Summer can be a slow time for businesses. Summer is when lots of people travel and spend most of their time outdoors. This is a perfect time for business owners to drive traffic through their doors. One way that businesses can do this is by taking advantage of Google’s free tool called Google Business Profile. 

Setting up a Google Business Profile can help increase your brand awareness, gather reviews and drive traffic to your physical site and website. Our Omaha local SEO company wants to break down what Google Business Profile is and how to optimize it. 

What is Google Business Profile?

Google Business Profile is a free tool that helps your business show up on Google Search and Maps. It is essentially a business directory on the web, so when people type in your products or services, then your profile page will show up. Then people can get quick information about your business, visit your website, find your social media, get directions and even leave reviews. 

Why should you optimize your Google Business Profile?

Google is one of the most used websites on the Internet. A report found that 88% of people who conduct a local search on their smartphone visit a related store within a week. So making sure your website shows up during these searches is very important for driving foot traffic. That is where optimizing your Google Business Profile can give you leverage. 

Tips for optimizing your Google Business profile

Fill out all the spaces

Just like you would in any survey, it’s important to fill in all the provided spaces. Leaving blank spaces on your profile will not help you. If you already have a Google Business Profile, then you want to make sure all the parts of the profile are filled out. This will help Google recommend your profile to suitable people. 

Verify your location

Having a Google Business Profile really amplifies your local SEO, which is a type of SEO that improves your visibility on local searches. If you want to increase your visibility on local searches, then make sure to verify your location on your Google Business Profile. You will be asked to add a mailing address. Not including an address will limit your features on a business profile. 

Keep your hours updated

You want to build trust with your customers. If the hours that are listed on your profile say that your business is open when it’s not, that can cause customers to distrust your business. It is important to make sure that your business hours are updated to reflect your current store hours. For example, during the holidays, your store hours can get extended to accommodate the shoppers. 

Add keywords

Keywords should not be ignored, even on Google Business Profiles. Adding keywords to your title and description is an easy way for your profile to show up when people are looking for your products and services. Also, make sure these keywords are relevant to your business. 

Choose a call to action

When people visit your profile, you want them to take action. Google Business Profile allows you to add a call to action button to your profile. You can customize it to your needs. For example, there is the option to order online, book an appointment or visit your website. It is an easy way to make people take action on your business. 

Increase your local visibility by hiring an Omaha local SEO expert!

Whether you need help optimizing your Google Business Profile or increasing your local SEO, reach out to us! At Omaha Media Group, we provide affordable SEO services that will increase the online visibility of your website and will dramatically increase the amount of traffic and targeted visitors to your website. Reach out to us today to learn more!