Previously called Google My Business, your Google Business Profile (GBP) listing is your opportunity to get your local business found. Just like a website, you have to optimize it to compete with other listings.
Here are a few tips to get you ahead of other GBPs:
- Encourage Reviews. Reviews are one of the best ways to grow your GBP because it can boost your ranking. It shows Google that users are engaging with your business outside of search, directions, and calls. Do some outreach to happy customers to get them to leave reviews through communications or review-management platforms.
- Avoid Spammy Tactics and Stay Honest. We can all admit that Google is smarter than us, right? Google is definitely smart enough to know when someone is trying to cheat the system. They know when you’ve paid some service to provide fake positive reviews. They’re worse than Santa because Google probably knows when you’re sleeping and when you’re awake, too.
- Speaking of Reviews…Respond to Negative Ones. While you should of course try to avoid anything negative from the start, be sure to respond to any bad reviews that do come through. Be understanding, address it directly, and try to make a situation happy. Having responses public looks good to outsiders looking in, too!
- Leverage GBP Features (hint, hint, POST). Google has plenty of tools and resources for its own creation. The Google Marketing Kit allows you to create free stickers, posters, and social media posts for advertising your business’s promotions and events. Google Posts let you advertise new coupons, deals, and events in creative ways, right at the source of someone discovering you in a SERP. Even better, you can schedule your GBP posts with some social media scheduling platforms.
Check out the full post by Search Engine Journal to see other ways you can optimize your GBP.
