Google My Business – How to Set Up Your Online Business Profile
Almost everyone is familiar with the search engine giant Google. And most people use Google when they want information about a business. That’s why it’s important for a business to be visible on Google—and, above all, to appear interesting and relevant to its potential customers.
But how exactly do you and your business go about doing that? That’s what we’ll try to figure out together in this blog post. Together, we’ll take a big step forward in terms of your online presence. And we’ll do that using the widely used tool Google My Business.
1. What is Google My Business?
But what is Google My Business, and how can it help your business’s presence on Google? The answer? A whole lot!
When your customers search for your business, they’re looking for information they didn’t know before or weren’t sure about. And, of course, they need to find that information. That’s where Google My Business comes in!
Google My Business is essentially your online business card, containing all the relevant information a curious customer needs to get in touch with your specific business.
That's why it's important that the information you enter is accurate and up to date. After all, what happens if your Google My Business listing isn't set up correctly?
Let me try to illustrate this with an example:
You own a flower shop in Karlslunde where you sell beautiful bouquets. Unfortunately, you've neglected your Google My Business listing. And that's why you're missing out on sales.
One day, a man drives through Karslunde, hoping to find a store where he can buy a bouquet. However, he doesn’t know the town very well, so he searches for “flower shop” on Google.
However, Google shows that the nearest open store is in Hvidovre—even though your shop, with the perfect bouquet, is right around the corner. Google just doesn’t know that because your Google My Business profile isn’t set up correctly.
2. Provide your customers with the necessary information
So how do you set up your Google My Business correctly?
First and foremost, make sure to fill out all the basic information. The information Google My Business needs is essentially the same as what you’ve included on your website—details that a potential customer needs to either contact or visit your business.
The following information provides the foundation for a successful Google My Business listing and is based on the fictional entrepreneur Jørgen Jensen, who runs a well-regarded YoYo store.
Company name and the category that describes the specific services your business offers. Google has already predefined a wide range of different business categories. Since “YoYo store” is not a category included in this list, Jørgen chooses the one that’s closest: toy store.
Your business address, which is incredibly important. After all, it’s what your customers need to find your business. Google Maps, which many people use for directions, pulls data from Google My Business, so it’s important that the address is entered correctly—otherwise, you risk ending up in the same situation as the florist from Karslunde. Jørgen doesn’t want to end up in that kind of situation, so he has entered his business address.
The store’s hours of operation ensure that customers don’t make a wasted trip to a closed store. Of course, it’s important to list your regular opening hours—but it’s also important to update them regularly in connection with holidays or other changes. For example, Jørgen would like to spend his weekends and Easter off from work—and every now and then, he has to attend the Yoyo conference. So he lets his customers know.
Contact information should be set up so that customers know how to find your products and/or services. Contact information includes the store’s phone number and website. This way, your customers can quickly contact you with relevant questions, and they can easily visit your website to see everything your business has to offer. Jørgen wants to make things easy for customers, so he’s including his contact information.
Introduce your business and make your customers want to see what you have to offer. Just like Jørgen, you can use the business description as a conversation starter between you, the store owner, and a potential customer who is looking for the products you sell. That’s why it’s important to express yourself in a way that makes casual Google users want to see more of your business. That’s exactly what Jørgen has done with a k
3. Additional Tasks That Will Earn Your Google My Business Top Ratings
Once you’ve filled out the basic information in your Google My Business listing, you’ve laid the foundation for a successful business profile on Google. With the foundation in place, it’s time to finish building the house—and you do that with reviews and visual content, such as photos of your business.
By posting photos on your Google My Business profile, you give your potential customers a virtual tour of your business before they’ve visited it in person. This gives them a sense of whether it’s a place they’d like to visit—and, ideally, shop at.
Photos can showcase various aspects of your business. These might include well-stocked shelves, happy staff, the atmosphere during a typical workday, and/or the storefront—so customers know what to look for if they decide to stop by for “a quick look.”
Another step you can take to make your Google My Business profile complete is to get positive reviews. Customers listen to each other and rely on good reviews when they need the same product or service themselves. That’s why it’s a good idea to ask your customers if they’d like to review their visit to your business and thus “spread the word” about your business. Because, in the end, that really makes a difference.
Stores that receive frequent, positive reviews on their Google My Business profile are more likely to gain greater visibility in search results. After all, a potential customer isn’t interested in seeing a business that has no reviews or doesn’t update its Google My Business profile regularly.
Learn how to handle negative online reviews.
4. Cheat codes to complete your online business card
If you sell physical products—like Jørgen sells yo-yos—it’s very important for you to create product listings in your Google My Business profile. This allows Google—and the users who have found your business on Google—to see what products or services you offer. Below, Jørgen has listed his most popular item: the Super Yo-Yo.
In addition to products, there are other ways you can invite passersby into your store. For example, you can post updates about milestones or other important events worth highlighting. Likewise, there might be a big event coming up that you’d like to tell your customers about—such as your store’s anniversary, a warehouse sale, or anything else your customers might find interesting.
5. Do you need help with your Google My Business account?
If you need help setting up or updating your Google My Business listing, we at Amplify are here to help you.
Please feel free to contact us at 70 60 50 28 or info@amplify.dk if you need
advice regarding your Google My Business account.
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