As many of you are aware, Google is the world’s leading search engine, receiving around 8.5 Billion searches a day (according to Internet Live Stats, 2022). So why not promote your business on a platform like Google that not only has a local reach but a national, global reach?
Firstly, you need to set up a Google Account, if you already have an existing one, you just need to sign in. Once it’s all been set up, you can now add a business profile. This will then need to be verified for eligibility purposes. It’s worth knowing that creating a business profile is free and it’s a great way for users to find you on Google Search and Maps.
Features included in Google Business
There are so many features that a Google Business profile offers, here are the essential ones.
Photos
One great way to show off your business is to add photos to your Google Business profile. This will allow your customer to see how your business looks like for example if your business is a restaurant it would be good to include images of the physical location as well as, images of the food the restaurant offers.
Reviews
As you’ve got a Google Business account, you can see your customers’ reviews and actively respond to them. It’s also a great way to see how your business is performing based on your customers’ experiences.
Posts
Like social media platforms Instagram and Facebook, having a Google Business profile allows you to add posts. They can help your business stand out from the crowd and will keep your customer to updated and aware of your business’ new products and services. This can be from new menu updates to adding pictures of your business. You can also see how many users are interacting with the posts through likes and comments.
Products
In this section, you can showcase the products that your business offers to your customers.
Website Link
Having a website link added to your Google Business Profile will allow your customers to see what other services your business offers.
Your Business Hours
This will demonstrate to your customers your business’ opening hours. It’s great to have on your business profile as it’ll allow your customer to know your business areas in case they need to visit your site
Google Business Performance
One of the great features of having a Google Business Profile is that you can see how your business is performing i.e how many users are searching for your business on Google through keywords. You can use this indicator to improve how your business can rank on Google through organic search engine optimisation. Other metrics include the number of unique visitors to your website, the number of users requesting directions to your business locations using Google Maps, the number of users using the call button to contact the business, and the number of times users are using the booking button to make a reservation.
Will a Google Business Profile work for Online Businesses?
Google Business Profile will not unfortunately work for an online e-commerce store, as it usually works for businesses that have a physical location that customers can visit, for example, the businesses’ address details.
However if your business doesn’t have a physical address, you can still have a Google Business Profile, so long as your business interacts with your customers at a face-to-face level. You can also have a Google Business Profile if your business operates on a hybrid model where your business can visit and deliver to your customers.
So if you have a business that needs to be known, why not create a Google Business account? For more information, visit this site for further information and to help you get started.
Image credit: Photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash
