Having a strong online presence is essential for any small business looking to succeed. With 89% of consumers turning to the internet to find local businesses, it’s important to ensure that your business is visible and easily accessible online. One simple and effective way to do this is by using your Google Business Profile, or GBP. to improve your local SEO and rank higher in local search results.

Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google My Business, is a free tool offered by Google that allows businesses to manage their online presence on the search engine. By creating a profile, you can provide potential customers with important information about your business, such as your address, phone number, website, and opening hours. You can also add photos and respond to customer reviews.

One of the most significant benefits of using GBP is that it can improve your business’s local search ranking or SEO. Local search ranking refers to how high up your business appears in Google’s search results when users search for businesses in a specific geographic area. By optimising your Google Business Profile listing, you can increase the likelihood of your business appearing at the top of these results, making it more visible and accessible to potential customers.

Here are some tips for using your GBP to improve your small business’s local search ranking:

1. Complete your Google Business Profile

The first step to improving your local search ranking is to ensure that your Google Business Profile is complete and up-to-date. This means providing accurate information about your business, including your address, phone number, website, and opening hours. You should also add photos of your business and ensure that your listing is categorised correctly.

2. Encourage customer reviews

Customer reviews are an important factor in local search ranking. Encouraging your customers to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile can help to improve your ranking, as well as provide valuable feedback that can help you improve your business. Responding to customer reviews can also help to build trust with potential customers.

3. Use relevant keywords in your Google Business Profile

Keywords are words or phrases added to online content so that people can find it using search engines. By including relevant keywords in your Google Business Profile, you can increase the likelihood of your business appearing in relevant search results. Be sure to include keywords in your business description, as well as in the titles of your photos.

4. Use Google Posts

Google Posts are short, informative updates that appear directly in your Google Business Profile. Using Google Posts to promote special offers, events, or new products can help to increase engagement with your listing, as well as improve your local search ranking.

5. Keep your information up to date

Finally, it’s important to ensure that your Google Business Profile is always up to date. This means regularly checking that your address, phone number, website, and opening hours are accurate, and making changes as necessary.

Using Google Business Profiles can be an effective way to improve your small business’s local search ranking. By ensuring that your listing is complete, encouraging customer reviews, using keywords, and using Google Posts, you can increase the visibility of your business online and attract more customers. 

Do you need some help with digital marketing and SEO? Our team can help you access this, and a wealth of other digitalisation solutions that can help boost your business.