In today’s digitalized world it is essential for businesses to have an online presence, this is why it is vital to have a Google Business page. Statistics show that 81% of shoppers search online before they make a purchase, even when they are looking to buy from local businesses. If you would like to get traffic directed to your website or store, you should seriously consider getting a Google Business page set up. Since you’re reading this blog article, I think you’ve found that it’s easier said than done. We will try to answer some of the questions that most businesses often struggle with.
What is a Google Business page?
Google Business if a free and simplified platform that displays business information on Google Search and Google maps. It also allows your customers or other businesses to leave reviews that can help others understand your business.
How can you create a Google Business page?
In order to create a Google Business page, you will need a physical location that you own. It won’t work if you are using a virtual office as you can’t claim it as your own, and you must have employees located at a physical address.
Let’s have a look at what steps you’ll have to take in order to create the Google Business page:
- First, you will have to create a Google account
- After creating the Google account, you will have to navigate to the google.com/business link and click on Manage now on the top right corner of the screen.
- Follow the steps and enter all the relevant details about your business – starting with your name and address. Please note that your name has to be the same as how your business is presented elsewhere – e.g. you cannot call your business “Best car repair shop Norwich” if your business is called “Garry’s Garage”.
- You will also have to select an accurate category for your business – sometimes it can be hard to find the right match, so in order to get it right, we would advise checking what your competitors are doing. All you have to do is to search for your competitor’s location and you should be able to see their chosen category underneath their business name. It is essential to choose the right category as this will affect how you’ll be shown for generic local searches.
- The next step is adding your business website and phone number – you can use a tool called campaign URL to help track how many users are clicking through to your website – be sure to be consistent with your campaign URLs for all of your locations.
- Now, all you have to do is to choose how you would like to verify your listing – you have a few options to choose from, all self-explanatory.
Congratulations! You’ve created your Google Business page – Now let’s see how you can optimize your page for local visibility
One of the most important things when it comes to a Google Business page is the amount of information you add to the listing – ensuring you complete as many of the fields as possible will help build up relevant keywords and content for your Google Business page. Adding information about your business also helps users understand what your business is about and gives them a smooth customer journey. Please note that you can include details such as the services you offer, special working hours, your service areas, when the business opened and most importantly, a 750 character description about your brand.
Next would be the data consistency across all of your platforms – be sure to use the same business name, phone numbers and addresses on your websites, social media profiles, and local directories. If you keep the data consistent, Google will automatically link your social media profiles to your business page.
You can advertise your business by adding photos to your Google Business page – these photos will show up in search results, so be sure to add high quality and visually attractive photos to your business page.
Another important aspect of your Google Business page is the reviews that customers leave. It’s a proven fact that the number, quality and diversity of reviews on your Google Business page count as a ranking factor – so be sure to kindly ask your customers to leave a review. To encourage your customers to leave reviews, you can set up a prize poll or add the Google Business Review URL to your newsletters. Once you start getting reviews, be sure to reply to them – this way, possible customers might see that you are a customer-oriented business and that you do care about your clients.
Final thoughts
In the age of the internet, where customers rely on reviews, having a Google Business page is essential. It can help improve your business’s overall visibility and performance. The more people know about your business, the more possible customers you might get, and if you are not using a Google Business page, it’s never too late to start. With our quick start guide, you can get started for absolutely free.