Google Business Profile Tips: Attracting More Customers to Your Local Business
Well hey there! I wanted to download my insider tips for attracting more customers to your local biz by leveraging your Google Business Profile
As an SEO guru here at EVpro Marketing, I specialize in helping local businesses totally maximize their visibility on Google to drive customer growth. And let me tell ya – when your Google Business Profile is properly dialed in, it’s a game changer!
In this step-by-step guide, we’ll chat about:
Sound good? Let’s do this!
Why Your Biz Needs a Google Business Profile
For anyone running a local brick-and-mortar storefront, service-based biz, restaurant – basically ANY local business…
Having an optimized Google Business Profile is an absolute must if you want to turn strangers into regular customers.
Here’s the deal:
Over 90% of people looking for local shops, restaurants and service providers turn to Google Search and Maps to find options near them.
And when you claim that free Business Profile? You get precious visibility in those local search results above your competitors!
But here’s where most businesses totally drop the ball:
They create that Profile, and then completely neglect optimizing it properly!
Don’t be that biz, my friend. If you wanna leverage your Profile to attract local buyers, you gotta configure it strategically.
Let’s chat about how to transform yours into a customer-converting machine, cool?
Optimization Tips for a High-Impact Profile
Like any digital real estate, your Google Business Profile needs some TLC to reach its peak potential!
Here are my top tips for fine-tuning your Profile:
Complete 100% of Fields: Don’t leave any empty shells – fill out your whole profile thoroughly. Google rewards completeness!
Write Benefit-Focused Descriptions: For your biz summary, really highlight the meaningful perks you uniquely offer buyers. Help searchers understand WHY they can’t live without you!
Add Engaging Photos and Videos: Show off your space, products, services and people through photos and video clips. This rich media builds even more trust and familiarity with future customers.
Insert Crucial Contact Info: Phone number, email, physical address with clickable map link – ensure all the ways customers can contact your biz are populated. Frictionless!
Highlight what Makes You Special: Stand out by selecting attributes, services, products and any other category tags that make your biz one-of-a-kind. Guide searches right to your uniqueness!
Reply Publicly to All Reviews: Engage with customer feedback and experiences by publicly replying to Google reviews. This shows you listen and care!
See what I mean? Configuring your Profile strategically gives you a big visibility boost on Google. And when optimized fully, you also unlock more advanced capabilities…
Advanced Features to Convert Searchers
Once your Profile is perfectly dialed-in, activating these special features will take your conversion power even higher:
Posts: Publish social media-esque Posts to your Profile that highlight sales, events, content links, etc for followers. Extra real estate to engage searchers!
Messaging: Toggle on messaging so interested searchers can ask questions or get support right within Google results. Removes friction and builds rapport!
Appointments: Allow searchers to book appointments directly through your Profile. Huge conversion potential to drive bookings!
Products: Add specific products with photos/descriptions so searchers can learn about or purchase items right from results. $$$!
Offers and Events: Spotlight limited-time discounts or events to entice nearby searchers. Urgency = conversions.
See why optimizing your Profile is mission-critical?
Now I get it – standing out is harder when you likely have competitors targeting the same local search traffic.
So how do you separate yourself creatively?
Creative Ways to Differentiate Your Biz
Here’s the reality: odds are high that you have other industry businesses targeting potential buyers in your geographic area.
Rather than blend in, it’s smart to explore creative avenues for making your Profile irresistible:
Local SEO Niche Down: Identify hyper-specific buyer niches in your location that competitors miss. Tailor your Profile’s messaging, products and services to uniquely appeal to that niche!
Refresh Content Frequently: Upload new photos, publish posts and rotate offered deals regularly to give recent searchers reasons to return. Engagement is power!
Cross-Promote: Link your GBP to your website/emails/social channels to build awareness. Feature it prominently on all branded assets.
Run Local PPC Ads: Complement your organic presence by running local Google/Facebook paid ads driving to your Profile and products. Expand reach!
Publish Helpful Local Content: Create location-specific blogs, FAQs, tools etc optimized for those in your metro area. Draw regional searchers in with helpful education not found elsewhere.
Sponsor Local Events/Teams: Support relevant regional events, sports teams, or community groups. Feature these sponsorships actively on your Profile and offline assets!
See what I mean? Thinking beyond the basics pays off huge.
Now before we wrap up, let me call out the biggest mistake I see around Google Business Profiles…
Critical Mistake to Avoid
Hands down, the most common screw-up I see around maximizing Profiles is failing to consistently monitor and report performance.
So many businesses optimize that initial setup, maybe run an early ad campaign…
And then proceed to basically set it and forget it – leaving tons of potential growth untouched!
Remember: Your GBP should be an integral part of your marketing strategy. Track engagement metrics, monitor searcher behavior, listen for customer feedback.
Actively optimizing your Profile should be a long-term priority, not just a one-time task. Commit to ongoing refinement and reaction to convert as many searchers as possible!
Okay, let’s recap the fundamentals:
Key Takeaways
- Google Business Profiles provide invaluable visibility to local searchers that your biz needs
- Strategically optimizing all components of your Profile increases discoverability
- Activating advanced features removes buyer friction and boosts conversions
- Creative efforts beyond the basics help you stand apart from competitor Profiles
- Consistently monitoring and improving your Profile is key for driving growth
Whew – we covered a ton of ground together!
Hopefully now you feel fired up and ready to level up your Google Business Profile with these tips and tricks.
Pop that optimized Profile in front of high-intent searchers, then watch those customer conversion grow!
And remember, I’m always happy to chat more about local SEO, Maps optimization, Ad campaigns – you name it! Reach out anytime for guidance.
Talk soon, and best of luck maximizing your visibility in those valuable local search results!
