Google Business Profile Tips – Updated September 2024
With ongoing changes made by Google since 2019 and Google’s desire to keep you in search rather than going to webpages, Google My Business (now called Google Business Profile from November 2021) continues to grow in importance for businesses. The great news is it lets small businesses with no marketing budget compete with big business.
Front page of Google for free*
Many small businesses comment how they’d love to get to the front page of Google. The easiest way to do this for free, is to set up a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) listing. If there are multiple listings, you will appear in a map with three other businesses (and maybe an ad or two too), or you may miss the front page and be in the More places link immediately below those listings. In some cases (including when you look up your business name), you can appear in the side bar with a whole block of information just about your business!
*If you don’t make the side bar or the ‘three pack’ then your listing may be in ‘more places’ so unfortunately not on the front page, or nowhere at all. The good news is following these tips, you can work on your listing to help push it up the ranking to the three pack. The three pack consists of the three businesses organically listed (no ads) below the Google Map. An ad may also appear above the three organic listings.
The following video walks through the changes that occurred from November 2021. You can access the transcript here.
Google My Business is now called Google Business Profile.
There are numerous ways to access the functions which the video explains. PLEASE NOTE: The main way is to use Google Search while logged in to the correct Google account. Usually you only need to type your business name, however sometimes you may need to add Google Business Profile after your name.
Claiming your business on Google Business Profile
The first step is going to Google Business Profile and claiming your business. Google Business Profile has been previously known as Google Places, Google Maps and most recently as Google My Business. Google Business Profile will ask for some basic details to get going.
Note for business name you can add some limited keywords to your name (Google may change this, but they currently allow it within reason). Consider adding location or industry e.g. The XYZ Group | Human Resources Timbuctoo. Don’t go overboard or you’re definitely breaching the Google Business Profile terms of service.However, given a keyword of location or the service you offer is helpful to search results, it helps Google fulfil its mission.
Be sure to choose the best fit category for your business, and choose other labels to support the categories with which your business most relates. If you notice a category can’t be selected but is used by another business on their Google Business Profile Listing, you can ask Google for the category to be added to your listing. There is a contact Google message service available.
Have you forgotten how to login to Google Business Profile, or not sure since the Google My Business change?
Please check out our video on YouTube. PLEASE NOTE: The main way is to use Google Search while logged in to the correct Google account. Usually you only need to type your business name, however sometimes you may need to add Google Business Profile after your name.
Your business address
A prime reason many home-based business owners are reluctant to take up a Google Business Profile listing, is because they must provide a physical address. However, this is simply not a good enough reason, as it can generate many, even hundreds of queries and thousands of views a month. You will see in my listing, the number, or even the whole street address is left off. Why? Because I selected the option to only service customers at their address. You can see here I chose a large range, because I can service clients worldwide, but some social ‘experts’ suggest leaving this range smaller. Try both and see what works for you. Give each option a decent amount of time to test – at least a few weeks.
Google does not allow PO Boxes as addresses. You could consider using a virtual office service, if you are really concerned about disclosing your home address (it’s probably already displayed on your business registration anyway). These addresses do currently work, as they are manned and you will be allocated say ‘Suite 999’ rather than PO Box 999. If receiving the old postcard option, the code will be sent to this address in about 10 days, although since Covid it may take longer. PLEASE be patient.
Often now verification is done via other channels including video. Even a home business can record a video successfully.
Delay in receiving verification and alternative
Unfortunately since Covid saw Google temporarily cull their Google My Business team, and they have been SLLLOOOOOWWWW getting these verifications out since! By late 2020 it was up to 12 weeks, though by mid 2021 things seem to have returned to a more normal turnaround closer to two weeks. Please be patient, as asking again cancels the original code and you’ll keep going around in circles. Alternatively you may try a video recording option. If you don’t have signage etc put a business letter in your mailbox, walking into your home office and show the back end of your website on your computer. This has walked for clients. Sometimes if you attempt to enter a code after it’s been cancelled you can verify by text (as it realises you must have received the mailed code).
More than one business at one address
Google seems to think one residential address should only have one business. As if in this day and age! I know so many people with more than one business, let alone a household of entrepreneurs! To overcome this, issue each business should sign up with a different email address and ideally phone number though this latter one may cross over. Therefore, it’s important to have the address different. This is easily done by adding something like Suite B to the address (worked for me!).
Online business can’t have a Google Business listing error
Google Business Profile is aimed at bricks and mortar physical businesses (hence it’s map connection). Therefore it will sometimes reject businesses it perceives to be wholly online. My view is you are at a physical location so you can have a Google Business Profile. You may need to adjust some of the fields to suit. Remember being listed is far better than not being listed! So putting hours that are more physical location like can work. You can list online hours later separately. Listing only local areas to service can be good too. Use Google Business Profile to build local presence and other channels to build global.
