50 Essential Tips To Optimized Your Google Business Profile

Have trouble getting your Google business profile to pop up on Google Maps?

Hold on tight because this article is about to drop 50 tips to send your ranking soaring and convert tons more visitors into customers.

Whether you are a Season Pro at optimizing your profile or just stepping into the game you’re guaranteed to find at least 10 that are helpful for your business.

If you’re ready let’s go

Choosing the right primary business category for your Google business profile is super important for appearing in search results picking the wrong category means you’ll unlikely rank for the right keyword and consequently miss out on business opportunities.

There are over 4,000 categories to choose from which can make it hard to find the perfect one especially for certain businesses the more specific you can be the better.

for example, if you are a lawyer who specializes in divorce cases it’s better to pick “divorce lawyer” than just “lawyer”.

To find the best category try this simple method go to Google Maps and search for the main service or product you offer check out the primary category used by the top five businesses that show up this is likely to be the one that is most suited for your business.

The primary category of your Google business profile is crucial so if your services vary with the seasons you should update it accordingly.

For example, if your business offers both window cleaning and snow removal, therefore, it should adjust its primary business category based on the time of year.

In Winter they should choose snow removal to show up higher in searches for snow removal when it’s most needed.

In summer they should switch to window cleaning since more people are looking for that service this way they can attract more customers by appearing in the right searches at the right time.

You can add up to nine secondary categories to your Google business profile.

These categories aren’t as powerful as your primary, but they still help your listings show up in searches related to what you offer.

You don’t need to add all nine just pick categories that fit your business. If you’re not sure which ones to add here is a quick trick.

Install a Chrome extension called gmb everywhere, then search for your main service or product on Google Maps.

This tool will show you the secondary categories your competitors use if they make sense for your business add them to your listing too.

Including keywords in your business name can significantly boost the ranking of your listing for those keywords on Google Maps.

But you can’t just throw any keyword into your business name because it’s against Google’s rules.

To get around this you can legally change your business name by filing for a “doing business as” that includes the keywords you want to rank for.

Once you’ve got your new name set up legally you can update your Google business profile and watch your listing climb up the rankings in no time.

If you want your business to show up on Google Maps for a specific City it’s important that
your business is actually located in that City.

Google ranks your business based on where it physically is, if you’re not in a city where you want to rank you probably won’t show up in search results for people looking for what you offer in that city.

You see where Google thinks your business is located search for your business on Google to open your profile panel look at the address you’ve provided and compare it to the location Google.

Shows if they don’t match and your business isn’t really in the city you thought, it will be hard for you to rank well in searches for that city.

The best solution move your business inside the borders of the city you want to rank.

How close your business is to the center of a city also affects how high you rank in local search.

Google looks at the center when ranking businesses and being near it usually helps you rank higher, making it easier for people to find you.

To see how far your business is from the city center go to Google Maps > search for your business > click on directions > enter the city name again, a red pin will show the city center the closer your business is to the spin the better your rankings will be.

While moving your business closer to this point to improve your rankings is likely to be impractical this info is helpful if you plan to open a second location so you can choose an address based on this factor.

Review tips

Google reviews are a vital part of your business success, so building a strong review strategy is essential for your Google business profile.

Google reviews are critical because they make people trust your business more, when customers see positive reviews they’re more likely to choose your business over others.

Google can also show parts of these reviews directly on your listing in search results which makes your listing stand out and encourages more clicks.

Google reviews will also help your business rank higher in search results so if you don’t have many yet you should ask your existing happy customers to leave their feedback on your Google business profile as soon as they can.

This will help you move up in Google’s rankings pretty fast.

Since Google reviews are so crucial here are a few more tips to help you improve your review strategy further.

According to experts on GatherUp.com collecting 10 Google reviews can greatly improve your business’s position in local search rankings.

When you hit 10 reviews, you should notice a boost in your rankings, especially if you maintain your Google business profile and website well.

Don’t stop at 10, more is always better, so if your Google business profile hasn’t reached that number yet, make sure you do so as soon as you can.

Now that you’ve got your 10 reviews and noticed a boost in your rankings, remember you shouldn’t stop there.

Research from local SEO experts at SterlingSky shows that how often you get new reviews matters for your rankings.

