- Complete Your Profile: Add accurate business details, select the right category, and write a clear description.
- Use Photos and Reviews: Upload high-quality images and manage customer reviews to build trust.
- Track Performance: Use GMB Insights to monitor search visibility, customer actions, and engagement trends.
- Go Advanced: Analyse competitors’ profiles and implement schema markup for better search visibility.
Key takeaway: A fully optimised GMB profile increases visibility, builds credibility, and helps you connect with local customers. Follow these steps to stand out in local searches.
1: Completing Your Google My Business Profile
Creating a fully detailed and accurate Google My Business (GMB) profile is key to succeeding in local search. Here’s how to make your profile stand out and attract more customers.
1.1: Selecting the Right Business Category
Picking the correct business category helps your business show up in the searches that matter most. For example, if you own a pizzeria, choose ‘Pizza Restaurant’ as your primary category. You can also add secondary categories like ‘Italian Restaurant’ or ‘Delivery Restaurant’ to cover more relevant searches.
1.2: Providing Accurate Business Information
Make sure your profile includes your official business name (without extra words), full address, direct phone number, website link, and accurate hours of operation (including holiday hours). Keeping this information consistent across all platforms builds trust with both Google and your customers, which can boost your visibility in local searches.
1.3: Crafting a Clear Business Description
Your business description should focus on your customers. It’s an opportunity to explain your key services, highlight what makes you different, and identify who your services are for. Keep it short, clear, and centered on what customers need to know about your business.
Once you’ve nailed down these basics, you can move on to using visuals and customer reviews to make your profile even more engaging.
2: Boosting Your Profile with Photos and Reviews
Once you’ve completed your profile details, make it more appealing by adding eye-catching photos and customer reviews. These elements not only attract potential customers but also play a role in how Google ranks your business locally.
2.1: Adding Photos to Drive Engagement
Photos can make a big difference in how customers interact with your profile. Businesses with more images tend to get 35% more clicks to their websites. Include a variety of photos, such as:
- Your storefront and interior
- Popular products or services
- Team members in action
Make sure your images are high-quality and include local tags and descriptive captions to improve their visibility in search results.
2.2: Handling Customer Reviews
Customer reviews are crucial for local search rankings.
Ask for reviews at the right moments – after a successful service or a repeat purchase, for instance. Always follow Google’s guidelines when requesting feedback. Respond to reviews quickly and thoughtfully:
- Thank customers for positive feedback.
- Address negative reviews calmly and professionally.
- Highlight the good points in neutral reviews.
This approach shows potential customers that you value their input and helps build trust.
Once your profile is visually appealing and backed by strong reviews, you’ll be ready to monitor and adjust your strategy using GMB insights.
3: Using Google My Business Insights to Monitor Performance
3.1: Understanding Performance Metrics
Google My Business (GMB) Insights offers valuable data to help you see how customers find and interact with your business profile. By analysing these metrics, you can identify what’s working and pinpoint areas that need improvement.
Key Metrics to Watch:
- Search visibility: Understand how customers discover your business – whether through direct searches (by name) or discovery searches (by product or service).
- Customer actions: Track actions like calls, website visits, or requests for directions.
- Photo performance: See how your images resonate with users and their role in customer engagement.
- Review engagement: Combine this data with other metrics to get a full picture of your performance.
3.2: Applying Insights to Improve Strategy
Use the data from GMB Insights to adjust and improve your strategy. Dive into metrics like search queries, photo views, and customer actions to make informed updates. Focus on areas that align with customer behavior and improve your profile’s overall effectiveness.
Where to Focus:
- Search data: Strengthen your profile by using keywords that perform well in searches.
- Customer actions: Adjust your contact methods to match the most common actions, whether it’s calls, website clicks, or direction requests.
- Engagement trends: Use patterns in customer interactions to guide your content and marketing strategies.
Make it a habit to download Insights reports regularly to track your progress. If you manage multiple locations, you can export data for all profiles in one go.
For a deeper understanding of customer behavior, integrate GMB Insights with Google Analytics. This allows you to follow the customer journey from discovery to conversion. Armed with this knowledge, you can fine-tune your strategy and stand out from competitors. Next, we’ll dive into advanced ways to further boost your profile.
4: Advanced Techniques for Optimising Your GMB Profile
4.1: Reviewing Competitors’ GMB Listings
Taking a closer look at competitors’ GMB profiles can help you uncover ways to improve your own. Start by pinpointing the top-performing local businesses in your area and carefully reviewing their profiles.
What to Focus On:
- How complete their profiles are, including keyword usage
- Quality of photos and how they manage reviews
- Businesses that consistently show up in the local pack (top 3 map listings) for your target keywords
The idea isn’t to copy them but to learn what works well in your industry. Spot areas where your profile might be lacking and tweak your strategy to stay ahead. Once you’ve identified these gaps, you can enhance your listing further with technical tools like schema markup.
4.2: Using Schema Markup for Local SEO
Schema markup helps Google better understand your business details, which can lead to improved visibility in search results.
Useful Schema Types for Local Businesses:
| Schema Type | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| LocalBusiness | Name, address, phone, and other basics |
| Organisation | Logo, social links, and contact info |
| Product | Product prices, availability, reviews |
| Event | Dates, times, and locations for events |
How to Get Started:
- Use JSON-LD format for clean and simple implementation
- Make sure your schema data matches the details on your GMB profile
- Test your schema using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool
- Update it whenever your business information changes
Regularly reviewing your schema ensures everything stays accurate. Combining this with the earlier foundational steps can help you stand out and stay competitive.
Conclusion: Key Points for Effective GMB Optimisation
To make the most of your Google My Business profile, focus on keeping information accurate, sharing engaging content, and updating regularly. Here’s how you can approach this:
Use clear, high-quality photos of your location, products, and services. This not only helps potential customers understand your business but also encourages interaction.
Here’s a simple breakdown to guide your ongoing efforts:
| Focus Area | Key Actions and Suggested Frequency |
|---|---|
| Profile Updates | Check and refresh business details (Monthly) |
| Visual Content | Add or remove photos (Every two weeks) |
| Customer Engagement | Reply to reviews and questions (Within 24-48 hours) |
| Performance Analysis | Use GMB insights to track trends (Weekly) |
| Technical SEO | Update schema markup (Every three months) |
Leverage GMB insights to spot trends in how people discover your business, their actions, and the tone of customer reviews. Use this data to fine-tune your strategy, helping your business stand out and connect better with customers.
Beyond the basics, advanced tactics like schema markup and analysing competitors can give your profile an edge. These steps can improve how your business appears in search results, making it easier for customers to find you.
FAQs
How do I get the most out of my Google business page?
To make the most of your Google Business Profile, start by completing your profile with accurate details. Select the right categories, upload high-quality photos, respond quickly to customer reviews, and share regular updates. Use Google My Business (GMB) Insights to monitor how your profile is performing and adjust your strategy as needed. Businesses with fully completed profiles are 70% more likely to attract visits than those with incomplete ones.
How to rank higher on Google Maps search?
If you want to improve your Google Maps ranking, focus on these key areas:
- Consistent NAP Details: Ensure your business name, address, and phone number are the same across all platforms to boost local rankings.
- High-Quality Photos: Adding professional images can make a big difference – businesses with 100+ photos see a 520% increase in calls
- Review Management: Encourage reviews and maintain a strong review profile, as having 50+ reviews can improve search visibility by 15%