Google Business Profile Roadmap: Improve Your Local SEO Ranking
Ever wonder what it really means to meet your customers where they are?
In this day and age, the customer journey starts way before they visit your store or your website.
This means that meeting them where they are is actually meeting them during the research phase of their purchase. Google data shows that 65% of consumers are more likely to research products online, even if they intend to buy in-store. And 59% are more likely to visit stores to see or touch products, even if they plan to buy online.
Today, we'll delve into the intricacies of optimizing your local SEO ranking to help your business get in the sought-after top 3 search results. While our primary focus is on the Google ecosystem, it's essential to note that local SEO affects both Google Search 🔎 and Google Maps📍.
What is local SEO?
Local search engine optimization (SEO) refers to refining and polishing your online presence so that shoppers can easily find you. These potential customers generally don’t know you by name, but they are searching for products and services they are looking to buy.
Local SEO is an advantage that brick and mortar retailers have over other online businesses. Local SEO is the reason you don’t get a restaurant in Thailand when you search for ‘Thai food take-out’ when you are craving a pad thai from your couch in Denver, Colorado.
This might feel obvious to you from a food take-out experience, but did you know how you build your Google Business Profile determines whether or not your customers find you?
7 Key Steps to Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Along with the points we will discuss in this blog post, you need to make sure you have claimed your business on Google Search or Google Map.
Remember, it’s possible for someone else to create a Google Business Profile for you, which is why the verification process is very important.
You can find out more information on how this happens in this blog post where we also discuss how you can get more Google Reviews.
These tips range from beginner to pro, all aimed at helping your business appear in the sought-after top 3 search results.
#1 NAP Checklist
The accuracy of your business name, address, and phone number is a contributing factor to how Google ranks your business.
✅ Name
✅ Address
✅ Phone number
This will be among the easiest and most straightforward steps in optimizing your local SEO.
Google Business Profiles verifies NAP consistency in local directories, social media, your website, and other search engines in order to verify your trustworthiness and legitimacy.
Here are the search engines you should focus on:
Google Business Profile (how consumers search) – directly tied to Google Reviews and Google Maps
Bing Places (how consumers search) 🤝 Facebook Reviews (reviews that appear when they search)
Apple Maps (how consumers search) 🤝Yelp! (reviews that appear when they search)
💡PRO TIP: TEXT MESSAGING AND NAP CONSISTENCY
NAP consistency also plays a role in business text messaging, customers will search your phone number in order to ensure the text message is actually coming from your business.
#2 Description
The important part of your business description is that it needs to be one that is easy to read and understand for humans, but also optimized enough for a search engine.
Ok, but what does that really mean? Let’s take a look at some examples!
Here’s an example of what not to do:
Welcome to Bretts’s Bikes in Vancouver. Need a bike in Vancouver? We're a top bike shop in Vancouver offering mountain bikes, e-bikes in Vancouver, and bike repair services. We've got bikes for Burnaby, bikes for Richmond, and all the Vancouver areas. Voted a bike shop favorite by locals. Vancouver bikes are our passion. Choose us for all your Vancouver cycling needs!
❌ Keyword stuffing (repeating and putting the words bike and Vancouver where they don’t belong)
❌ Clearly not written for humans … or dogs
❌ Does not read well/feels unnatural
Here’s that example corrected:
Located in the heart of Vancouver, Brett’s Bikes has been serving cycling enthusiasts from Burnaby to Richmond for over a decade. Our award-winning team specializes in mountain bikes, e-bikes, and comprehensive repair services, ensuring you're always ready to hit the trails. Trusted by over 5,000 riders and voted 'Vancouver's Best Bike Shop' in 2022, we're your one-stop destination for all things cycling. Come drop by at Brett’s Bikes today!
✅ Keywords are naturally integrated in the description
✅ Easy to read
✅ Has social proof with the mention of number of riders and award
Remember, you only have 750 characters for this section, use them wisely!
#3 Images
Over the past five years, global searches for “near me” have increased, which means shoppers want to come to your store, but they might need a few images before they can commit.
What is the parking situation like? What’s the look and feel of your store? How large is your selection of different categories? Where is the repair counter?
The types of images Google recommends to put on your Google Business Profile fall in 3 categories:
Your shop (exterior/interior, departments, service areas)
Your people (your team, events)
Your selection (products and services in action)
#4 Go Beyond Your Location
Even though your store is located in a specific area, potential customers near you might be searching for a business that offers your products and services but followed by their own neighborhood.
For example: [Brett to insert example with Colorado]
This is why Google has the option to add ‘areas served’, which makes it easy for businesses to add cities, neighborhoods, or relevant terms used by your people in your area.
#5 Add Products and Services
You are about to be shocked by the power of an optimized Google Business Profile.
This is Ikeono customer Las Vegas Cyclery, they have followed Google Business Profile best practices, connected their socials, have perfect NAP consistency, but in this case we are looking at how they list the products.
Notice how the first product listed is a Specialized Epic EVO?
Well if you are interested in this bike and are in Las Vegas and are looking to visit a shop or see who in your local area will have this bike, you will most likely search ‘Specialized Epic EVO Las Vegas’ and look who appears as the first result, even before the official Specialized website.
This is the power of local SEO and having an optimized Google Business Profile.
#6 Don’t Forget Attributes
The Google attributes available for your business can depend on the business category you choose (i.g. bike shop, a shoe store, a jewelry store, etc).
Why are attributes important?
Attributes answer questions for shoppers that are looking for specific answers.
If an attribute exists, this means that shoppers have looked for the same thing often enough for Google to turn these searches into attributes.
Google wants businesses within your category to highlight these attributes.
Remember the rule of thumb with Google Business Profiles is to have a complete profile, which means if a data point is available for you to input, you should not leave it empty.
There are attributes for accessibility, planning (describes whether an appointment is needed to access your services), languages, payment options, and more.
Here’s an example of an Ikeono customer describing service options (In-store shopping, curbside pickup, delivery).
Did you know? Manhattan Running Co is the shoe store in Manhattan, Kansas with the highest number of reviews 🤯?
Even more than retail giant Hibbett Sports.
#7 Get Customers to Add Keywords
Every business loves 5-star reviews ⭐, but do you know what’s even better?
When customers repeatedly report on their purchases and name what they bought and which part of their experience they actually enjoyed!
Ever wondered how these words appear at the top of Google reviews?
These words appear there because customers have repeated them in their reviews. This helps your local SEO because now everytime someone looks for something a little more specific, for example ‘wine shop cheese pairing Atlanta’ they are able to find exactly what they are looking for.
How can you achieve this?
Business text messaging lets you check in with customers after their purchase, helping you create a relationship with them and the beauty of texting is that you can very casually ask for a review and tailor your question around their purchase and experience.
If the world of business text messaging is completely new to you, we have all the information you need here, and if you are curious about how to increase your Google reviews and optimize your Google Business Profile, we can also help with that.
What's the Takeaway?
Focusing on local SEO is a tool you need in your toolkit because the customer journey starts the moment shoppers search for anything you sell.