Google Business Profile is a powerful platform for connecting local businesses with potential customers, especially for service-area businesses that don't get foot traffic and instead rely on things like phone calls and online form fills to get leads and customers.
Understanding how to set up Google Business Profile for service-area businesses, such as plumbers, electricians, or cleaning services, can significantly boost visibility in local search results and attract more clients within the different areas served.
Understanding Google Business Profile for Service-Area Businesses
Google Business Profile is a free tool provided by Google that enables businesses to manage their online presence across various Google services, including Google Search and Google Maps.
Google Business Profile allows businesses to provide accurate and up-to-date information to potential customers, such as their location, contact details, operating hours, and details about the services offered.
For service-area businesses, Google Business Profile offers additional features tailored to their needs, allowing them to specify the areas they serve and hide their exact physical address if they don't have a storefront where they attend customers.
This flexibility ensures that service-area businesses can effectively reach customers within their designated service areas without disclosing sensitive information, such as a private address where their owners may conduct business from.
Best Practices for Setting Up Google Business Profile for a Service-Area Business
Complete Your Profile
Ensure that all sections of your Google Business Profile are filled out comprehensively and accurately. This includes your business name, address, and phone number (NAP), website URL, business categories, and a brief yet informative business description.
Choose the Right Categories
Selecting the most relevant categories for your business is crucial for appearing in relevant search results. Be specific and choose only categories that accurately represent the services you offer.
It's important to make sure that your primary category is the category that most specifically describes what your business does.
For instance, if you offer photography services strictly for other businesses and don't offer personal photography services, choose "commercial photographer" instead of "photographer."
Optimize Your Description
Craft a concise and engaging business description that highlights your unique selling points and services. Use relevant keywords in your Google Business Profile description to improve your visibility in search results.
Add High-Quality Photos
Visual content plays a significant role in attracting potential customers and boosting your local SEO. Upload high-quality photos of your work, team, and premises (if applicable) to showcase your professionalism and attract positive attention, both from prospective clients and Google's local search algorithm.
Specify Service Areas
For service-area businesses, it goes without saying that defining your service areas on Google Business Profile is essential.
Use Google Business Profile's service area feature to outline the geographic regions you cover, ensuring that potential customers within those areas can find you easily when they perform local searches.
Manage Customer Reviews
Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on your Google Business Profile. Respond promptly and professionally to both positive and negative reviews to demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction and help with your local SEO efforts.
Regularly Update Information
Keep your Google Business Profile updated with any changes to your business information, such as operating hours, services offered, or contact details.
This ensures that potential customers have access to accurate information at all times, as well as helps maintain NAP consistency — an important factor in local search rankings.
Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Google Business Profile for Service-Area Businesses:
1. Create or Claim Your Profile
Visit the Google Business Profile website and sign in with your Google account. If your business doesn't have a profile yet, click on the "Manage now" button and follow the prompts to create one.
If your business is already listed on Google, claim ownership by clicking on the "Claim this business" option and following the verification process.
2. Complete Your Business Information
Once you've claimed or created your profile, navigate to the "Info" tab and fill out all the required fields, including your business name, address, phone number, website URL, and business categories. If you don't have a physical address at all, you can leave the address field blank.
Ensure that your information is accurate and consistent with other online platforms in order to keep your local citations consistent, which helps with local SEO.
3. Set Your Service Area
Under the "Info" tab, locate the "Service area" section and click on "Edit." Enter the geographic regions that your business serves, such as cities, towns, or postal codes.
You can choose to hide your address if you don't have a storefront by selecting the option "I deliver goods and services to my customers at their location."
4. Add Photos and Videos
Click on the "Photos" tab to upload high-quality images and videos that showcase your business, services, and team. Choose photos that reflect the professionalism and quality of your work to attract potential customers.
5. Write a Compelling Business Description
Navigate to the "Info" tab and scroll down to the "Add business description" section. Craft a concise yet engaging description of your business, highlighting your unique value proposition and the services you offer.
Try to incorporate locally relevant keywords naturally in your business description to improve your visibility in local search results.
6. Verify Your Business
To ensure the accuracy and legitimacy of your business information, Google may require you to verify your business through various methods, such as receiving a postcard with a verification code or verifying via phone, email, or video.
Follow the verification process as outlined to complete your service-area business's Google Business Profile setup.
7. Monitor and Manage Your Profile
Once your Google Business Profile is set up, regularly monitor and manage it to ensure that your information remains accurate and up-to-date.
Respond promptly to customer reviews and inquiries to demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction and enhance your online reputation and authority.
You can use Local Falcon's local rank tracker to monitor your position in local search rankings and get AI-powered optimization recommendations for Google Business Profile from Falcon AI.
Wrapping Up
By following these best practices and the handy step-by-step guide above, service-area businesses can harness the full potential of Google Business Profile to enhance their online visibility, attract more customers, and grow their business effectively within their target regions.
It's important to remember that setting up Google Business Profile for a service-area business is just the first step in the journey towards local SEO success.
You must also continuously monitor and optimize your profile to get (and stay) ahead in the local pack, and this is where having Local Falcon in your corner is invaluable!