Additional information
With the closure of the ill-fated Google+, many content options have been added back into Google My Business, and retained for Google Business Profile. This is great for business owners who in the past had limited options with Google My Business. Apart from standard details like phone number, website link, a description (about us) section, and opening hours (remember to update for holiday hours and changes to your business hours), you can add lots of photos, make posts lasting a week more visibly (great for weekly specials or announcing new features), add Q&A, and add your services and products.
Reviews
We know Google includes reviews as part of it’s algorithm, but let’s face reality. Do you often see businesses ranking in the ‘3 pack’ on Google Maps even though they have no reviews, or even worse BAD reviews?! Yup! So we know they actually currently (still true at September 2024) simply don’t count as much as some people let you believe! There is an exception if the customer filters to show only businesses with an average review of say 4.5 and above. Regardless and much more important, get your customers to mention keywords in their reviews, then you can be bumped up into the 3 pack for that search term. So encourage detailed reviews rather than superficial ones!
Google itself does say some reviews are good. Even recently (September 2024) I noticed it said on one of my accounts Google Business Profile back-end that having at least 5 reviews would get 2x the exposure. Other reports have said 10 is a magic number. So getting at least 10 reviews – yes awesome. But getting hundreds may not be that necessary.
Most countries have laws against business owners and family members rating their own businesses (or at least you need to disclose your relationship and have actually used the business). Do NOT create fake reviews – you are breaking the law. Sad I should need to say this, but after seeing a lawyer do it, can’t put it past some people!
When you receive reviews (Google will notify you), make sure to reply to every review. This is now found in the Reviews icon (or Customers tab) on the Google Business Profile on Google Search – Your business on Google (refer the video or screenshot on this page). For positive reviews, it makes the people recommending you feel appreciated, and they’re more likely to continue to recommend you. With bad reviews it’s even more important to reply as this is a massive marketing opportunity. Many people will read bad reviews. Make sure your reply is empathetic, not too long, and without over the top defensive emotion!
Handling a bad review
If you get a genuinely fake business review (for instance before you have even opened!) then politely ask them to remove their review. For instance, ‘Thanks for taking the time to place a review. Unfortunately you may have us confused with someone else, as we haven’t started trading yet. Please can you remove the review. When you need these services again, we’d love to help you.’ If they remove all good, if they don’t, people can see it’s not right. You can also report the fake review to Google. Sometimes if you look at the reviewer you can see they placed five bad reviews on the same type of business as you. Often these are threatened competitors, and should be reported to Google.
If the review was fair enough, then accept responsibility – we’re all human after all. ‘Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We’re sorry you didn’t experience us at our best, and we’d love the opportunity to rectify the situation. Please call our Manager XXXX and we’ll see how we can provide a satisfactory resolution.’ Always get it offline, and don’t enter into a war of words. Stay calm and polite. If they start going off, people will see they’re a difficult customer, so just leave them to rant. Generally one reply is all you should do. If in doubt you can copy the review and your reply (remove any private information) into an AI tool like ChatGPT and ask it to reword it in a friendly and professional way without emotion.
Unfortunately from early June 2021 Google have removed the ability to claim or edit your short name, which made it easier for businesses to review you. You can send the link, or even place it on your website. For instance we claimed faq-business which means you can review us here: https://g.page/faq-business/review. If you don’t have a short name you can grab a messy URL from Google Business Profile edit business information screen, or from the promote tab – ask for reviews. You could use a link shortener or hyperlink with text and the messy link hidden in the hyperlink.
Why does my business sometimes appear in a map, the side bar or worse not at all?
Like all Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), the search results will depend on the search conducted, where the search was taken and how competitive the keywords are. When a location is added, then the map listing will nearly always appear. ‘How to’ searches will typically return videos and blogs with no map. If there is only one great result, or hopefully when you search your business name, the screenshots like in this blog will appear in the sidebar, or possibly in the main results under updates from the business.
Map results are based on Google algorithms, which Google give us an indication of, but don’t tell us in full. Sometimes adding more keywords (in the Google Business Profile listing itself (including in posts, about, products/services), the posts you add to it and on your connected website) can help us appear higher in the map results. HOWEVER images also have a big impact. The more the merrier!
I don’t have a website yet, can I use Google Business Profile?
Yes you sure can! You can either leave the website link blank (not recommended) or link it to a relevant social media account business page like Facebook or LinkedIn. Remember to update it once you have your website. You could even create a simple website from somewhere like Canva. Please note the old linked Google Business Site websites have been removed (these were denoted by ‘XYZbusiness.businesssite…’).