If you stop getting new reviews your rankings could go down so how often should you be getting new reviews it depends on how competitive your market is and how often your competitors are getting them.

Encourage your customers to add photos to their reviews as much as you can.

Reviews that include photos usually show up higher and last longer on the main review section of your listing.

This is the first thing potential customers see when they look at your reviews.

Any new review that comes with a photo will appear right at the top pushing down older possibly less positive reviews.

Also when customers upload photos with their reviews Google often displays a snippet of the review and a related topic overlay on the photo itself.

These photos are prominently featured in a carousel at the top of your listing when someone finds your business on the Google Maps app.

This not only provides a quick glimpse into what your business offers but also makes the photo and your listing stand out more.

The main reason to respond to your Google reviews is courtesy. Anyone who takes the time to praise your business deserves a response showing that you value their feedback.

But responding to reviews also signals to Google that your business profile is actively managed which can lead to more engagement from those reading the reviews.

Google notices this activity and often gives your listing a boost in visibility online as a result remember to reply to all reviews whether they are positive or negative and keep your responses professional even if you’re angry.

To make replying faster and keep your responses fresh use an AI tool like the GMB review response generator.

Asking your customers for a Google review should be easy, however even if they want to leave a review they might not do it because that process can be too complicated they forget or they just get too busy.

You can make it easier for them by giving them a special link when they click this link it takes them
directly to your Google business page making the whole process a lot more straightforward.

To set up this link, first log into your Google business profile management interface

Click on the ask for reviews option.

Copy the link that appears and send an email to your customers asking them to review your business.

Make sure you include the link in the email, when you click on it the review popup associated with your business profile will appear.

All they have left to do is give you a star rating and write a few words.

Another easy way to get more Google reviews is to send review requests via text messages from your mobile.

This method works great if you often visit customers at their homes and are always moving around. Here is how to do it:

Open Google Maps and make sure you’re logged into the account that’s connected to your Google business profile. From the main menu select your business profiles.

Scroll down to the recommended actions area and tap on the get more reviews tab.

Then you can send messages to your customers, Google will automatically include a note in your message that has a custom link.

When your customers click on this link they will be asked to leave a review on your profile since 90% of people open their text messages it makes this method particularly successful.

Here is another smart and easy way to get your customers to leave a Google review.

Nowadays QR codes are everywhere and used for looking at restroom menus connecting to Wi-Fi
and more.

You can make a QR code that links directly to your Google Business review page making it super simple for customers to give feedback.

Imagine putting a QR code on all your receipts, anyone who scans it will be taken straight to the review section of your Google Business listing.

Making this QR code is free and quick with QR code generator > select the URL option > paste your Google review link.

Download your QR code and put it on things like business cards, brochures, or even by your cash register.

While Google reviews are important it’s a good idea to ask some of your customers also to review your business on well known social media platforms and websites related to your industry.

Google likes these reviews from other sites and will show them in the reviews from the web section of your listing.

This will make your business profile on Google bigger giving you more visibility and helping potential customers trust you more.

Negative reviews are hard to avoid because it’s tough to please everyone.

While you can handle a negative review with a professional response, it’s more of a problem when Google shows one of these reviews in the top three on your Google business profile.

Unfortunately, you don’t get to choose which reviews Google highlights in this section.

To make this negative review disappear from your panel, double down your efforts on getting positive reviews from your customers that include photos sooner rather than later one of those will squeeze the negative review out.

Take advantage of the eye-catching product section in your Google business profile which can display up to three of your products permanently.

Visitors to your profile can scroll through this section and click on any item to get more details including prices and a link to your website.

To see if you have access to this feature, log into your profile if you find the product section there be sure to use it to its full potential.

The web page you link to from your Google business profile also known as your landing page is very important for how well your listing ranks in search results.

Usually, you should link to your homepage because it’s often the strongest part of your website but sometimes choosing a different page might be better for strategic reasons.

For example, if you have a Google business profile for a different location it makes sense to link each profile to a specific page on your website that matches that location rather than always linking to the homepage.

Also if your business is seasonal and you change your primary category accordingly then linking to a page on your site that matches the right category of the service will positively impact how your listing ranks.

The content of the page linked to your Google business profile plays a big role in how well you’re listing ranks in search results.

