A SMALL

BUSINESS
OWNER'S GUIDE

TO GOOGLE
BUSINESS PROFILES
TABLE OF
CONTENTS

1 What is a Google
Business Profile?

2 Setting Up Your Profile

5 Optimizing Your
Google Business
Profile

6 Troubleshooting your
Google Business Profile

8 Posting on your Google

Business Profile

10 Get Help From the Pros

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WHAT IS A GOOGLE
BUSINESS PROFILE?
Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is a free tool that lets you manage how your
business shows up on Google products, like Maps and Search. With a Google Business Profile (GBP), you can
update your hours, share important information with your customers, and manage reviews.

WHY DO YOU NEED A GBP?

Google Business Profiles boost visibility across Google products.
Instead of just appearing as links in local searches, your business can also pop up...

HERE: HERE: AND HERE:

Being more visible to searchers in your local area = more leads for your business!

Having a GBP is the BEST way to rank for local keywords, like “Chiropractor Colorado
Springs,” “Furnace Repair Near Me” or “Best Landscaper in San Francisco.”

Other benefits include:

SHOWING UP IN MAPS WHEN SOMEONE COLLECTING AND MANAGING REVIEWS, QUICKLY UPDATING YOUR ONLINE
SEARCHES FOR YOUR LOCAL COMPETITORS SO YOUR FIVE-STAR RATING IS ONE OF BUSINESS INFO FOR WEATHER CLOSURES
THE FIRST THINGS PEOPLE SEE WHEN OR SUMMER HOUR CHANGES TO KEEP
SEARCHING FOR A SERVICE LIKE YOURS. CUSTOMERS INFORMED INSTANTLY.
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SETTING UP YOUR GBP

FOR THE FIRST TIME
STEP 1: Create or log in to your existing Google account.

If you don’t have a Google account already, use your business email address to create your free
account. Then visit this URL: google.com/business, and click the “Manage Now” button.

STEP 2: See if there’s an existing listing for your business.

Even if you haven’t created a business profile yet, someone may have added your business to
Maps, or a previous owner may have set one up. If there’s an existing profile, click “Request
Access” and follow the instructions provided. Creating a new profile when one already exists
can result in Google suspending your profile.

STEP 3: Enter the name of your business.

It’s important to use the business name that appears

on your website, storefront, and marketing materials.

Some businesses try to improve their GBP ranking by PRO TIP:

adding keywords related to their service in their
Keep your business name,
business name, but Google doesn’t like this AT ALL!
address, and phone
Not only can it come across as spammy, but using a number consistent across
different business name than what’s on your site can
the internet.
actually hurt your SEO. Using consistent business
information on all of your listings and platforms
helps Google (and other people) understand who you
are and what you do.

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STEP 4: Choose your primary business category.

Choose the category that most accurately describes

your business. If there are multiple categories that fit
your service offerings, you can do a bit of research to
decide which will give your listing the most visibility.
(You can also add secondary categories later.)

Start by looking up your competitors on Google Maps

to see what primary business categories they’re using.
This is a good starting point, but there may still be a
better option.

If you have access to a keyword research tool, type the different business categories into your
tool to find the term with the best search volume and lowest competition. That is the category
that will perform the best for your business.

If you don’t have a keyword tool, there are free and low-cost versions available like Google
Keyword Planner and Keywords Everywhere. It’s also okay to choose the category that you
think fits best with your services and skip this step. You can always edit it later.

STEP 5: Enter your location or service area.

Google will then ask if you have a storefront or if you meet customers
at a secondary location, such as a plumber or consultant. You will be
prompted to either add your address or select service area.

You can select up to 20 zip codes for your service area, but it’s best to
keep them within the same general area or you may not rank as well.
(Google recommends choosing areas within 2 hours of your location.)

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STEP 6: Enter your phone number and website.

Displaying this information allows people to

quickly and easily find out more about your
business and contact you to book a service.

Note: make sure to use the same information

here that you use on your website, social
media, and other business listings.

Why?

Because Google knows that your business name, address, and phone number (or NAP) are
key pieces of information for any person that wants to buy from you, they actually use them
as a ranking factor. If you use different names or phone numbers across the internet, Google
won’t trust that you’re a credible business and likely won’t show your listing to searchers.

STEP 7: Verify your profile.

You will need to verify your profile through video verification. Then Google will review your listing,
which can take up to 7 days.

Sometimes Google will request additional information to verify your listing. They may send a
postcard with further instructions to your business location or ask you to provide another verification
method.

Your listing will not show up on Google until it is verified, so complete this step as quickly as
possible and respond promptly to additional requests from Google.

Here’s a step-by-step guide!

Congratulations! You’re all set up!

Keep reading for ways to get the most

out of your Google Business Profile.

