Without a doubt, an updated Google Business Profile (GBP) is key to a business’ local visibility. But claiming, verifying and maintaining a Google Business Profile with the correct hours, location, categories and fresh, engaging content can be an additional burden for already overworked business owners. A Google Business Profile maintenance & management service can provide the expertise businesses need to thrive online and achieve offline success.
What Is the Purpose of a Google Business Profile?
Simply put, the purpose of a Google Business Profile is to help consumers find up-to-date business information easily. From a business perspective, it helps you present that data consistently while sharing other insights your community finds useful. Google Business Profile rebranded from Google My Business in 2021, but the search giant’s commitment to “putting local businesses on the map” did not change.
A Google Business Profile service helps you maintain your GBP in multiple ways, which we’ll discuss below. The major takeaway is that having an active profile in Google’s proprietary directory means visibility in Search, Google Maps, Gemini (Google’s AI) and their entire ecosystem. An optimized GBP is key to driving more traffic to your location or obtaining more requests for your services and/or purchases of your products.
How Google Business Profile Maintenance Supports Business
Google Business Profile maintenance means making ongoing updates to keep key listing details accurate, current and consistent over time. By having a GBP, you control the narrative about who you are online and the products and services you offer to the public. It’s certainly an important part of business listing management, yet it’s so much more than just a simple business citation. To comprehend its value, let’s examine why maintaining your Google Business Profile is so important.
1. An Optimized GBP Is a Major Ranking Factor
Local search ranking factors are the elements determined through testing and communication with Google that experts believe help businesses show up online. A properly optimized GBP can improve visibility, support placement in the Local Pack and Google Maps, and increase the chances your information appears in AI-powered results such as AI Overviews. Consistent maintenance of your GBP leads to you outranking your competitors when users search.
Ongoing maintenance helps keep your hours, categories, services and photos current so that when customers find you, they are presented with accurate information.
2. Direct Access to Potential Customers
GBP is more than a business citation directory. It’s also a place to introduce you to new customers and interact with your customer base. You can capture and retain your audience through consistent content updates, product launches and more. You can also see which updates get the most engagement, so future posts and photos reflect what customers respond to.
Through GBP posts published on behalf of your business, you can drive traffic to your website, get more phone calls, and provide valuable information that helps the searcher understand what you offer. And importantly, it also helps Google (and AI) to surface your business for specific queries searchers make.
3. Maintenance Helps Keep Listing Details Accurate
GBP allows you to establish and build trust in your brand by providing information that makes it simple for consumers to connect with you in the format they prefer. However, Google does allow users to add, suggest and edit information on the profile. As you would expect, the highly interactive nature of the GBP can lead to consumer-created inaccurate listing details.
Of course, inaccurate or inconsistent business information can lead to confusion, missed connections and lost opportunities. A GBP maintenance service helps ensure that user-generated edits to contact information, hours and other key details are accurate. When they are not correct, public edits to your Google Business Profile can negatively affect your online presence.
4. Management & Maintenance Make Conversions Possible
Everyone is vying for more of the public’s attention. Local SEO exists to help businesses stand out from their competitors online, and competition is fierce. When consumers search, the data returned often comes from an active, well-maintained Google Business Profile. Regular activity signals the algorithm to “trust” a business. Activity includes updated photos, posts about specials or events, product and service updates, and reviews managed by the business.
Rather than adding another task to your overloaded plate, a GBP maintenance service can take care of these updates for you. A profile with fresh data stands out online, helping you to get seen by searching eyes. That means more calls, more clicks to your website, more maps pulled for directions and more foot traffic to your location. GBP maintenance removes the friction from engagement, setting you up to convert the curious into customers.
Increase Local Visibility With a GBP Maintenance Service
Rocks Digital is an expert in helping businesses stand out online, bringing in the customers and qualified leads you need to excel. Providing Google Business Profile management and maintenance is just one vital part of our local SEO services. To learn how we can help you, request a Google Business Profile audit, or call us today at (214) 989-7549.
