Thinking of starting a business and you would like to have that coverage and reputation big businesses also enjoy? What if I told you that all those wishes have been answered with the introduction of a Google Business Profile which is designed for both Small-scale business and large-scale to thrive under the same circumstances!!
According to GO-Gulf, almost 48% of the searches done on Google includes local intent as users make enquires of services that are within their locality, For Example: Coffee shops near me?
What is a Google Business Profile?
A Google business profile is a form of profile which authenticates that your business brand has a presence on Google as you provide valuable information such as your business location, contact information and various reviews from customers (both good & bad). Have you ever tried advertising your business using various physical channels such as billboards, flyers and giving out of free samples of your goods/services;
You should have made calculations and seen how much it will cost but having a Google business profile eliminates all those costs and extra stress by bringing the customers to your doorstep – you have the opportunity to create a business profile and gaining a lot of customers using the world most used search engine for free.
Benefits of having a Google Business Profile?
Having a Google business profile comes with a lot of benefits as “Not having a business on Google is synonymous to having an invisible business”. Here are some of the benefits one stands to gain from having his/her business on Google i.e. creating a Google business profile:
1) Proof of Existence to potential customers:
Most businesses don’t thrive due to limited coverage as their inability to be active on the digital space restricts them to a particular town or neighborhood with a less than 1% chance of them gaining a wider coverage without having a presence on Google (especially).
More than 88% of the population tend to ask Google to provide them solutions to a particular need such as Where to get coffee near me, Cobblers in the neighborhood, Fast-food restaurants in a particular town, Etc. Note that businesses that appear on the search engine when they input their need are ones they would patronize and so you and various other businesses with no online presence will have to compete for the less than 12% of the populace.
2) Credibility and Legitimacy:
To be frank with you, personally I give special considerations to businesses having a Google business profile than those that don’t because of that added trust that any business owner who went through the stress of creating a business profile on the platform have an edge over others.
Google also provides users to review each business after they have patronized them so businesses with higher review scores gets more patronage than a local business boasting of their credibility without any proof. Newer businesses on Google with a business profile should perform well, earn higher review scores then expect the huge traffic of customers provided to them by Google as a reward for their credibility.
3) Customers are aware of your services:
Most of the local businesses around us without any online presence depend on friends or customers to relay the news of their services to others hence a very small number of people have an idea of what service you provide but with a Google business profile customers already know that kind of services you offer as it is written in your profile.
4) Your time of operation is known:
Have you ever been in desperate need of a service and the shops around you are closed or haven’t opened – hence leaving you stranded and frustrated? This happens because those shops or kiosks don’t have any opening time or closing time hence they may be open this minute and closed the next minute without owing you any explanation but having a Google business profile helps with that as your working hours are stated to the sight of all.
5) Reviews:
I discussed this briefly before but because of their importance it had to be discussed again; reviews are very important when building a brand as it provides the potential customer with an idea of the kind of person they will be working with either professional or unprofessional.
This is one of the biggest differences between a small shop with no online presence and a small shop with online presence as customers are already aware of the kind of person they would be doing business with and if they are interested they won’t hesitate to initiate contact with the business owner.
6) Direct huge traffic on your website:
Those with websites associated to their business can direct huge traffic to the site by enable potential customers contact them only by using the site hence generating more revenue both ways (Website trough Ads agencies and your business).
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How to create a Google Business Profile?
I have to the best of my knowledge explained how a Google business profile is very important to you as a business owner so let’s explore the steps on how to create a Google Business Profile:
- Create a Google account or you have an existing account, just sign up.
- Go to create a profile which can be located here.
- Input your required business name but if you receive any prompt message which states that the business has been verified by another; you can request for the ownership of the business profile here.
- Select the category your business falls under i.e. Sports, Entertainment, Etc. and click next.
- This next option comes with a choice which was be answered truthfully to prevent any misunderstanding later – you will be asked if you have a physical location to host customers and it has a YES/NO option for you to choose from.
- Enter the postal code and city that your business is based.
- Enter the phone number for potential customers to contact you and add your website URL if you have as it isn’t necessary.
- Click Finish and Verify either now or later.
Note: In case you aren’t longer in ownership of the business and wishes to transfer to another click here.
