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Are you interested in establishing your business’s presence in your industry? Google Business Profile, formally known as Google My Business, can help with just that. Google Business Profile is a listing platform that is provided to business owners by Google. It is used to create or claim a listing of their business or organization. The listing enables the business to show up on Google Maps with key business information and it allows it to receive reviews. In this article, we will explore the ins and outs of setting up your Google Business Profile, leveraging the features for business growth, and enhancing your local SEO.

Why is Google Business Profile important for your business or organization? You can increase your rankings and your local SEO, as long as your profile is properly optimized. Your business can also now show up on Google Maps, you can ensure that the information is accurate for your customers, and you have a whole new customer pool.

Setting Up Your Google Business Profile Let’s dive right into the most important step - setting up or claiming your Google Business Profile. Follow these step-by-step directions to ensure you set up your profile correctly.

Go to google.com/business

Log in with your Google account

Enter your business name

Enter your business address

Choose whether you’re a storefront or a service provider

Choose your primary business category

Add your phone number and website

Verify your local listing

Finish populating your Google Business Profile listing

Claiming a Google Business Profile Is your business already on Google Maps? You must claim your business to ensure that the information being provided is accurate so you can optimize your profile. Follow the steps below to claim your business.

On your computer, go to Google Maps

In the search bar, enter your business name

Click the business name and choose the correct one

Click “Claim this business > Manage now”. To choose a different business, click “I own or manage another business”

Select a verification option, and follow the on-screen steps

Optimizing Your Google Business Profile Now that you have created or claimed your business, you must take steps to optimize your profile so you have better visibility. Here are a few ways that you can optimize your Google Business Profile:

Review your NAP information

Add your business description and category

Always respond to customer reviews

Add your products and services

Upload photos of your business

Utilize the special attributes and features

Use the posting feature

Update hours

Leveraging Google Business Profile Features for Business Growth Making use of the features that you have access to with Google Business Profile will encourage even more business growth. An important feature to be aware of is Google Maps integration. With this integration, you are offered developer APIs that grant you access to Google’s geographic data. This integration also allows you to display interactive maps and customize how they appear on your website. The data that lives within these maps can refresh in real time, meaning the data that your customers are viewing is always up to date.

Other features that are important to leverage include business photos and videos, responding to customer reviews to show that you are interactive and care about your customer’s experience, posting updates on Google Business Profile, and monitoring your insights and analytics.

Enhancing Local SEO with Google Business Profile With Google Business Profile, you have a better chance of ranking the top 3 local results on relevant terms (though this is never guaranteed). If you are in the top 3 local results, you will get more exposure and leads for your business. Now, how can you optimize your Google Business Profile listing for local SEO? There are several strategies to also help gain you more local visibility through Google Business Profile. Some of the top strategies that we suggest adhering to include using high-quality images of your business, ensuring you have accurate information on your profile, engaging with customers, analyzing your customer actions, and reviewing your engagement metrics. Others include:

Fill out every section of your profile

Use the full, official name of your business

Choose primary and secondary categories

Check off any applicable attributes

Answer questions in the Q&A section

Earn reviews from your customers and respond to each one in a timely manner

Google Business Profile presents you with an incredible opportunity to increase your presence in your industry. Following the correct steps to claim or set up your business, as well as leveraging the features available to you will set your business up for success. As always, make sure you are staying up to date with any updates and new features that become available so that you can provide top-tier service to your current and prospective customers.