The Importance of a Google Profile for Your Business

Original Article by Aditi Vora:

Luckily, there’s an extremely easy, effective, and free (!!!) way to put your business on the map (literally)—by creating a Google profile for your business.

This is the all-in-one shop in which you can find a place to list your business, write about your industry, engage with customers, link content directly onto your page, get it placed on Google Maps, and most importantly, share information about your business.

Having a Google profile opens your business up to greater online visibility and can help to lead to an influx of potential new customers. We’ll go through the various ways you can leverage your Google profile and how it can benefit your small business.

Get Listed

According to Search Engine Land, 9 out of 10 consumers use online directories when searching for local businesses. With over a billion users, being able to get listed on Google is essential. Like all the other online directories, Google has created a community for small and local businesses, alike, to create extensive business profiles and get them listed on the monster search engine.

Who wouldn’t like for their small business to be included in the 3.5 million searches occurring on a daily basis?

Getting listed on Google is easy. Once you’ve verified your business and “put it on the map,” you’re good to go.  You can check out our quick guide on how to get listed on Google.

A Place to Share Content

When completing your Google profile, be sure to make it as robust as possible. Google allows for businesses to add content to their profiles, which lend for greater SEO opportunities. Including links in every piece of content also allows for your business to see greater web traffic.

Sharing your original content will help to make you look like an expert in your industry, pose as a free marketing opportunity, help to establish deeper connections with your existing and potential clients, and help for you to better understand the market.

Engage

With your Google profile comes all the perks of being a part of the Google + community. You’ll be able to add friends to your circle and interact with them through the platform. Looking to share content? Look no further than Google +. Looking to follow industry experts? Go for it. This is just another opportunity to engage with your customers, both existing and potential, on a social platform.

Get Reviewed

A recent study found that about 85% of customers use online recommendations to find local businesses. The importance of review sites has become more important than ever. With the use of Google’s review function, your customers can leave detailed and helpful descriptions of their experiences at your establishment. Don’t miss out on the usefulness of being featured on a review site. While there lies the potential of receiving a bad review, you can benefit from both the positive and the negative.