Your Google profile (formerly: Google My Business Profile (GMB)) is a vital marketing asset. Some 46% of Google searches looking for local services combined with the enhanced local visibility of small businesses that learn how to create a Google Business Profile mean this one simple, effective marketing strategy can drastically improve your lead and revenue generation potential.
In this post, we’ll break down why your Google Business Profile should become your top marketing priority, how to localize your presence to reach the highest-value leads in your community, and how to leverage this platform to meet marketing goals as a personal care services business. So, let’s put on our running shoes and get ready, set, get noticed online!
Why Google Business Profiles Matter in Personal Care
According to Google research, an estimated 90% of local Google searches result in a person showing up at or contacting a local business within 24 hours. Your ability to become visible and quickly communicate that you’re the best local company for the job can lead to a lot of high-value traffic.
Setting up your Google Business profile allows you to build this trust and communicate your value without the potential client even having to visit your website. You can think of it as a more condensed website with only the most vital information, including:
- Hours
- Locations
- Services
- Offers
- Reviews
- User-uploaded images/content
- Updates
Personal care is a trust-based business. It’s not just about being able to provide the service. You have to prove that you listen to clients, do good work, address concerns promptly, and are generally appreciated in the community. And you can demonstrate all of this by creating a Google Business Profile.
Here’s how to claim your Google profile, fill it out completely, and keep it updated to reap big rewards.
Step 1: How to Create a Google Business Profile the Right Way
Always check for an existing business first. Sometimes, Google creates a basic template for you when they become aware of your business. If you find your business, go to Google Business Profile Manager and select “Manage Now.”.
Now, if you find that you’re not there, which is possible if you’re relatively new, you will indeed need to create a Google Business Profile. Start by logging into Google. Then go to the Business Profile Page.
Whether you create a Google Business Profile from scratch or claim an existing one, you’ll begin adding missing information like your address, phone number, and website.
Make sure everything is correct, matches the information on your website, and is consistent across other locations like directories, social media, and review platforms. This consistency increases Client and Google’s trust. Consider using small business software to add, track, and update citations on relevant directories to get found to maintain consistency and eliminate tedious data entry.
Step 2: Verify You Own this Business
Google will use the information you provided and other data it can collect from your website or other locations to verify that you own the business before it updates the information for all to see. Follow the steps Google gives you to confirm your ownership of this business.
You may have to make a phone call, send emails, or mail them confirmation. So, be ready to take some extra steps.
We promise it will be worth your time.
Step 3: Optimize Your Google Business Profile
You actually have quite a bit to do here. So, we’ll break it down over the next several steps. But suffice it to say that the more complete, accurate, helpful, and localized your page is, the more effective it will become at reaching local clients at just the right time—when they’re searching for services you offer.
Once you’ve created the Google Business Profile be prepared to spend some time adding information, reviewing insights, and optimizing to maximize local visibility in search, including Google Maps. Clients have to find your business to use your services, after all.
Step 4: Add Key Information
You’ve already added the most important stuff. Now, it’s time to fill out the details. Clients will want to know your hours of operation, services, and any offers.
Be sure to do some local keyword research to find out how people are searching for your services, what they call them, and which they look for most often. This will help you create highly relevant service descriptions.
Step 4: Add High-Quality Photos
Upload images of your products, facilities, and services to showcase your offerings visually. A picture is worth 1000 words. But remember to get written permission before including a picture of a client or other person.
If you don’t have many clients yet, ask family or friends to help you demonstrate your services visually. When possible, add local imagery that communicates that you’re in the community. This could include anything from leading a workout group in a recognizable local park to wearing a t-shirt for the local high school or college team.
Volunteer imagery at a local soup kitchen or pet shelter is also powerful. These aren’t for showing off. They establish you are a part of the same community as your visitors are.
Step 5: Add a Cover Image and Logo
Show off your company’s style and flair with an eye-catching cover and logo. Remember, this is one of the first things people see. So, make it something that makes people want to click and scroll through your personal services offerings.
Step 6: Add Relevant Identity Attributes People May Search for
Some people seek specific types of businesses to support in their community or feel more comfortable in business with certain traits. So, if any of these apply to you, it can drive a small percentage of additional clients your way.
Some options to consider include Veteran-Owned, Women-owned, Indigenous-owned, Black-Owned, LGBTQ+-Friendly, etc.
You’ll probably find something here to include, so don’t skip this section. But if none of the items apply to you, just move on. Most clients will choose you for your reputation and how you treat people, not how you identify.
Step 7: Add General Attributes
General attributes can fall into several categories and are worth considering. For example, if you offer free Wi-Fi, garage parking, or public restrooms, that can be a big deal to some. Others want to know if you take walk-ins or have wide doors for wheelchairs. These are searchable selling points.
This section should certainly include how you accept payments. Even if people aren’t searching for a personal trainer who takes Venmo, they’ll see it and consider which options to use.
Step 8: Add Some Updates
Start by creating a series of 3-5 posts to add to your page. This will help your page look “active.” These posts should showcase your location and services and can include memes, text, videos, images, and buttons directing people to your website.
Take this opportunity to do some keyword research and add more search phrases people may use to find your services. Keep these posts concise and viewable on mobile. Use them to highlight special offers, deals, or services. Explore a variety of formats to encourage visitors to scroll through them.
Then, create a posting schedule you can stick with. One post a week is ideal for most businesses and easy to maintain.
Small business online reputation software can streamline the Google post creation and publishing process with pre-optimized templates and AI-creation software. These tools can publish updates across multiple reviews and social media platforms, helping you be everywhere at once with less work.
Then they can track Google Business Profile, Bing, Yelp, and all social media performance from an all-in-one marketing platform.
Step 9: Get Reviews
Automate the review request process via text and email to get more 5-star reviews. Send personalized review requests to clients along with a friendly reminder. These reviews from local clients further localize your Google Business Profile, demonstrating that you’re serving people in your community.
Encourage reviewers to add photos, such as before-and-afters, to showcase visually. Ask them to specifically mention services and how they feel about them to help others find needed services.
Step 10: Respond to Reviews
Provide personalized responses to reviews—good and bad— to show you’re listening. AI-powered tools can help you quickly compose empathetic and professional responses while keeping you informed about review sentiment and service issues you may need to address.
Step 11: Utilize Research Tools and Analytics to Optimize
Tools like keyword researchers, AI sentiment analysis, cross-platform performance reports, and competitor tracking can help you better understand your Google Business profile performance and how all of your online assets are working together to drive more high-value leads to your company.
These valuable insights allow you to adjust your strategy to meet marketing goals more effectively.
Get ready to get found on Google with a localized Google Business Profile. To learn how our all-in-one reputation management and marketing platform can help, schedule a demo.