I was chatting with my hairdresser last month when she was doing my hair about her husband’s electrical business and I offered to do a quick online audit for his business.
The first thing I did was head to Google. Because, well, that’s what you do when you’re looking for a contractor, electrician, plumber, cabinet guy, right? (Well, besides hitting Facebook and asking your friends, but sometimes it’s better to do your own research first. Oh — don’t even get me started on that topic.)
Anywho, the first thing I realized was that his business wasn’t showing up in the local search results. The Facebook page was there, but they didn’t have a Google My Business page. The worst part was, there’s another business in Florida with the SAME name… and you know what? Their profile was right there, front and center – well actually on the top right, but you what I mean.
You Need a Google My Business Page
Let me tell you right now. If you are a business owner – whether you have a Brick and Mortar business or own a virtual or mobile business, you need a Google My Business page. It is where your customers are trying to find you (gasp or your competitors) making it the ultimate referral site. You know what else? Google My Business is absolutely FREE. That’s right – F.R.E.E. FREE!
Now, it takes a little work to get it set up and it’s good to update it regularly (consistency is key in the digital world), but I’m here to help you with that! No, I’m not trying to sell you anything. This is about helping you. Period. Unless you want me to do it for you, then I can do that for a small one-time fee.
But, if you’re not appearing in a Google search, you might as well be fishing.
We’ve all been there
You’ve probably spent money and time on HomeAdvisor, Yelp, Houzz (just like I did when I had my cabinet design business) and you probably had like (maybe) a handful of actual leads that converted to clients. Am I right? Well, it’s ok. We all learn, right?
I don’t know about you, but I prefer a sure-thing. I have never been any good at darts, poker, or Yahtzee. Ok, maybe a little good at Yahtzee.
Setting up your Google My Business profile is mostly pain-free and I’m going to walk you through the steps to get yours set up. Yep — the only investment is the time it takes you to read this and create your profile. Easy-Peasy. Don’t want to do it yourself? As I mentioned above, I’ll do it for you for a small fee.
The Six Steps to Easily Create Your Google My Business Page
Complete your profile.
- Find and manage your business. You’ll type in your business name. If your business name doesn’t populate or what does populate isn’t yours (you should be able to tell) then click Add your business to Google. In adding your business, it’s going to have you type in your business name again. Do that and also make sure you check out the Privacy and Terms of Service before you continue.
- Choose the business category that fits your business. There are so many options here, pick the one that most closely matches what you do. Don’t worry, you can come back and change it (or add more) later.
- Tell Google whether you want to list your address publicly, you know, if you want customers to find your location via Google Maps. If you’re home-based or local, I suggest you choose NO. If you have a store front or are ok with people dropping by your business then choose YES.
- Enter your Service-Area. Now this can be as broad or as narrow as you like. For my business, because I work 99% online, I have my location set to the United States.
- Enter your contact details. How do you want people to contact you? Do you have a Website? (No website? Don’t choose the free website here – I have a great deal for you)
- Click Finish – and you’re done! Well, not really. This is where the fun begins. You can add photos and details about your business and your products and services.
Optimize your Profile To Get The Leads Rolling In
Now you’ve got a great start with your Google My Business profile. You should be pretty proud of yourself – that’s a huge first step. Now for some easy ways to impact your Google search rankings.- Paint a picture of exactly who you are and what problems you can solve for your client.
- Provide a clear business description with lots of details. You can add your hours, products, services, whether you are a veteran or women-led business, amenities (free wifi anyone), and more.
- Make sure your information is up-to-date and is consistent with your website and social profiles
- Check out the business categories and choose the categories that best fit your business
- Don't forget to download the app to your phone so you can enable messaging
Add Some Photos
Now that you’ve done all of this, let’s add some photos – starting with your logo and cover photo. Don’t have a logo? I can help with that. The logo will need to be square (recommended 720×720 pixels). Google provides a support document on uploading photos here.
Ask For Reviews
You’ve got those happy clients that love to brag you up to their friends, right? Well, why not supply them with a link to your Google My Business Profile so they can tell EVERYONE how awesome you are?
Google makes it easy – there’s a section right there on your home page that says “Get more reviews” with a button to click to share your review form. You can either copy/paste it or share it via Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, or email. Super simple!
I highly suggest you create a process that includes sending this link to your customers after the completion of each job. This is something I can help with too.
Listen, running your business is time-consuming, I know. There are so many ways I can help you on the back end. Need help posting to social media? Want me to monitor your Google profile and update it for you? Need a website? Setup a free consultation with me. I really want to help you succeed.