It’s important to use the keywords you want to be ranked for in The Meta title and headings of your page.

These keywords usually include your main service and the location you’re targeting.

A good rule of thumb is to make sure about 80% of your Page’s content focuses on these keywords.

This strategy greatly increases the chances that your listing will show up when people search for those terms.

First Let Me Explain page Authority, A web page with high Authority is considered a reliable source of information by search engines and is more likely to appear at the top of search results.

One key factor that contributes to Authority is the quality and number of other websites linking to it.

If your Google business profile links to a high Authority page it will inherit some of that page’s strength and rank higher on Google Maps.

In local SEO from other local websites are especially important, the more of these local links you have pointing to the page your Google business profile links to the higher your rankings will be.

So make sure to get as many local links as possible pointing to your landing page to boost your visibility.

Internal links are linked on one of your web pages that connects to another page on your site.

They help visitors easily navigate through your site and are also used by search engines to determine which pages are important.

The more internal links pointing to a page the more important it appears. Unlike external links, you have full control over your internal links if you manage your own website.

You can easily improve the authority of your Google business profile landing page by increasing the number of internal links that point to it.

And by choosing relevant anchor Texs this will help your Google business profile rank higher for your target keywords.

Getting your business listed in online directories like Yelp, Better Business Bureau, Yellow Pages, and Next Door is really important.

It makes your business more visible online, it’s not just about showing up on Google, these directories help people find you in more places.

Being in well-known directories helps build trust with potential customers, many of these sites let customers leave reviews which can also show up on your Google business profile and make your business look more credible.

Also you can add your website details to these directories this helps improve your website’s Authority and can boost your Google rankings.

Google often checks these directories to confirm your business’s information if your business is listed.

It shows Google that your business is legitimate which can help your rankings.

There are many directories out there but you don’t need to waste time submitting to all of them.

Just like major directories industry specific directories are highly valuable because they are relevant to your business.

The benefits are very similar listing your business in these directories can attract more customers and improve your Google Business rankings.

Whenever you add your business information to a directory it’s important to keep it the same everywhere.

Make sure your:

• Name
• Address
• Opening hours
• Other details

Match across all directories and are identical to what is on your Google business profile.

If the information is different it can confuse Google and they might update your Google business profile automatically with the wrong details.

Just like with directories your basic business information you display on your website should be consistent across all platforms, take it a step further by integrating this information on your Google business profile landing page using schema markup.

Schema markup is code added to your web pages that helps search engines understand your content better.

There is a specific type of schema markup for local businesses, you don’t need to learn how to write the code yourself, simply go to chat GPT and use the following prompt:

Chat GPT will generate the code for you paste this code into the head section of your landing page, this ensures that Google receives a clear and accurate signal about your business leaving no room for error.

If you run a service-based business, you can list your services on your Google business profile.

This is a great feature because it lets both potential and existing customers see what you offer and helps them decide if they should pick your business over others.

But more importantly, listing your services helps your business show up better in local searches for those services since Google uses these details to rank businesses.

You can add services in two ways:

Predefined: Google suggests predefined services based on your category. You can simply click on these suggestions to add them.

Custom: If Google doesn’t suggest any of the services you offer, you can add your own custom ones.

The more services you add the more customers can find your business.

A cover photo is super important because it’s usually the first thing potential customers see when they search for your business on Google.

Getting it right matters because you only get one chance to make a good first impression.

If you have a physical store use a photo of your storefront, this makes it easier for people to recognize and find your place when they decide to visit.

If you provide a service like Plumbing or electrical work pick a photo where you’re actively providing a service, this helps people recognize you when you arrive making them feel confident that they choose the right person for the job.

Also if you’re in a business where looks are important like the food industry think about hiring a professional photographer, they can take high quality photos that show your business in the best light and from the best angle.

You’ve probably heard the saying a picture is worth a thousand words, when it comes to your Google business profile it might be worth even more.

Adding photos to your listing not only lets potential customers get a feel for your business but also significantly boosts engagement.

So make sure to regularly update your profile with new photos to Showcase what your business is all about.

Many businesses use free stock photos in their listings because they think these photos look more professional.

But even though stock photos might look nice they don’t show what your business is like and customers can often tell they’re not genuine.

