Learn how to create and verify a Google Business Profile so your business appears on Google Maps. The seven key features are a full description with keywords, regular photos, reviews, posts that now last longer than seven days, FAQs, messaging, and insights data. Being on Maps is essential for calls, reviews, and access to free Google tools.
Understanding the link between your Google Business Profile and Google Maps is so important, and it's super simple and easy. First of all, create your Google Business Profile and get it verified. Usually that means that they will send a postcard with a number on it to your address, and you will have to take that number and put it into your account when you receive it. You have 30 days to get that done. That's their normal way of verification. I have seen recently that they're asking for a video. So they may say, I want you to take a video of your location. In which case, in the directions, they'll tell you what you need, but you need the address, maybe the street signs, picture of, or a video of what you're doing or of where you're working. Even if it's a home office, it's still your office. And this video doesn't go anywhere. No one sees it other than the people verifying at Google. So it's not like it gets posted on your profile or anything like that. So get it verified. Once it's verified, if you have your address in the profile, you will now be in Google Maps. It's that simple. If you decided to not put your address in there and become what they call a service area business, meaning you serve a regional area and your address is not important, you will not show up in Maps. Sorry, you just won't. Uh, which is why I really encourage people to use your address if you want the top billing. In Maps. Now, why is this important? If you listen to a previous video I made, and I'll link to that in the notes here, there's a whole reason why you want to be in Google Maps, and that will tell you that story. I don't want to go into it again here, but there are more than appearance. As reasons. You want to get calls? Google Maps will help you get calls. You want to get reviews? Google Maps allows you to do that. There's so many things that Google provides us for free that will help us enhance our business through this profile. The bottom line, use them all. Don't pick and choose. Use every single one of them. I even use their free website. Does anyone ever see it? No. But it helps with optimization. And when I post pictures, it automatically pulls them into that website. When I add a post onto my Google Business Profile, it automatically pulls it over. So it's not like anything I need to maintain. It's automatically doing it from what I, the activity that I do on my Google profile. It's super important that you understand you need to be in MAPS, whether you are a brick and mortar or you are a service provider that works from home. Either way, you need to be in MAPS. So please get that done. If you have any questions on it, I actually sell a service that I'll do it for you, or I can coach you through it either way. So get it done. It will help your business tremendously. Here are the top 7 features of a Google Business Profile. Now these are not necessarily in any specific order, except number 7 really does need to be number 7. So here they are. Number 1, a complete— Google gives you, I think, 750 words to put in there. Go ahead and use them all. Yes, get as close as you can. Put in who you serve, what you do, what makes you different, what makes you stand out. All of that kind of stuff needs to go in your profile. Use your keywords. Number 2, do you know that Google allows you to put images up? Yes, they do. Not only just your cover image, your logo, and an image of you, they actually have places for other images. So you can put in any image, hint, any image related to your business. I personally put in all of the social media images that I create that goes out through all the other platforms, they go on there. I will take screenshots of reviews that people leave in other platforms and I will put them up there. Images. I go in there every week and add a few, not just once. Consistent usage. Number 3, reviews. This could be number 1 cuz it's like super important, but ask for reviews. Do you have a plan for asking for reviews? What is that plan? Do you need help figuring out that plan? Because I can help you there. But you need to ask for reviews. Go ahead and read this article. You'll get tons of ideas on reviews. Number 4 is posts. Did you know Google allows you to put in posts? When they started this feature, they lasted for 7 days. Big whoop. People said, I don't want to have to do something every 7 days and then it's just gone. What, Snapchat? They're gone after you see them. There's other social platforms where what you post is gone in 24 hours. However, they're not gone after 7 days anymore. Google changed that. So put in posts. If you are writing a blog, put in a section of that blog, the image you've already created for that blog, put it over in posts. If you are doing events, you could put the events in there, put in the dates. And that event will stay there until the date is passed and then it automatically comes down. You don't have to remember to go take it down. Isn't that super nice? So use posts. It's super important. FAQs. Did you know that people can ask you questions through your Google profile? Let's take this one step further. Did you know that you can ask a question through Google profile and you can answer it. Or if that feels weird to you, have a friend, give them a list, have your VA, whoever. Here's a list of questions I want you to ask. Ask 2 a week, whatever system you want as far as that goes. And then as the owner of that profile, you get kicked an email and this is the question. It gives you a link, you go answer it. These can be the same FAQs that are already on your website. Really, it's not even any more work. It's copy and paste. Messaging. Google allows people to get ahold of us through messaging where we get a text on our phone if you have it turned on. On. A lot of people love texting. Personally, I hate it. I hate direct messaging through social media. I despise all of those systems, but I use them because my customers like it and I need to be where they are using the technology they're using. Turn on messaging and you'll get all sorts of other data that Google will actually give you if messaging is on. And the last one are insights. Have you ever gone into your insights on your Google profile? It will tell you what keywords people type in to where your profile showed up. Wow. Is that not gold? Let's get a free list of keywords that people actually use to find you. Oh, now let's take this list and start to create content around what people are actually typing in. It's an invaluable tool. Please use it.
