Why does your business need a Google Business Profile? There are many, many reasons your business needs one; however, we have narrowed it down to our top 5 reasons your company needs a Google Business Profile (formerly called Google My Business) page.

1. Provides better search visibility
2. Puts you on “the map”
3. Provides potential customers an easy way to find reviews
4. Easy updates for days open, hours, etc.
5. It makes it easy to connect with customers and potential customers

And, back to reason number 1, Google search is just plain HUGE! According to SEM Rush:

• There are 5.9 million Google searches per minute
• Top-ranking Google search results see a 22.4% click-through rate
• 63% of Google searches occur on mobile in the U.S.
• Google accounts for 91.54% of the global search engine market
• 66% of web traffic referrals come from Google
• Most Google searches are three to four words long
• Featured snippets appear twice as often on desktop as on mobile
• 46% of Google searches have local intent
• 50% of the U.S. population uses voice-enabled search each day

Now, let’s take a deeper dive into our 5 reasons:

1. Provides Better Search Visibility – Your “Google Business Profile” makes it easier for potential clients to find information about your business. Your business literally stands out among the competition and can be found on all devices, whether the potential customer is searching on a desktop computer, smartphone or tablet.
2. Puts You on the Map – Having a Google Business Profile helps customers find your physical location and directions to your office or place of business. This increases the likelihood that your business will be selected. For instance, if you Google “Cartersville marketing agencies,” a map will appear with the location of Denim Marketing.
3. Google Reviews – Star ratings and reviews influence a customer’s decision to use your business’s product or service, and potential customers expect to see these reviews. You can display reviews from other sites, such as Facebook or Avid Ratings, here as well. Make sure your business has a plan to get reviews from happy customers. Hint: The easiest way to get them is to ask!
4. Easy Updates – Update as often as you want. You can change business hours to reflect a holiday, update your phone number, contact information or even directions. Google Business Profile makes this super easy for business owners. As a home builder marketing agency, we make a habit of updating our home builder clients’ Google Business Profile pages with their latest blog news. This provides great information for clients and prospects, and blogs added here get indexed faster on Google. Google loves Google products!
5. Easy to Connect – Being on Google Business Profile makes it super easy to find and connect with your company. Potential customers can click to call your business directly from your listing or have driving or walking directions delivered to their phone.

If your business has yet to maximize its presence on Google, go to Google.com/business to claim your Google Business Profile. This powerful tool provides potential customers with contact information for and directions to your business. From your Google Business Profile, you can engage with customers, attract new customers, and see statistics on how customers find and connect with your company.

After you have set up your account, you’ll want to verify your Google Business Profile. Log in, go to your listing and click verify. Google will present a few different verification methods, including a text, email or phone call for a verification code.

After verifying the account, go back and fully optimize your Google Business Profile listing. Some of this may seem basic, but make sure to complete all of it.

• Business name – Use the same name that is used on business cards, legal documents, advertising and signs.
• Business category – Pick a primary category representing your business, as it is the only one people will see. Choose as many additional categories as applicable.
• Business location – Enter the physical address of your business.
• Service area – Only use this if you provide service for customers at their locations.
• Business hours – Use the hours of operation when you are open for customers to visit. Add any days that you are closed, such as holidays.
• Phone number – If you use call tracking, add that number in the primary phone field. Add your main number as an additional phone, and make sure to add any toll-free numbers as additional numbers.
• Website – Enter the main website homepage URL.

Now that your Google Business Profile listing is all set up, don’t forget about it.  Visit it often and add news, photos and other information to keep customers and potential customers returning to see what’s new. If you need help, let the team at Denim Marketing know. As a home builder marketing agency, we are here to help with your digital marketing needs!