Having a Google Business Profile is essential for improving your business’s online visibility.
It helps potential customers know that your business is legitimate and trustworthy, and allows them to find important information (such as your business address or phone number) more easily.
In this guide, we’ll give you step-by-step instructions on how to create an optimized Google Business Profile that will show your business in the best possible light and help you attract more customers.
What Is a Google Business Profile?
A Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is a free tool that allows business owners to showcase their business information on Google Search and Google Maps. It helps potential customers:
- Get directions to your physical location
- Learn your business hours
- Find out your phone number so they can ask for information
- Book appointments
Apart from showcasing your business information, you can also use your business’s Google Business Profile to post updates, connect with customers, or list products and services.
Benefits of Having a Google Business Profile
Creating a Google Business Profile can help your business appear more frequently in local search results. It also helps improve credibility, generate more appointments, and attract reviews. Here are these benefits in more detail:
- Increase visibility in local search results: Optimizing your Google Business Profile can boost the chances of having your business displayed in local search results, allowing you to drive more traffic and customers to your business.
- Build trust and credibility: A Google Business Profile with accurate information (such as your phone number, physical address, and photos of your business’s physical location) makes your business seem much more legitimate. This can help customers feel more comfortable about buying from you.
- Encourage customer engagement: People can call or message your business directly from your Google Business Profile, helping you turn prospects into customers more easily.
- Attract reviews: Customers can leave reviews on your Google Business Profile, which allows others to see that your business is reputable and trustworthy. This also helps you spot any negative customer experiences so that you can take the necessary steps to make every customer feel satisfied.
7 Simple Steps to Create a Google Business Profile
Creating a Google Business Profile will take you about 15 minutes. It’s completely free and it will definitely help you drive more customers to your business.
Convinced? Follow these steps:
Step 1: Check If Your Business Already Has a Google Business Profile
There might already be a Google Business Profile created for your business, you just need to claim it. Here’s how to check:
Go to Google Maps and type in the name of your business in the search bar.
Then, check the provided search results and see if you can find your business. If you haven’t found your business, skip this step and proceed to step two.
If you do find it, click on the listing and then on the “Claim this business” link.
Click the “Manage now” button on the next screen.
You’ll then need to complete a verification process to prove you own the business. The type of verification you’ll need to go through will depend on the type of business and your location, but will most often involve recording a video of your business.
Once you’ve recorded and uploaded the video, click on “Next.” You’ll now need to wait for Google’s team to review your video and verify your business. This can take up to five business days.
Step 2: Sign in to Google Business Profile Manager
Go to the Google Business Profile homepage and click on “Manage now.”
This will take you to the Google Business Profile creation screen.
Step 3: Enter Your Business Name Correctly
Next, enter the name of your business and choose the appropriate business category.
Click on “Next.”
Step 4: Add Your Business Address (or Service Area)
You’ll then be asked whether you want to add a physical location for your business. Select “Yes” and click on “Next.”
At this point, you’ll need to enter your full business address, including the country/region, street address, postal code, and city.
Once you fill out all the information, hit “Next.”
You’ll then be asked whether your business provides deliveries or offers home visits. If not, simply select “No” and click on “Next.”
If your business does offer deliveries or home visits, select “Yes” and then add the areas (including states, cities, and neighborhoods) your business serves.
Click on “Next.”
Step 5: Add Your Contact Information
Now, it’s time to add your business’s contact information. A phone number is mandatory, but you can also add your business’s website (optional) if you have one.
Step 6: Verify Your Business
Google will ask you to verify your business as a part of the Google Business Profile creation process. The type of verification needed will depend on your location and the type of business you run.
It will usually involve phone or video verification.
Keep in mind that the verification process can take up to five business days. You’ll receive a confirmation email once your business is verified.
Step 7: Populate Your Profile
Google lets you add your business’s services, hours, a description, and photos to your Google Business Profile.
First, choose from the existing list of services for your business category or add your own custom services.
Next, add your business hours.
You can also add a description of your business (up to 750 characters). Here, you should include information about what you do, who you serve, and where you do business. It’s also a good idea to mention your unique selling proposition—what makes you better than your competition.
And upload photos of your business’s location or services. These may appear in Google Search and Maps, as well as in other Google services.
Looking for help with choosing the best images for your Google Business Profile? Check out our detailed guide here.
