Introduction
In today’s world, your competitor is not limited to the store two buildings away from you, but also the national superstores plus a store in another country! Thanks to the internet and the ease of online shopping, small businesses everywhere are finding it hard to stand out and compete fairly in this digital age. However, now that there is Google Business Profile (GBP), formerly known as Google My Business (GMB), the playing fields are being leveled. So, it is essential that you as a small business owner pay attention to your GBP and make sure it has all the required information. Here are three impacts GBP has on the growth of your small business.
Improved Online Visibility
With Google prioritizing local results when people are searching for products or services in a particular area, it increases the chances of small businesses being more visible. The condition is that their GBP is verified and well-maintained. You will now find the ‘Local Pack’ feature at the top of the search engine results page (SERP) when people search with local intent. This visibility is a game-changer for small businesses, as it prioritizes their business over larger companies/websites that often dominate the organic search results.
Along with more visibility in SERP, with well-maintained GBP, you can make it easier for people to find you on Google Maps. This is most important if your business has a physical location. With more people doing their search through mobile devices, being visible in Google Maps is essential for your store’s success.
Enhanced Customer Engagement
Small businesses for years have relied more on word-of-mouth as an advertisement for their business than anything else. With Google Business Profile becoming a crucial tool for their online visibility, it is now another way to promote their products/services. GBP makes it easy for you to communicate with your customers. You can answer their reviews, answer any questions they have before visiting you, and also share any updates you have through posts. All these interactions can help you build trust with your local customers, giving them a sense of community, which is the backbone for a small business’ success.
You especially need to pay attention to the reviews in your GBP. Most people read them before deciding whether or not to engage with you. By answering both positive and negative reviews, you can tell your customers that you value their opinions and also show your effort to better your drawbacks.
Another impact GBP has on your success is that it displays essential information like your operating hours, services offered, and contact details. So, be sure to complete the information in your GBP, and keep it updated if there is any change. This reduces the likelihood of incorrect information about your business and leads to greater conversions.
Boosted Local SEO
Local SEO is very instrumental in your search engine ranking. GBP is a powerful tool that can improve your search engine ranking. A GBP profile with relevant keywords, accurate business categories, and quality photos and videos can vastly improve the ranking of that small business. That is because Google uses the information in GBP to find if your business is relevant to the user’s search query and also if you are close to their location or not. These two factors are very crucial in the SERP rankings.
Conclusion
So, you can see how impactful your GBP is on the growth of your small business. By improving online visibility, you can increase the footfall of your store. With better customer engagement, you can become trustworthy and develop your brand name. Hence if you want to thrive in this digital age and compete for your share of the market, you need to pay attention to your Google Business Profile.