Google My Business Optimisation
Google does not know where your business is located unless you tell it. Google Business Profile or GBP is nearly as old as Google.
To get your business on a Google map, you open up your own Google account and add your business profile. To avoid fraud will then ask you to verify the business through phone call or a low-tech postcard. This is the only way Google can accurately discover where your business is based. You can create multiple Google My Business listings for your business at multiple locations.
Google My Business Now Google Business Profile
- We will help you ensure that your Google business profile is updated and accurate, with the correct custom categories, opening hours, descriptions, products, etc. and gives the very best impression of the company.
- We will help answer questions that people ask (Google Questions and Answers)
- We will reply to reviews positively if required and help your business generate more.
- We will comment on images, remove inappropriate images, and replace them when needed.
- We will ensure you are displayed on Google Maps
- We will set up Google Messaging if appropriate.
- We will write and publish Google Posts.
Be aware that Google is wary of Duplicate listings and yes people do report them! Every business has a Google customer ID number or CID.
Google’s own algorithms are very good at spotting cheaters, they are not the most advanced software company in the world for nothing
Also referred to as Google Local it has in the past been open to abuse where people were creating profiles at their home.
However, as technology has advanced it is becoming more and more accurate.
How you can improve your site's local SEO through GBP?
- More reviews
- More reviews with locations or the proximity to the reviewer’s location
- Responsiveness to reviews (replying)
- Answering and being asked questions (but not the quantity)
- A good, unique description (but not the keywords)
- Add a booking link
- Adding products
- Adding blogs but not the frequency of Google posts posted
What are negative optimisation factors?
- Spam and keyword stuffing
- Old out of date information
- Incorrect Primary Category
- Duplicate/very similar profiles
- Site hacked / presence of malware
- Low Numerical Ratings of Google Reviews (e.g. 1-2)
- Inconsistent location on the website with that of GBP
- No opening hours
- AI content
So is GBP the be all and end all of local SEO?
No. It has often triumphed as the way to ensure organic search rankings for keyword plus location.
The reality is not true. It is perfectly possible to appear number one in the user’s query where they have added a geographical metric.
Organic search and Google My Business are not joined at the hip.
There are many other ways of telling Google where your business is located. It is also possible to cover multiple locations within one website without any additional Google My Business profiles.
Example: https://coderagency.co.uk/seo-news/local-seo-for-google-maps/
This SEO company who we are not familiar with talks about understanding local SEO and ways of boosting your local search ranking by optimising your profile.
One assumes they have taken their own advice.
Yet when I search for Digital Marketing Agency in Norwich in Google they are actually lower on the page and beaten by a company called Yawn Marketing.
When I study their own profile, I see that it is partly optimised however with only eight Google reviews you could argue that there is more work to be done.
But the proof is in the pudding of your own business.
You are likely to have your own Google local listing and be able to find your own business on a Google map or on the The Map Pack or local pack of three business in a search result.
So this has existed no doubt for a number of years yet still your website does not rank your keywords plus location.
Optimising your Google local listing for the right categories ensuring that data is correct adding better images adding answers to questions making sure you have reviews are making sure your opening times are correct is good practice but it is not going to guarantee local SEO success.
Why are so many local SEO is talking about GBP?
The reason why they are talking about it is from a human intelligence point of view; it makes perfect sense. There must be a correlation between Google maps and local SEO success.
All the maps in the profile give Google your address and location. So, if this is true, surely Google must correlate the information and rank businesses accordingly.
you will see that Checkatrade and Trustatrader both rank above a number of actually planning companies which are based in Battersea. Checkatrade is based in Portsmouth and Trustatrader is based in Stevenage.
We are not saying that optimising your Google Knowledge Panel (the box or card that appears on the right when you search for your company name, contains reviews and contact details) is bad.
It is an inexpensive part of local search optimisation. Using appropriate keywords in Google Business Profile takes an hour.
Having excellent images and appropriate branding can only be a good thing.
The point when we are making is it's not the definitive thing
Another problem is the level of spam in GBP and how little Google is doing to combat it. More.
If you get stuck, Google is very helpful. See their Google Business Profile Help Community.
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