Your Google Business Profile is a gateway to local customers, building awareness while providing a steady stream of leads. But as with any online marketing, we all know that where your GBP appears in searches makes all the difference. Rank high in relevant searches, and you will do well, rank below the competition and you are left behind.
But what exactly is it that helps your Google Business Profile stay high in the rankings? Here are the 12 important factors that make all the difference, and what you need to do to optimize your GBP.
Key Google Business Profile Ranking Factors
The short answer to understanding what affects your business profile ranking is that pretty much everything, from your business details to customer reviews, even your website itself, all makes a difference. Let’s take a more detailed look at each one.
Primary Business Category
What your business does defines what primary category it should be placed in, which sounds simple enough, but can lead to problems. The primary category directly influences which keywords and search phrases your profile will appear in the searches for. Think carefully about your main business, are you a pizza store or an Italian restaurant? Which one you give priority matters and will directly affect who sees your listing.
Accuracy and Consistency of NAP
Your vital information, Name, Address and Phone number, or NAP, is critical for local customers to be able to get in touch or find your business. Ensuring that information is accurate is important for Google, who are focused on providing the best experience possible for its users. If details are incorrect on a listing Google puts in front of those users, it creates inconvenience and erodes trust in the search results.
Google will check not just your profile listing, but compare details to your website, social media, directory listings and more. If they don’t match, you will be penalized, lowering your ranking as a result. Always make sure your NAP information is accurate everywhere it appears to avoid problems from Google.
Verified Locations
You can have a business listing without verifying you own or manage it, you can even have a Google Business profile that you didn’t even create, as Google will do so automatically when it finds businesses. But unless you claim ownership of the business and go through verification, you won’t be able to edit or add content to the profile.
That means no optimization, but it also means that Google does not value an unverified listing as highly as a verified one, so will always have ranking issues. Verify your listing to get access to useful tools and prove to Google your business is legitimate.
Complete and Accurate Sets of Information
We have already mentioned having accurate name, address and phone number information on the profile and other online listings, but all your information matters. When you set up your Google Business Profile, go through the form and fill in every detail. Not just NAP information, your business hours, services, even little extras such as wheelchair access or anything else. Don’t leave any blank sections, fill out every detail and provide as much information as you can.
The more Google understands your business, the higher you will rank, so don’t miss anything, everything you write can help.
Numerous Reviews and Responses
Google reviews are a great way to show potential customers what their experience with your business will be like. Always encourage your customers to leave Google reviews, they appear directly on your Google Business Profile.
But don’t stop there. Leave responses, thank people for their reviews, and if a customer has an issue they talk about, respond with courtesy and in public, so that others see that you do your best to rectify an issue. That builds confidence, everyone knows mistakes happen, and it is how you deal with them that really matters. Good reviews, good interactions and good ratings all boost your standing in the rankings.
High Search Relevance
You need your business and GBP content to reflect what your business does. Google is always looking to make its user’s experience the best it can be, so if someone searches for a roofing company nearby, they expect to see roofing companies. If you select subcategories for your business, make sure they are related to what you do, don’t be tempted to just pick things that may have frequent searches. Users will be disappointed that you appear in searches, and you will be penalized for it.
Proximity to Searcher
Your Google Business profile is a tool for local searches, whether that is a specific location in Google search, or searching on Google Maps. For physical locations that customers visit, this is simple enough, your address is right there on the Map, but for service area businesses, pay attention to where you offer services.
You can set very specific areas for your services in the profile, be accurate here, so your profile is only shown for people you can actually serve. It saves your time and avoids frustration for Google’s users.
Photos and Media
We live in a visual world, and people love to see photos and media. It is high-engagement content, that is, people enjoy it, pay attention and will come back for more. That is everything Google loves, so it is no surprise that regular updates of photos and videos will boost your rankings.
Ensure they are quality photos and useful videos, and showing off products, guides and information about your business and its location are all great ideas to keep your audience engaged.
Google Posts
Think of Google posts as social media, they are attached to your Google Business Profile, and regular updates are rewarded. Posts about products, updates on your business, and guides on relevant subjects, all add value for the reader, and Google will reward you for that with higher rankings.
Website Optimization
You might think that your Google Profile Ranking is just about your profile, but always remember, Google is all about ensuring that the user experience is as good as it can be. Your Google listing will link to your website, landing page or whatever, and if someone is going to purchase as a result of their search, they are probably going to click through.
So, your website is part of that search experience, and that means making sure it offers relevant information. This includes local content, making sure your Title and Description Tags are local keyword rich and descriptive. Ensure the site is easy to navigate and add as much useful content as you can so visitors stick around and find value.
Real World Prominence
Most of these factors are easily defined, more useful Google Posts improve your ranking for instance. But this one is more subjective. What is meant by real-world prominence is how well-known the business is.
On the surface, this can seem like an issue, your local burger restaurant will never be able to compete with McDonalds on prominence, right? The key thing is to remember this is still about local searches, and it’s local prominence that can make the difference. You want to develop backlinks to your website from local listings, news websites and so on, as many as you can.
Reviews can have an impact too, with enough quality reviews, a local burger bar can compete with the nearby McDonalds, and your business can compete with anyone too.
Engagement with Customers
The final thing that Google sees as valuable is customer engagement. Add a Q&A section to your Google Business Profile, and answer questions as they appear, be diligent so there are regular updates. Also, enable direct messaging, so potential customers can talk to you directly from the profile.
Google tracks these types of interactions, it sees them as added value for their users and will reward you with improved ranking as a result.
Conclusion
Your Google Business Profile is an essential tool in connecting your business with local consumers actively searching for your products or services. However, as with other online marketing, the higher you appear within relevant search results, the more likely you are to be chosen by that consumer.
Optimising your Google Business Profile by understanding the factors that affect that ranking can help you stay ahead of the competition, build visibility with local consumers and ultimately, gain more sales and grow your business.
As Google Business Profile experts, Grid Rankers have the expertise and insight to help you maximize the performance of your GBP. Whether it’s creation, optimization or verification, we can help you take full advantage of the benefits of a Google Business Profile, while you focus on running your business.
FAQ
What happens when a profile is removed or faces a Google Business profile suspension?
In both cases, you will lose the ability to edit and manage the profile, while it will be invisible to Google users, never appearing in any search results nor on Google Maps. It can only be reinstated by successful appeal.
What significant risks come along with stuffing keywords in a business name?
Google views such tactics as manipulative and will likely penalize your ranking for both your Google Business Profile and website. In extreme cases, Google may remove your GBP entirely and omit your website from search results.