Masters, Inc.
(Originally printed in the March/April 2023 issue of Insights.)
Google’s local business directory has been through many names over the years. Before Google Business Profile, it was: Google Local, then Google Places, then Google+ Local, then back to Google Places, then Google My Business or Google Maps.
Even though the name has changed, one constant has remained: It is absolutely, positively, the most powerful way to get new customers for your local retail business. As such, it’s important for you to get your business to the top of Google’s listings. I’m here to help with that.
For those of you old enough to remember, there used to be a physical book called the Yellow Pages. Most of the time, we used it to prop open doors. But sometimes we used it to look for local businesses.
It was quite simple: If you wanted to find a local engraving shop, you would open the book to section “E” and then find “Engraving Shops” where you would see all the paid ads, which could be an ¹/₈ of the page, ¹/₄ page, half page or a whole page. You could even buy a double truck ad (two pages) or the back cover if you wanted to throw away an insane amount of money. After the ads, they had all the shops listed in alphabetical order. To get near the top of the listing, an inordinate number of businesses carried names that started with multiple “a” letters, like AAA or Aardvark.
Google used the exact same format for its online directory, with one exception. When you search for engraving shops in your town, the first thing you will see are the ads, then you will see the local map listings. The difference is that the businesses are not listed in alphabetical order. They are listed by authority.
How to build authority with Google is fairly nebulous—they certainly don’t share all the ways you can acquire authority. However, Google has said that there are over 300 signals that affect what position your business ranks in the listings.
Let’s go through a few of the major signals so you can build your online authority and get your rank higher. Some steps are easier than others to climb the ranks—but it certainly beats renaming your business to start with the letter “a.”
Step 1
Visit Google, and type into the search: “Google business profile.” Then sign into your account, or click on the Google Business Profile link.
Step 2
Once you log in, you’ll have an option to select your business. If not, just search your exact business name.
Step 3
Once your listing comes up, Google gives you several fields to describe your business. To begin, click on “edit profile” at the top left.
Step 4
The edit profile option will take you to your main profile information. Start with the “About your business” tab. Make sure your business name is correct. Then pick your business categories. It’s extremely important you select the correct business categories in order of importance. You can have up to ten categories. In order, mine are: trophy shop, engraver, promotional products supplier, sign shop, embroidery shop and gift shop. Your primary category should be listed first.
Step 5
Fill out your description. This is your chance to tell potential customers how wonderful you are, that you’re a local shop and why they should buy from you. I would also put relevant keywords that someone would search to find your store. You have 750 characters available, and I’d recommend using as much of that space as possible.
Step 6
Fill out your opening date, contact phone numbers, website, wheelchair accessibility, business hours, holiday hours, payment options, services—fill out every single item. The more it’s filled out, the more authority you have. (As a bonus, it will help customers find pertinent information about your store when they’re scanning for shops online.) Close out that window when you are done.
Step 7
Click on “add photo.” Add your logo, then add a cover photo. It’s important to add at least 10 images and one video. If you have additional photos, include them. Google will ask for photos of the inside of your shop, outside your shop, staff photos, customer photos, etc. Be sure to add images for all those options.
Step 8
Click on “edit products.” Add all your core products, including offerings like plaques, trophies, medallions, name tags, etc. Just do the major categories of products—there’s no need to list each individual product.
Step 9
Click on “edit services.” Add all the services you provide, like engraving, embroidery, logo design, etc.
Step 10
Now that your Google Business Profile is optimized, you need to add an update.
An update could be a new product or a special offer. It could also just be a post like you’d see on Facebook, maybe about someone winning an award or you engraving a mug. Google wants you to keep your profile fresh, and they will reward you for it by giving you more authority. Add an update at least once a week.
Step 11
Ask for reviews. According to my research, you’ll need to get at least 10 five-star reviews to start building authority. If you already have 10, get 10 more. Positive reviews are a large part of Google’s algorithm and a great way to build authority.
Step 12
Citations are other websites that “cite” your business name, address and phone number. It could also link back to your website. There is conflicting research on how much citations help in the rankings, but I’m certain they help at least a little. So I think setting up at least a few is worth your time.
To see if you’re cited currently, Moz Local offers a free citation check: moz.com/products/local/check-listing.
Once you get your report back, start at the top and sign up for each of the sites. Make sure you fill out everything completely. Add photos and videos if they allow it, and make sure your listing is verified. It’s a pain to register for all these citations, but you can take comfort in knowing your competitors probably won’t do it, and that’s why you’ll have more authority and better rankings.
The steps listed in this article aren’t the only ways to build authority. But they are crucial—and mostly easy-to-accomplish—factors that will have the biggest impact.
Lastly, before you start to make changes to your profile, check your current ranking. Then check again a couple weeks after you have made the changes—you can thank me the next time you see me.
To dive in further on setting up your profile, check out APA’s webinar on the topic.
To learn more about how to build online authority, check out Eddie Hill’s new book “Prosper Formula” at prosperformula.com.
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