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Google Business Profile: Now, creating this profile is free, and it’s also a great way to increase your visibility with potential customers as well as across the different Google services like Google Maps. In fact, when you do a search, this is the box that comes up: usually on the right side of your browser window when you’re searching for something in Google, and it looks something like this.

I’m sure you’re used to seeing this box, and you’ve used it perhaps before when you do a search to call a business, to read reviews about a business that you’re interested in, or just to simply get directions so that you can go to their physical location. Well, you want to have one of these listings for your business as well, and it’s even more important if you have a local business with a physical location.

Now to get started, check to see if you have a listing already. You can use a tool from Bright Local  [listed below this video]. What you do is just simply enter the name of the company and see if a listing comes up. If it does, go ahead and click on it and you’ll see that there are actually three options there:

1. You can view Google reviews
2. you can get more reviews, and
3. you can also view your listing in the SERP.

Once you’ve gained full access to your Google Business Profile and are able to edit that profile, you should update as much information in your listing as possible.

First, you should make sure that the name of your company is written correctly. Now you don’t need LLC here or INC for Inc. Make sure that the Name is spelled correctly and that the first letter of each word is capitalized.

Now while you’re looking around here in your business profile, you’ll also see a section for reviews. This is a crucial section. Now let’s talk about the review section of your business profile.  Potential leads care about the number of reviews and the star ratings that your company is getting. Some statistics say that a potential lead will not even consider a company if the aggregate rating of a company is under four.

When it comes to Google, regular web search does not care about your reviews. Google local search does care and they care about the number of reviews and the rating.

So how do you get reviews? Well, there’s several ways to get reviews, but a simple way is to ask for reviews. If you’re in contact with your customers, reach out to them with a personal note, ask them for a quick review. If you’re a brick-and-mortar store where the customer interaction is short, then you might consider hanging a sign in your establishment, a QR code, or maybe you include a little note when the check is delivered at the end of the transaction.

Let’s go over this a little more in detail

Your business description is prime real estate for getting important keywords and phrases in front of Google searchers. Maximize the 750-character limit to accurately describe what your business offers, your service areas, products, and services, and what makes you stand out. Elaborate on your offerings using words and phrases customers would use when searching for your type of business. This helps Google match your profile to relevant searchers.

For example, a landscaping company should highlight services like lawn care, garden design, seasonal planting, stonework, drainage solutions, and any specialties.

Example of a Google business description

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Hours

Adjust your open hours immediately anytime they change – even for a one-day closure. Inaccurate timings frustrate customers who show up while you’re closed. List hours for each individual day if they vary.

There is also an area where you can insert holidays and days you are closed. Fill this section out completely as far off into the future you can. Many people use this to find out if you are open or closed on specific days, so let them know what days you are closed!

Website

Monitor and Claim Listings

Use a tool like Moz Local or Bright Local to monitor and claim all business listings found online. Merge duplicate listings and ensure your NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) is consistent across all citations. This includes review sites like Yelp and Facebook, online directories, recommendation engines, and more. You want your NAP to be consistent across all listings.

Scan for duplicate listings that have different business names, addresses, phone numbers, or other incorrect information. This confuses Google on which listing is the “real” you. Strive to merge duplicates into one accurate listing that matches your verified Google Business Profile details. Having just one listing will centralize all customer reviews as well.

For listings you don’t control, submit address/name change requests to ensure another consistent citation pointing back to your GBP. Monitoring and properly claiming all listings helps search engines understand your business and strengthens local SEO relevance. This leads to higher rankings!