While focusing on your website SEO is SO important, there’s a powerful tool often left on the backburner that can drastically boost your visibility in search results: Google My Business (aka Google Business Profile.)
Yep, that’s right—not all SEO magic happens directly on your site. A big part of getting seen is making sure you are showing up where and when locals are looking. And when someone in your area searches for the services you offer, your Google My Business profile is an important part of catching their eye.
In this post, we’re diving deep into why Google My Business SEO is a game-changer for showing up in those all-important local search results and sharing insider tips on how to climb to the top of rankings with SEO for Google My Business. Ready to get noticed? Let’s jump right in!
What is Google My Business?
Important note: Even though it was officially renamed Google Business Profile in April 2022, many (including us here at Southern Creative!) still refer to it as Google My Business. No matter what you call it, this free tool is invaluable for promoting your business on Google Search and Maps, ensuring you’re visible right where your local customers are searching.
Google My Business is basically like a modern, souped-up phone book listing for your business. It has all the most important information about your business—including essential details like your name, location, and the services you offer—readily available when someone searches for your business or services in your local area. It is literally the biggest thing you need to do to place your business on the local map, and it’s entirely free to use.
Setting up Google My Business for SEO
To set up an account, technically you should have a physical location, and to offer services in person. However, you can create a Google My Business with general location services and no exact address—just click the “no physical address” option. But if you do have a physical address, you’ll need to enter that (plus some other essential information) into Google Business Profile’s listing service.
Need help setting up your Google My Business Profile? Read the basics of setting up a Google Business Profile in this post!
Much like your website, your Google Business Profile isn’t just a static listing; it’s dynamic. You can update it with a wide array of useful information—from your operating hours and services to recent blog posts, and even photos of your business.
So, for example, when someone types “photographer in [Your City],” Google doesn’t just offer them a name; it offers them a mini profile on the best businesses who can meet their needs. Which is why the more detail (and keywords) you include, the more Google My Business will help your SEO.
Does posting on Google My Business help SEO?
Absolutely. The more (accurate) information you put in your Google My Business Profile, the better your chances to rank in local listings. And to have the best chances of showing up in local search results, your Business Profile should be complete, engaging, up-to-date, and optimized for keywords.
Pro tip! Some of the most important ranking factors for local business results are relevance, distance, and prominence. In other words, Google may recommend a business farther away from someone over one that’s closer if it’s more likely to have what they’re looking for. So, be sure your profile is as thorough and accurate as possible!
How does Google My Business help SEO?
Many different ways! Let’s break it down…
Better search rankings that make it easier for customers to find you
Whenever someone searches for what you do or what you offer, you’ll have a better chance at showing up in the top local results that pop up on Google maps (which gives you more leads!)
More traffic to your website
Since more people will be finding you in local search results, more people will naturally want to visit your website to check out your business. Be ready for them with a strategic website design!
Better customer support and engagement
You’ll be able to quickly receive feedback and reply to comments and reviews of your products and services, which makes it so much easier to have amazing service.
Local ranking factors for Google My Business SEO
So, what matters when you’re doing SEO for Google My Business? Technically, over 150 different factors 🤯The good news is that you don’t need to worry about all of them. There are a handful of ranking factors that give you a lot of bang for your buck when doing SEO for Google My Business.
Update your categories
Do keyword research before choosing your categories—especially the primary category for your business, because it’s the first ranking factor Google uses. While your “primary” category might seem obvious, that’s not always the case. After doing keyword research, choose the one that best describes your business and is searched the most. Then, choose the most searched supporting secondary categories.
Pro tip! You can use Chrome extensions like GMB Everywhere or PlePer Local SEO to see on-page insights about which primary and secondary keywords help your competitors rank.
Align website on-page SEO with your Google Business Profile
Whichever primary terms you use for Google My Business should also be a part of your on-page SEO on your website. So, if you’re an “Atlanta Wedding Photographer” on Google My Business, those exact words should appear somewhere on your website.
Use your primary keywords in your business name in your Google My Business Profile
There’s just one catch—your name on Google My Business is supposed to match your real world business name. However, as long as your business name is relevant (and not spammy), Google isn’t too strict about enforcing this. So, if your business is technically named “Jane Smith Photography” and your Google My Business Profile is for “Jane Smith – Photographer” you should be fine.
Get plenty of (good) Google reviews
Google Reviews are a HUGE ranking factor for your Google Business Profile, especially since positive feedback significantly enhances your visibility and credibility. Encouraging your clients to leave reviews, particularly with photos, is crucial as Google prioritizes these types of reviews.
Ever heard the saying that people are more likely to review you if they had a negative experience? Of course, you never want a customer to have a reason to leave a bad review, but if that does happen, you’ll want plenty of good reviews to build up confidence and credibility in your business. That’s why proactively requesting positive reviews from satisfied customers is especially important! Try incorporating this practice into your client offboarding process to ensure a steady stream of glowing reviews.
Add blog posts
We suggest adding four posts to your site each month, then adding them to your Google My Business profile as your website updates. So, if you have four new blogs hit your website each month, you should have four business updates linking to those posts on your website.
Bringing It All Together
SEO for Google My Business is key, but remember, it’s only part of your SEO strategy. The other big player? Your website. An SEO-optimized website is essential to making the most of your online presence. At Southern Creative, we can get your website live and looking fabulous in just one week with our Launch Week services. Ready to elevate your online game? Let’s chat about how we can help.