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MAKING YOUR GBP

MORE VISIBLE
Now that you have a Google Business Profile, it’s time to optimize it. Optimizing your profile
improves your visibility and allows you to show up in all of those places we mentioned earlier.
Here are a few of the strategies we use with our clients:

BE THOROUGH RESEARCH
Complete every section of your Google COMPETITORS
Business Profile. Once set up, you can add a
Use GMB Everywhere to find competitor
business description, secondary categories,
categories and get profile ideas. It also shows
hours, and services.
how your listing looks in service searches.

REQUEST UPDATE YOUR

CUSTOMER PROFILE
REVIEWS
Inform customers about any changes in hours or
Google ranks based on review quantity and early closures for holidays. This fosters trust with
both your customers and Google. You can even
keywords. Ask customers to mention the
create posts about upcoming sales or events.
service they hired you for in reviews..

RESPOND TO ADD PHOTOS AND

FEEDBACK VIDEOS
And once you have reviews, create a personalized This makes your business appear more trustworthy
response to each one, even the negative ones! to potential customers.
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TROUBLESHOOTING
YOUR GBP

What should I do if my
profile’s been suspended?
If your GBP has been suspended, it’s because your profile is not following
Google’s guidelines for a business listing. Here are a few things to check:

Are you using a virtual office as a business address? If you don’t have an
official business address, change your profile settings to a service area
business or use your home address to register.
Are you accurately representing your business? Make sure your business
name is correct and doesn’t include extra information. Google also
recommends not using too many secondary business categories, but picking
the right ones can make your profile more visible.
Are you using the same address for business listings in different cities? To
have Colorado Springs and Denver listings, for example, you should have
separate addresses and phone numbers for each.
Does your business have multiple listings? Google only allows one listing
per business, unless you have multiple locations. Request access to the
original listing and post your updates there.

Once you’ve corrected the issue

with your profile, you can file a
reinstatement request with
Google.
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I got a bad review on my profile.

Is there anything I can do about
it?
If you receive a bad review, it’s best to follow up with the customer directly to see if there’s
anything you can do to resolve the situation. No one likes to receive bad reviews, but if you
respond with professionalism, you’ll continue to build trust with your customers. Plus, Google
finds it a bit suspicious if you only have positive reviews.

If you believe that the review was posted by a competitor or former employee, however, then
you can report a conflict of interest to Google and request to have the review removed.

I have two listings. How can I

merge my profiles?
If you accidentally made two Google Business Profiles for the same business, follow the steps
below to merge your profiles.

1. Make sure you have access to both listings. You can see all of the listings you have access
to on your GPB dashboard. If you don’t have access to the duplicate listing, you’ll need to
search for the listing and follow these instructions to request access.
2. Submit a claim with Google by filling out this form:
https://support.google.com/business/gethelp. Once you fill out the form, select the
business you are trying to merge listings for. Then select "merge profiles."
3. Fill out the contact information section using your business email address.
4. If it asks for a URL for your Maps listing, enter your business address (as it appears on your
GBP) into Google Maps then copy the URL.
5. Hit submit and wait for Google to email you with follow-up instructions. A majority of the
time they'll just take care of it for you.
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PAGE08
8

POSTING ON YOUR
GBP

To create a post on your

Google My Business page:

1. Log in to your Google My Business account.

2. On the left-hand side, click on "Posts" in the

menu.

3. Click on the "+" icon to create a new post.

3. Choose the type of post you want to create

(e.g., What's New, Event, Offer, or Product).

4. Add your content, such as text, images,

event details, or offers.

5. Preview your post to ensure it looks how

you want it to.

6. Once satisfied, click "Publish" to make your

post live on your Google My Business profile.
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What to do if your Google Business

Profile post has been removed?
If you create a post for your Google Business Profile, Google will review the content
before it goes live. Occasionally, they will remove the post for violating their content
policy, but you can repost once you find and correct the issue.

DO DON'T
Post relevant Include your business
business content phone number (it's
already displayed)
Edit carefully and
use a spell-checker Post spam content

Share inappropriate
information, such as
personal details
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WHO
WE ARE
We help get small businesses the visibility
they deserve with strategic web design, SEO,
and digital marketing. We are an award-
winning digital marketing company helping
hundreds of small businesses reach success
and grow their businesses by generating them
more leads online.

THE SUCCEEDING
SMALL PODCAST
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where we share the small business stories &
strategies that will take you through every step
of your journey as you start, scale, and succeed
in business.

TUNE IN

OUR TOP EPISODES

SEO EXPLAINED in Under 20 Minutes

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 PAGE 11
MARKETING PROPOSAL

GET MORE
LOCAL LEADS

If your small business isn’t getting the

visibility it deserves, contact us today!
We can help you set up and optimize
your Google Business Profile, or, if you
have that part under control, create a
comprehensive SEO strategy for your
business. Let us know how we can
support you!

HELP ME WITH MY PROFILE MORE EDUCATION

Madeleine Costa
& THE SUCCEEDING SMALL
TEAM

[email protected]

SucceedingSmall.co