Boost Your Business Online: Strategies for Maximizing Your Google Business Profile

A Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business is a free listing online that you can use to increase the visibility of your business on Google. We still get many clients who don’t understand the importance of the GBP or how to use it and manage to grow their business. In this guide, I’ll show you the 4 principles of E-E-A-T you need to follow to increase visibility on google to get more customers and the strategies behind.

Experience

The first and newest edition to our principles Google added and that you can use to increase the quality and discoverability of your Google Business Profile is: Experience.

Let’s take at what google says about experience:

Consider the extent to which the content creator has the necessary first-hand or life experience for the topic. For example, which would you trust: a product review from someone who has personally used the product or a "review" by someone who has not?

How can we apply this to our profile? SInce google is looking for information related to genuine experiences, reviews that include photos showcasing the product in the actual review like this example:

This signals to google that the reviewer visited the location and provided pictures of the product during the visit and in the review. So, encouraging customers to not only to review your business but to include some photos of the product or service they reviewed will build your experience.

Expertise

The second principle is expertise. Now the first that comes to mind when we say expertise might be degrees, licenses, membership is some prestigious association but many small businesses may need those things to be an expert in their field or business. Let’s take a look at what google says about expertise:

Consider the extent to which the content creator has the necessary knowledge or skill for the topic. Different topics require different levels and types of expertise to be trustworthy.  For example, which would you trust: home electrical rewiring advice from a skilled electrician or from an antique homes enthusiast who has no knowledge of electrical wiring?

Expertise doesn't necessarily mean education or degrees because your local retail shop owner or crafter may not have a fancy degree but does have expertise in their specific craft.

So how can you communicate expertise for your Google Business Profile?

• Strive to get mentions of your industry in reviews. If a reviewer mentions your industry then that signals to Google your expertise
• Connect your social media accounts to share expertise in your industry. If you share content that talks about your expertise then that will contribute to expertise too. 
• How-to content on Youtube. A youtube channel related to your business shows your expertise increases your visibility.
• Posts and videos that demonstrate expertise. Creating Posts or videos that demonstrate your expertise on your profile. 
• Links to blog posts. Creating backlinks to your website or to posts you have created on guest sites with a call to action can impact your profile.

Authority

As a business you want to come across as an authority, especially if you are a service provider like a consultant. Here’s what Google says about it:

Consider the extent to which the content creator or the website is known as a go-to source for the topic. While most topics do not have one official, Authoritative website or content creator, when they do, that website or content creator is often among the most reliable and trustworthy sources.

When people want info, they check out the go-to person or authority in that field. To be the authority, a business has got to prove it's dependable and can be trusted. You do that by using all the cool stuff in your Google Business Profile.

That's where using all the cool features in your Google Business Profile comes in like your address, phone number, pictures of your place, and maybe even some awesome reviews from happy customers.

How can you build authority on your Google Business Profile? Here are some tips:

• Publish Google profile posts
• Encourage customers to post reviews
• Upload images to listing about your products, services and events.
• Add and respond to Q & A’s to

Trust

Trust is the highest priority. The convergence of Experience, Expertise and Authority is where trust lies and where you build it.

Trust is about knowing your stuff is accurate, easy to find, and legit. Take, for instance, the retail giant, Costco. Their Contact Us page is like a beacon of trustworthiness, offering heaps of ways for customers to reach out. It screams, “we're legit and we're here to help you!”

However, trust isn't just about being experienced, expert, and authoritative. There's more to it. Think about stuff like customer service details for online shops or peer-reviewed papers for academics. These little things can make a big difference in how much the public can trust your business online.

How can you apply this to your Google Business Profile?

• Make sure you respond to ALL reviews, good and bad. 
• Optimize your GBP and use all features like hours, amenities, and contact information to build trust
• Like any relationship, trust takes time so be patient and consistent

Conclusion

Managing your Google Business Profile to grow your small business can be confusing on what to post or how to approach it. Combining all these strategies and utilizing all the principles will build trust and increase visibility on google. You just need to invest time into optimizing your profile by adding content like posts, pictures and video at least once per week and replying to reviews to manage your reputation. Remember you have access to insights like how many people search for your business, call or message you and to keep with them to make new sales.