For businesses in Hobart and across Tasmania - knowing where to start when it comes to online marketing can be difficult.
Despite this, we all know just how important online visibility is in today's digital age.
As a small business owner, or someone with an existing local business, one of the most effective ways to improve your visibility is by establishing and optimising your Google Business Profile (GBP) - formerly Google My Business.
A Google Business Profile is a free business profile that not only enhances your search visibility through the search engine (i.e. Google search) but also offers an array of benefits that are valuable tools for growth.
As a summary, the benefits to small business of setting up a Google Business Profile include:
Another benefit is that a Google Business Profile is both a free profile and easy-to-use service.
With this in mind, we wanted to use this article to explore the benefits of setting up a profile for your businesses.
It's well known that Google is the most popular search engine worldwide, with a whopping 92% global search engine market share.
When potential customers search for a business online, Google is usually their first point of call - and this is where the Google Business Profile comes into play.
It gives the opportunity for your business to appear up the top of search results and also, importantly, on Google Maps (where relevant).
This means you can provide essential information about your business to potential customers while also helping to improve your results on Google search.
While setting up a business profile can have a range of benefits, some of the key features include:
For small business owners, one of the key benefits of setting up a Google Business Profile is the improvement of your local SEO.
Local SEO refers to the process of optimising your online presence to attract more customers from relevant local searches.
For example, Wakeford Digital provides web design and SEO services in Hobart as well as wider Tasmania and our Google Business Profile can help emphasise this.
As Google Business Profile integrates with Google Maps, it makes it easier for customers to find your physical location, or for those who work more digitally (like us here at Wakeford Digital) or a mobile service, it allows you to input the areas you service.
Establishing and optimising a profile can be a powerful tool for boosting your local SEO and attracting more customers to your small business online.
Looking to further improve your SEO for your new website or existing web design?
Wakeford Digital creates affordable, straightforward campaigns to deliver search optimisation for businesses in Hobart and Tasmania that help to improve your online rankings. Get your free SEO analysis and see how it can benefit your business.
A Google Business Profile also allows clients and customers to leave reviews about your business.
These reviews are visible to anyone who views your profile and if potential customers can see who you've both previously worked and had a good experience with, this provides a form of social proof that can ultimately build an even greater element of trust.
It's important for a small business to respond to these reviews, whether they are positive or negative, as this shows that you value customer feedback and are committed to improving your service.
Google Business Profile doesn't just help customers find you however it also provides valuable insights about your customer's behaviour.
Through some of the insights and analytics, you can see how many times your profile, photos, and posts have been viewed, along with specifics such as which posts generated the most activity and even the age, gender, and location of the people who view your listing.
Given this is a direct feed from Google, developing your business profile and having access to these insights can help you understand your customer base better and therefore tailor your marketing efforts to meet their needs.
With a Google Business Profile, you also have more control over the online presence of your small business on Google.
Through the various areas of your profile, you can ensure that your business information is accurate, respond to customer reviews, and even post updates about your business.
This level of control makes it easier to manage your online reputation and ensure that potential customers are getting the right impression of your business.
Today's world is one where most people access information on-the-go - and a Google Business Profile can help ensure that your small business is mobile-friendly.
Importantly it's optimised for mobile searches, which means potential customers can not only find your business, but also
To summarise, setting up a Google Business Profile offers numerous benefits for small businesses.
Learn more: How to setup a Google Business Profile (Google My Business): A Step-by-Step Guide (2023)
By leveraging its various features, Google Business Profile is a powerful tool for boosting your local SEO, building trust with new customers, linking to your website, gaining valuable insights, and controlling your online presence.
If you haven't already set up your Google Business Profile, you can visit https://www.google.com/intl/en_au/business/ to get started.
If you're a client of Wakeford Digital that hasn't yet established their business profile, feel free to get in touch and we can assist with ensuring this is optimised to really enhance your business.
Setting up and posting regularly through Google is a regular task we also perform for clients on our SEO services Hobart and across Tasmania - however if you're looking to get started with developing a new website for your business in Hobart or you're in need of an existing website update, enquire now through our dedicated discuss a project form.
Thanks for reading!
- Dom
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