Google My Business Profile: An Important Tool for Your Trades Business.
Here’s why you should optimise your Google My Business Profile.
There’s a marketing tool that you DEFINITELY should be using for your trades business. It gives you a much stronger online presence, provides more legitimacy when people search for you, and makes it much easier for clients or potential clients to contact and connect with you. It literally puts you on the map—the Google map, that is, which is certainly the most important one in this day and age!
And guess what? It’s FREE.
You’ve probably heard of Google Business Profile. You may have even set up your Business Profile. That’s great! If you haven’t, it’s time to get started. And if you’ve made a start, it’s important to optimise your profile for the best results.
What is Google My Business Profile?
GBP is a functionality of Google which allows you to claim ownership of your Business Profile and take control over it.
What many businesses don’t realise is that their listing or profile may already exist, as anyone can add a business to the map and make a profile for it. This allows customers to leave reviews, add photos, and answer questions. Your online presence is out of your hands—until you take ownership.
If a website is your little corner of the internet, your Business Profile is your little corner of Google which is by far the world’s largest search engine. When you set up a GBP account and claim your Business Profile, you can ensure that all the information is accurate, gain insight into your search performance, and respond to reviews.
The benefits are many and varied. We’ve listed a few that might make tradies sit up and pay attention!
Why should tradies use My Google Business Profile?
1) It makes you much easier to find.
Imagine a potential customer in your area needs a plumber and has no idea who to call. What will they do? Probably search “plumber in *****”, maybe have a quick squizz at any information provided in the search listings, and pick one near the top to call.
A properly set up Business Profile will present your information clearly and make it possible to call you with just one click. Removing any obstacles between potential customers and your contact details is definitely in your best interests.
2) It helps with SEO, locally.
A Business Profile with all the information filled out gives the algorithm much more to work with. With more details about your business including your location, your services, and serviced areas, Google can rank you appropriately. This is especially important for localised businesses like those offering trades and other in-person services.
You can also incorporate keywords into your Business Profile on the GMB dashboard, boosting your SEO even more—free of charge!
3) It builds trust.
Business Profiles that are updated and active provide oodles of legitimacy to any business. On the flipside, a neglected or incomplete profile is not a good look.
The ability to respond to reviews is crucial here, too—remember that your profile can still exist without you being in charge. This means that customers can leave reviews and you may be passing up the opportunity to respond, say thanks, or find solutions when issues arise. An engaged online presence is an asset for a trades business.
4) Your Business Profile can stand in for a website
We know that some tradies have put building a website in the “too-hard” basket, and we get it. It takes time and money to get it looking good and have quality content on there. Tradespeople are busy, especially right now. If you are already getting leads through word-of-mouth and perhaps social media, it might be low on your list.
While we don’t recommend forgoing a website as a long-term course of action, here’s a top tip for those who haven’t gotten around to it yet: make sure your Business Profile is up-to-date, active, and looking good! These profiles can provide you with some credibility online even without a website, and it’s the next best thing to having your own URL. So take the time to set up a GBP account. Make sure that your profile is holding space for you on the world wide web.
For more help with boosting your online presence through the various digital marketing channels, get in touch with the Released team. We have the tools and skills to see you take your business to the next level!
