What is Google My Business?
Google Min Bedrift (also known as GMB, Google My Business and Google business profile) is a dedicated listing in Google Search and Google Maps that gives potential customers an overview of local shops and businesses. For each listing, you will find, among other things, the company’s contact information, location, and business category (for example, a digital agency).
3 good reasons to create a Google My Business profile
1
Increased visibility in local Google searches By creating a GMB profile, your company will appear in local searches on Google and in Google Maps. In other words, it is a relatively simple way to work with local SEO. At the same time, it is important to remember that Google’s algorithm is updated fairly often, which means you should regularly optimize the profile to increase your chances of appearing among the top results in local searches.
2
Potential customers can easily access the essential information about the company
In a GMB profile, you add key information about the company – such as contact details, opening hours, address, and a link to the website. This makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.
3
Positive customer reviews can attract potential customers and increase sales
A large share of buyers rely on customer reviews when making a purchase decision. If your Google Business Profile contains a number of positive customer reviews, the likelihood increases that you will attract more potential customers and boost sales.
How to set up Google My Business – step by step
STEP 1: Log in or create a Google account
Before you can set up a GMB profile, you need to either create or log in with a business account.
You can create a new account here: Google account creation.
STEP 2: Log in to “Google My Business”
Go to Google Business Profile and click the “Manage” button. You will then be asked to sign in with your Google account if you are not already signed in.
STEP 3: Enter your company name
Once you’re logged in, click on “add a business”. Then enter your business name and add a business category. The business category is the main category that describes your company and helps Google understand which services or products your business offers. Examples include “Hairdresser”, “Restaurant” or “Digital agency”.
STEP 4: Enter key business information
You will then be asked to enter other key information about your company – such as address, phone number, and website (if you have one).
STEP 5: Optimize your profile
Once the basic information is in place, it’s time to optimize your profile. Note: You can do this both before and after your GMB profile is verified, and the information can also be updated at a later time.
Here is a list of some of the elements you can work on to optimize your profile:
Opening hours
Enter which days and times your business is open to customers.
Images
Add high-quality images of your business. This helps spark interest and gives customers a better understanding of the experience they can expect when they visit you.
- Cover image
Gives potential customers a first impression of your business. It’s important that the image is high quality and looks inviting. If you run a hair salon, for example, you can upload a photo from inside the salon.
- Profile picture
Your profile image will, among other things, appear when you respond to customer reviews. The most common approach is to use an image of your company logo.
- Other images
In addition to a cover image and profile image, it is highly recommended to include more photos of your business. For example, this could be photos of employees and/or the interior of your store/business.
Recommended size and format:
- Format: JPG or PNG
- Size: Between 10 KB and 5 MB
- Recommended resolution: 720 px * 720 px (1024 x 575 for cover images).
Company description
It can be beneficial to include a description of your company. The description does not need to be long, but it should give potential customers insight into why they should choose you over your competitors.
The description should include:
- Industry (business category)
- Which products/services you offer
- Which geographic area you deliver products/services in
- USP – why should potential customers choose you over your competitors?
STEP 6: Verify your business
After confirming your setup, you need to verify your business before it can become visible in Google search and on Google Maps. The most common way to do this is through a code sent by mail. Follow the instructions to complete the verification process.
Google My Business is verified and published – what now?
Once your GMB profile is registered and verified, you can at any time access the user dashboard in your account to make any desired changes.
Here are some final tips for the road ahead:
Customer reviews
Customer reviews are absolutely essential and can help you stand out positively in local search.
Imagine you’re looking for a hair salon nearby. You do a search on Google and see that one salon has plenty of positive customer reviews, while the competing salon on the corner has a series of negative reviews (and in the worst case hasn’t even responded to them). Suddenly, choosing a hairdresser becomes quite easy.
Always make sure to facilitate great customer experiences and encourage customers to leave a review. You can do this verbally, for example, or by sharing the link to where customers can leave a review on social media. There are plenty of opportunities here!
But even though achieving a wealth of positive customer reviews should be an overarching goal for everyone, there is in reality no way to fully protect yourself against negative reviews. It is therefore absolutely essential that you, especially when receiving negative feedback, respond quickly and preferably encourage the dissatisfied customer to get in direct contact so the issue can be resolved.
Continuously monitoring and responding to customer reviews is an effective way to show that you take customer feedback seriously – regardless of whether it is negative or positive.
Update your account regularly
- It is important that you keep your business information up to date at all times, including opening hours, services, and address. This helps prevent frustration and loss of potential customers.
- Have you taken any new, high-quality photos of your premises? Upload them to your account. First impressions often make a big difference!
- Do you have any special offers, events, or campaigns? Update your account with this information. It’s another opportunity to attract attention and engagement from potential customers!
How to update Google My Business?
Fortunately, it’s very easy to update your Google business account. Once you’re logged in, a menu will appear at the top of Google when you search for your business:
Here you can easily “edit profile”, “add photo”, and gain insight and analysis on the activity in the account under “Performance”. When you make a change, for example to the phone number, Google will review it and then publish the update. You will be notified when it has been published.
Summary
Google My Business is a simple and, not least, free way for companies to achieve strong visibility in local search results. By creating an account and optimizing it regularly, you significantly increase the chances that potential customers will find you faster.
We hope this article has been helpful and wish you the best of luck setting up your Google Business Profile!