Photos on Google Business Profile listing
You may not realise it (until my comment above) but photos have a massive impact on your Google Business Profile listing. Put up photos of your products and services, behind the scenes, quotes and even values which are core to your business. The business below (Blindman located in Norwest Sydney) had 69,000 views on one old photo! It really helps you get an edge on your competitors when they can see how awesome you are!
Also if you have ugly Google Street View images you can get images reshot and even do things like 360 images. For those with a physical shop and an old ugly photo from Google Street View dominating your listing, consider getting it updated using a Google Street View Partner like Simply 360 (in Sydney, Australia).
Bing Places
Well obviously this won’t get you on the front page of Google, but it can get you on the front page of Microsoft search engine Bing. With very few people using Bing, you may think why bother? Because when we get a new laptop (other than a Mac), it typically comes pre-installed with Bing. Many people suffer with using it until they get sick of it and revert to their preferred search engines like Google Chrome. When I first did this with an old business, I gained 15% of website traffic from Bing (from nothing previously), so it does help, as it’s much less competitive.
Setting up can be easy too if you wait for you Google listing to be verified as it will simply grab most of the information and bring it across. Manually setting up will mean you are up on Bing quicker as their verification code is arriving within a few weeks.
The top 15 Google Business Profile tips summarised
1. Google Business Profile is one of the easiest free ways to appear on the front page of Google. USE IT!
2. In the business name field, add a keyword or two relating to industry, service or location. NOT MORE or you’ll breach Google terms. Use keywords, but don’t overuse throughout your listing in about, services, products, posts etc.
3. You must use a real physical address to receive the code in the mail (normally takes about 10 days but since Covid hit, times have been more like 2-8 weeks – be patient)). If you can do video verification, please consider that instead as you’ll be approved in a few days if accepted.
4. If you are concerned as a home-based business choose to operate in a service area (will still have the red dot on the map, but won’t display your physical address) and/or use a virtual office.
5. Populate as much as you can, and remember to go back in and update holiday hours, add new photos and keep all details current. Updating hours is so important for managing client expectations, especially over holiday periods.
6. Seek reviews, ideally mentioning keywords and aim for at least 10 reviews. You cannot rate your own business as in most countries this is illegal. Fake reviews definitely are illegal.
7. Respond to every business review – good, bad and fake. It says a lot about the way you treat clients.
8. Depending on the search type and the competition you may appear in the map, a side bar, only in the more places screen or not at all.
9. You don’t need a website to join Google Business Profile (connect to a social media page or even something like linktree instead).
10. Messaging from mid 2024 is now turned off on Google Business Profile. Make sure your other communication methods are available. You can include click to call to a phone number (from mobiles), a booking link to your website, TidyCal, Calendly etc.
11. Use your short name if previously claimed (replace our short name with yours in the URL link in this tip). This allows people to leave you reviews easily. For instance we claimed faq-business which means you can review us here: https://g.page/faq-business/review. You can no longer claim short names (from June 2021) but you can still grab a short but messy review link URL from the home page on your Google Business Profile business information screen.
12. Create a QR code and an email template with your review link and request reviews from your clients via a poster on your wall or front window, or in emails to clients post service or product purchase. Make it easy for your clients to leave reviews! Even give a few suggestions what to include (like the service name).
13. Create a welcome offer and have people follow you on Google Business Profile. Check out this feature through the Google Business Profile – promote tab.
14. Diary to add posts every week (they last on the front screen for a week (or more now) as a tile and then move to past updates section). While there add some photos too (some people get hundreds of thousands of views!). Can also add events. Check out my video instructions/blog transcript: How to optimise Google My Business with posts and photos.
15. For those with a physical location and an old ugly photo from Google Street View all over your listing, consider getting it updated using a Google Street View Partner.
Not Google, but to appear on page one of search on Bing – remember to also sign up to Bing Places.
These are the sorts of tips you can learn in our SEO Basics training which will be part of our upcoming DIY Web and SEO toolkit on our online school and are regularly held as online workshops in NSW.
About the blog writer and FAQ Business Founder Jane Tweedy
Jane loves to help people succeed, and this she primarily does through helping small business owners as a small business advisor, business coach and mentor, and also individuals through job search coaching. She enjoys training, especially in small groups where interactive sessions can be held to bring in the experience of the participants, which always adds an extra dimension to the participants learning outcomes.
Jane currently contracts for Western Sydney Business Centre under the NSW Government Business Connect program roughly 1-2 days a week. In 2018 Jane launched two businesses – How to Job Search and FAQ Business. Currently her focus is building FAQ Business Training to provide affordable training to small business owners.
Jane can be contacted via the contact page.
Click the image below to learn how to optimise your Google My Business Listing using posts like these
Adding posts and photos with some consistency will hugely help your business appear in the ‘3 pack’ on Google Maps. Remember to focus on results where the map appears – so more focused on product, service and location than your social media posts.
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