If you want your profile to have professional looking photos consider hiring a photographer if hiring someone is too expensive you can take the photos yourself.

Make sure to take these photos at your business and show the actual facilities and products you have.

It will improve conversion, if you’ve put any stock photos on your profile you should take them down.

Some SEO gurus may say that adding geotag photos to your Google business listings can help you rank better on Google Maps.

Geotagging means putting location details like longitude and latitude into your photos, the idea is that it helps Google know exactly where your business is and make your business show up more in local searches.

If you’re thinking about doing this then stop wasting your time and go removes any geotagging from photos for privacy reasons.

It makes no difference to Google whether you geotag your photos or not.

With AI, Google can understand the content of photos so the more relevant photos you post on your profile the more relevant your listing becomes.

To check if your photo is effective, go to Google Cloud Vision API > upload one of your photos, the tool will analyze the photo and tell you what it sees.

While some of your photos might look similar to yours, Google might interpret them differently.

For maximum results use photos that closely represent what you do or sell.

Photos are great but videos are even better, with videos you can showcase your service, give virtual tools, and help customers understand and trust your business better than photo will.

Videos give a real feel of your business helping to build a personal connection with your audience, and provide a more authentic view of your business.

But mostly they’ll draw more attention than text or photos and will make people stay longer on your profile this increased level of engagement will often result in better rankings.

Many business owners overlook this feature, it allows customers to ask questions about your business right on your Google business profile, which you should respond to as fast as you can if you don’t want to miss out on any leads.

But as business owners, you can post questions yourself and answer them so instead of waiting for customers to come to you with questions, think about the most common ones you hear you can add these questions to your profile yourself and provide the answers.

This can help make your listing more interactive, teach potential customers more about what your business offers like products or services and get more leads.

You can add special tags called business identity attributes to your Google listing, they show up not only on your business profile but also in Google search results and on Google Maps making it easier for customers to identify and connect with your business.

But these tags can also help you rank on Google search results when people are looking for businesses with specific ownership characteristics so if they apply to your business you should add them.

To add these tags to your profile > edit your profile >navigate to the more section > select the appropriate attributes for your business.

Connect your social media accounts to your profiles to make it easier for customers to find out more about your business and interact with your content beyond just your Google business profile.

This also helps show that your business is active and credible on social media.

To add social media links to your listing simply log to your profile > click on the edit option > then choose contact details > click on social profiles and add the ones you want.

Unfortunately some dishonest business owners create fake listings to unfairly climb higher in Google Maps search results, pushing genuine businesses down.

If you’ve come across these business owners report them to Google using the redressal form.

If Google finds out the business is fake, they would remove it which might help your business move up in the rankings instead of them.

It’s really important to have accurate opening hours for your business listed for two reasons:

• If the hours are wrong and customers show up when you’re closed they’ll be annoyed and may give you a negative review.
• The hours you list affect how high your business rand in Google Maps searches when your business is listed as closed it might not appear as high in the search results.

Although it’s easy to set your opening hours, sometimes Google changes them without telling you.

This happens if Google finds different hours listed somewhere else on the web and uses those instead.

To prevent this regularly check that your opening hours on your Google listing are correct, once a month should do.

Also ensure that the opening hours on your website, social media and any business directories are consistent with what’s on your Google listing to avoid automatic update by Google.

You can add holiday hours to your listing along with your regular hours this is important for two reasons.

• Customer satisfaction is accurate and up-to-date: hours help customers plan their visits and avoid frustration from outdated information.
• Online reputation: when customer sees the correct hours and the expectations are they are more likely to leave positive reviews which will indirectly help with rankings.

To add holiday hours click on the edit option of your Google business profile management interface > go to the hours Tab > select the special hours option.

Did you know you can show how long your business has been around on your Google business profile.

This is a simple way to make potential customers trust you more people often feel better about spending
their money with a business that’s been around for while.

Adding this only takes about a minute, just log into your business profile > click on the edit profile icon > find the opening date field > put in the date your business started > click save.

Google will figure out how many years you’ve been in business based on that date and show it on your listing interestingly you can put any start date as Google doesn’t check if it’s true but let’s keep that a secret.

Google Post is a feature that lets you publish updates right on your Google business profile.

