Your goal is to drive online traffic that leads your customer to your website and to do so it is important you check your 3rd party listings like your Google Business Profile.
In this article, we show you simple tips on how to add your business listing to third-party websites and directories using third-party distribution tools like Google Business Profile, True Local.
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Each tool with its unique proposition and functionality is a great marketing tool to help drive extra customer traffic through to your website. They cost nothing to set up, they attract your ideal customer, are professional and are an ideal way to promote your business worldwide with other local businesses in your industry.
Google Business Profile Business Listing
A Google business profile is a great way to attract and engage customers. Think of it as your business’s social media profile on Google. This allows you to connect with your current and future customers in an engaging, visual way. When you make create and maintain your business profile on Google, you make it easier for people to find out about your business, what products you offer, how to contact you and a reliable platform to leave reviews.
Four Quick Ways To Maintain Your Google Business Profile
1. Share photos
Your website is a great place to showcase photos that capture what your business does best. Photos of your products, events and employees can all reinforce your business image for local customers. And with a Google image search, customers can find close up photos of your products or a view of the inside of your offices, follow links to your site and purchase.
There are several types of photos you can add to your Business Profile:
Logo:
A logo isn’t going to mean much to searchers if they can’t identify your business or understand the hours or address of your business. The same thing goes for Google. If you’re on the first page of Google, what searchers see by default is your Business Profile picture, name, and location. This information should be accurate so you can help customers find you in real life and on Search.
Cover photo:
Catering to specific industries makes it easier for prospective buyers to identify your brand as the industry expert. Although you may offer services and products to all businesses in the area, setting a single profile picture along with a dedicated summary that speaks directly to your target market will help your Google Business Profile rise above the competition.
Business photos:
Adding different photos to highlight features of your business is a great way to catch your customers’ attention and help them get the information they need about your services. It’s also an invaluable asset for building trust by showing off your work and creating a personal bond with your clients. Learn more about business photos.
Please note: Photos should be at least 720 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall, and either a JPG or PNG. Learn more about photos.
Your Turn: Add photos to your profile
2. Reply to customer reviews
Your Business Profile allows customers to post reviews of your business. Online reviews are a great way to take valuable word-of-mouth marketing to the web and can help new people find you online.
When you respond to customer reviews, you show your audience that you value the time they took to share their experience with your business. The more reviews you have, the more likely a potential customer is to take a second look at your business.
Your Turn: Reply to reviews
3. See Insights
Want to find out how effective your profile is? With Insights, it’s easy to track how your profile performs.
Your Turn: Access Insights
Now that you’ve accessed Insights, what do you want to learn? Choose from the examples below:
How many times have people seen my business information?
How many times have people requested driving directions to my location?
How do customers find my profile?
Learn more about Insights.
Expand your presence with online ads
Ever heard of Google ads? Smart campaigns in Google Ads are an easy way to start running online ads.
Whether you’re a new online business or an experienced advertiser, you’ve likely wondered what this
mysterious ad product could do for your business—and at what cost. Although people often shy from ads
(cough, cough), Google Ads can be a vital part of growing a business online. It’s easy to set up, fully
customisable, and you can promote your business to potential customers in seconds!
4. Update your business information
When your business information changes, you can update your Business Profile. Using your phone, tablet, and laptop or computer, you can update the name, address and phone number of your business within your Search Console. Regular updates help you ensure you can always share the most accurate information with your potential customers.
The types of information you can update
- Business hours
- Physical address: if you change your address, you need to complete the verification process again to confirm the new address.
- Phone number
- Category: explain what kind of business you run.
- Website
Tip: You can also add new Business Profiles for multiple businesses.
Edit your information
True Local, Local Search and Yellow
When was the last time you checked your local listings on:
- Localsearch.com.au
- TruLocal.com.au
- Yellow.com.au
If you haven’t got a free listing on the above sites it is a great idea to set one up as it will help strengthen your rankings online as a small local business.
Let’s recap and take action:
In summary, audit your own third-party platforms. Are you visible on the platforms we have listed in this article? And if yes, when was the last time you updated your information, descriptions, images and videos. Take the time to schedule these important updates and then take a step further to add in your calendar to do it again in 3-6 months from now.
To sign up for more inspiration on how you can give your business a health kick, visit the Small Business Health Kick