Tips for Optimizing Your Google Business Profile
Once you’ve set up your Google Business Profile, there are a few things you can do to make sure your GBP is optimized for success:
Enable the Chat Feature
Google Business Profile offers a chat feature where customers can send messages to your business via text or WhatsApp. This is a quick way to answer questions customers have before they decide to do business with you.
To enable the chat feature, go to your profile’s settings by clicking on “Edit profile.”
Next, scroll down to the “Chat” section and click the pencil icon.
Choose between WhatsApp or text messaging. For WhatsApp, you’ll need to add a click-to-chat URL. To receive customers’ messages via text, simply enter a mobile phone number and click on “Save.”
Now, customers will be able to message your business from your Google Business Profile.
If you enable the chat feature, make sure you’re able to respond quickly — almost 3 in 4 consumers expect businesses to respond within 24 hours or less.
Post Updates Regularly
You can post updates to your Google Business Profile to let customers know about news, announcements, special offers, and events. For example, you could create an update to let customers know about a new service you’ve started offering — and maybe even combine it with a discount.
Users also have the option to follow your Google Business Profile and get notified about new updates.
Updates are a great way to stay top of mind with customers and encourage repeat purchases.
To create a new update, click on “Add update” from the Google Business Profile dashboard.
Then, choose between the three available types of posts:
- Update: For sharing news and announcements with your audience.
- Offer: For letting customers know about special offers and discounts.
- Event: For announcing events hosted by your business.
You can add a photo, a description, and a button to each post.
The button options available are:
- Buy
- Learn more
- Book
- Order online
- Sign up
Once you’re ready to publish, click on “Post.”
Attract and Respond to Reviews
Reviews show customers that your business is reputable and trustworthy.
Consumers tend to trust a business more if it has a substantial amount of reviews. One third of consumers say a business should have between 20 and 49 reviews to be trustworthy. And 22% expect to see between 50 and 99 reviews.
Here’s how you can attract more reviews to your Google Business Profile:
- Ask for reviews: Ask customers to leave a review for your business in person, via email or SMS, and any other methods that might make sense for your business.
- Make it easy: Increase the chances of customers leaving a review by making it as easy as possible for them to do so. Provide them with a review link that leads directly to the page where they can leave a review for your business.
- Automate review requests: Requesting reviews manually can be cumbersome, especially if your business gets a lot of new customers. You can use a tool like Chatmeter to send automated review requests to customers via email and SMS.
Apart from attracting reviews, it’s also important that you respond to every single review, including negative ones. This will show that you care about your customers and their experience with your business.
You can check the Google reviews your business has received by clicking on “Read reviews” in the Google Business Profile dashboard.
Replying to positive reviews is fairly easy. Thank the customer for their business and their review. Make sure to personalize your response by using the customer’s name and referencing their visit.
Responding to negative reviews is trickier. You need to be careful not to anger the customer any further. Start by acknowledging their frustration.
Then, apologize for the inconvenience and offer to make things right in the most suitable way depending on the situation (for example, by issuing a refund or offering a free service). Usually, you’ll want to move to a private conversation after writing a public apology.
Answer Questions
Your Google Business Profile has a “Questions & answers” section where users can both ask and answer each other’s questions.
You can also ask and answer your own questions here — which we recommend you do for the most frequently asked questions about your business. ChatGPT can help you identify common questions related to your business or services.
Be sure to also answer any questions that users post on your Google Business Profile. Set up notifications for new questions posted to your profile. To turn it on, click on the three dots icon in the Google Business Profile dashboard and click on “Notifications.”
Toggle the “Questions and answers” option to the “on” position, if it’s not toggled on already.
Now, you’ll get notified any time a new question or answer is posted to your profile, allowing you to respond to questions quickly and review any answers users might post themselves to make sure they’re accurate.
How Chatmeter Can Help You Manage Your Google Business Profile
Managing business listings can be time-consuming and cumbersome, especially if your business has multiple locations.
Chatmeter can help you manage and update all of your business’s listings (including your Google Business Profile) across 140+ directories from one place. It allows you to edit listings in bulk and update hundreds of listings in seconds.
Its AI-powered review monitoring feature notifies you about negative reviews as soon as they’re published so that you can address them quickly. There’s also the option to generate review responses in seconds using AI.
A sentiment analysis feature helps you understand the overall sentiment behind customer reviews and get a deeper understanding of how consumers view your brand.
Ready to get started? Book a demo today.