You can add text photos and videos and these updates show up clearly on your local business panel.

Even though Google posts don’t boost your search rankings, they’re great for advertising your brand, product sales, events, and special offers which can lead to more customer interest.

There’s no set rule for how often you should post but updating once a week keeps your profile fresh and interesting to people who see it.

Certain elements of your Google business profile are more critical than others, editing several of these elements all at once can make Google ask for reverified listing.

To avoid this, don’t change the following information at the same time:

• Business name
• Address
• Phone number
• Categories
• The website link

If you need to update more than one of these, change them one by one and wait a few days between each change.

If you’re considering using a PO Box, UPS mail store or Virtual Office to claim a Google Business listing, you might want to rethink your strategy.

Google’s guidelines are very clear.

PO boxes or mailboxes at remote locations aren’t allowed, if you’re planning to use this tactic to get multiple business listings on Google Maps it’s a bad idea.

Google will eventually suspend these listings even if you’re currently getting away with it.

Don’t be surprised when Google catches on and suspends them no matter how long they’ve been active.

Google won’t reinstate them no matter how much effort you’ve put into them, follow the guidelines and play it safe.

Anyone can edit the information on your Google listing, all they need to do is pull up your profile > click on suggest an edit > modify the existing information.

While Google needs to validate the suggestions, some changes do get published and Google won’t even tell you about it.

This could have disastrous consequences on your listing and its rankings.

To prevent this, use tools like the white spark local platform or bright locals auto sync, these tools notify you if anyone makes a change to your listing allowing you to reject the changes and keep your information accurate.

Turning on the click to message option on your listing lets customers chat with you instantly this way you can answer the questions quickly and turn them into paying customers.

Here is how to do it: log into your Google business profile on the dashboard > click on the messages icon > click turn on chat, this will activate the chat feature and add a chat button to your profile.

Now you’re ready to chat with customers and take advantage of New Opportunities.

Turning on the click to message option is a great idea if you can respond to messages quickly but as a business owner you might not always have the time and customers can get frustrated waiting for an answer.

You can fix this by setting up automated responses so customers get the information they need right away and you won’t miss out on Leads.

Make sure you fill in as much information as possible on your profile.

A completed profile boosts your credibility and makes it easier for potential customers to find you online.

According to Google if your profile isn’t complete it may be harder for customers to find and engage with your business.

Since engagement will result in higher rankings make sure your listing is as complete as it can be.

If Google sees you as a practitioner you can have two Google Business profiles.

A practitioner according to Google is an individual like a lawyer dentist or real estate agent rather than a business.

Practitioners can have two listings one for the business and one for themselves this is a good strategy because it can give you twice as many chances to rank on Google Maps.

To make this work make sure each listing as a different primary category phone number and links to a different web page on your site this way they can rank for different keywords.

On your website whatever service you sell make sure you create dedicated Pages for each one of them on your website.

This will help you be more relevant in search service Pages give detailed info about what you offer making it easier for Google to understand your business.

Using specific keywords on these pages can improve your website’s SEO and boost your Google
business profile rankings in the process For the keywords related to those services.

Google will also use that content and include it in the map pack results which will result in increasing the clickthrough rate and customer conversion.

One very useful tactic that many business owners don’t use enough is checking the search breakdown in a performance tab of their Google business profile.

This shows the keywords your profile ranks for and how often it appears in searches including some you might not know about.

Use these keywords to improve your website content, create new pages, improve internal link building and add new Q&A, Google post or products to your listing.

Doing this will make your listing more relevant helping you rank higher in search results and attract more traffic and leads.

To check the search breakdown for your listing log into your profile click > on the performance option > scroll down till you get to the search breakdown > click on more.

Using a geogrid tracking tool understanding how well your listing ranks across your target location and for what keywords is essential if you want to check whether or not whatever optimization work you’re doing is paying up.

A GEO grid tracking tool will show you how well your listing ranks against competitors from every corner of your city giving you crucial insights about your strengths and weaknesses and making it easier to focus on the right areas.

Many tools on the market can do this for you I personally use two of them Local Falcon and Bright Local.

conclusion

That’s it folks, implementing these tips will transform how people find your business on Google Maps and boost your customer numbers.

If you have any question or have a tip of your own, you can comment down below to let me know.