Google Business Profile (GBP)

Small business marketers don’t have much margin for error. We tend to be extremely short on time and resources. There’s often no cushion to fall back on. One mistake and we are even shorter on time and resources.

So what FREE resource are you likely missing out on as a small business owner trying to do you own marketing?

You Google Business Profile, previously know as your Google My Business (GMB) profile is the single most powerful marketing tool you can have. The most significant things about your GBP is that is is FREE!

What is a Business Profile?

With a Business Profile on Google, you can manage how your local business shows up across Google products, like Maps and Search. If you run a business that serves customers at a particular location, or you serve customers within a designated service area, your Business Profile can help people find you. Verified businesses on Google are twice as likely to be considered reputable.

Imagine yourself in the shoes of a potential customer. This customer is 3 blocks from your storefront and looking for exactly what you do best in the neighborhood — maybe a friend recommended your business to them. If they search for your services on Google, what will they find?

Your presence through your Business Profile can help customers discover the products and services that you provide, contact you, and find your location.

Your Crash Course in Online Marketing

You can manage the way your business appears online in several ways:

• Search engine optimization, or SEO, refers to how results appear when someone uses a search engine like Google. We call these organic search results. You can’t pay to change how and where organic search results show up. Your results are determined by a number of factors, like how relevant they are to the original search. Learn how to improve your SEO.
• Search engine marketing, or SEM, refers to ads you buy to show up near search results—it’s what you can do with Google’s online advertising program, Google Ads. When you’re ready to advertise your business, we suggest that you get started with the easy-to-use Smart campaigns in Google Ads.
• Your Business Profile on Google helps you maintain local results, which show up in a number of ways in Maps and Search. These results are tailored to particular geographic areas and help users find nearby businesses. Learn how Google ranks local results.

To recap: SEO, SEM, and management of local results are all ways to improve your online presence.