Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is an essential part of your pet spa’s online presence, so it’s important that you claim your profile and make the most of it.
A fully optimized GBP can help you gain visibility and attract new leads. In fact, as a free business listing provided by the biggest search engine in the world, you really can’t afford to ignore it.
There is some work involved in setting up your profile and optimizing it, but the benefits are well worth the effort.
Read on for Surefire Local’s Google Business Profile tips for pet spas.
What is a Google Business Profile?
Your Google Business Profile is really another business directory listing, just like your listing on Angi or Yelp. However, as it’s been provided by Google themselves, we’d suggest it’s the most important listing you can have and that it’s vital to claim it. Google doesn’t do things for no reason, and if this exists, it’s because they want you to use it.
You can add highly detailed information about your business, including your contact details, opening hours, service descriptions, copy about your business, frequently asked questions, and more.
This can be a hub on the internet with all the information your customers need to make a buying decision and book with you.
You’ll need to do some work to optimize it and turn it into a thriving, highly active profile that draws people in, but it’s very possible to do that, and we’re going to show you how.
Benefits of having a Google Business Profile
We’ve listed below just some of the benefits you’ll get from investing time in your Google Business Profile. It’s not a set-it-and-forget-it task. You do have to maintain and update your profile, but we definitely feel the benefits are worth the time you’ll spend:
Increased visibility and better rankings in local search results
You will need to claim your GBP and to do this, you’ll need to verify your business to Google, which is very straightforward. The good thing about this is that now you’ve proved to Google that you’re a genuine, existing business. Google wants to promote genuine businesses that provide great content and valuable services to clients, and you’ve just taken step one to build trust with Google.
Once you have your profile filled in and optimized, you’ll find that it does give you increased visibility in the search engines and in local search. With a quality profile, you have a much better chance of being listed in the Google Map Pack, the three business results at the top of the search results. This is prime positioning that can bring you increased traffic and far more leads.
As you optimize your profile, you need to ensure that you are using great keywords, long tail keywords, and local keywords to gain visibility.
Makes it easier to get more reviews
Visitors can post reviews right on your GBP and it’s helpful to encourage them to do that. The more reviews you have the better, partly because of the important social proof they provide, but also because the number of reviews is one of the factors that might get you listed in the Map Pack.
You can also respond to reviews on your profile and create an excellent impression and the feel of a real community. Fill in your profile and handle your reviews just as you would in person and you’ll be giving people a real taste of what it’s like to bring their precious pooch to your pet spa.
Free and easy to use
It’s really hard to turn down free marketing, supplied by the biggest search engine, that’s actually really easy to use and maintain. You don’t often get gifts like that in marketing, so take it and run with it! It takes a little setting up, but once it’s done, it just needs to be updated and maintained.
How to Set Up a Google Business Profile
Before you can update your profile, you’ll need to claim it. Go to Google Maps and find your business, then look for the option to “Claim This Business/Manage Now.” Click that, and you’ll then be given options to verify your business.
You can verify via text, email, phone or video, and within seven days, you should be verified by Google.
Google now allows you to edit your Google Business Profile directly in Google Search or Maps. So search for your business name first to find your profile.
You can then edit and manage your listing to suit.
Optimizing your Google Business Profile to attract more customers
Take your time when filling in your GBP. It does matter to get this right and include everything you need to include. Miss something and you may find you aren’t as visible or that you don’t get the chance to be listed in the Google Map Pack.
Work through the steps and check you’ve got everything as you go.
1) Complete your profile
You cannot miss out on a single section on your GBP. You must complete all of it. If you don’t, it won’t be fully optimized or nearly as effective for you.
You need to carefully select the categories you want to be found in (up to ten) and fill in the section about what services you provide.
Then think through what you would want to know as a potential customer of your pet spa. Add your opening times, and your full contact details, including your location.
While you are filling everything in, think about what keywords to use. It’s just as important to use SEO here as it is on your website.
Make sure you answer questions in the Q&A section, and don’t leave any field empty.
Your NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) should be accurate and consistent wherever you write it, and definitely on your GBP. If it’s not, it can create doubt in both potential customers’ minds and for Google that you are the same business and that you are genuine. Double-check this every time you write it.
2) Write a compelling and authentic business description
This is your chance to speak directly to your potential customers and tell them why they should choose you. Use your brand voice here, just as you would on your website and social media, and add your keywords for visibility.
More importantly, be personable and genuine. People need to like and trust you before they will book with you, and this is your chance to put across why they should. This is the place to blow your own trumpet and show off any awards if you have them, and the place to connect with your visitors.
3) Upload photos and videos of your business
People love to see images and videos of businesses as they browse. They want to know what it’s like to visit and what they can expect when they come to see you. You have so many opportunities here to show off videos and photos of cute pets, both before, in progress, and afterward – as long as you have the owners’ permission, of course.
What could be better than cute animal shots to draw people in and show what great care you’ll give to people’s pets when they book with you?
Whatever you post, images must be high-quality. You can’t share blurred or badly taken photos, or it will reflect poorly on you and put people off.
4) Respond to customer reviews
People will post reviews on your GBP and it’s really important that you respond to them. You want them to feel heard and important, no matter how short their review is. You want them to appreciate your reply and want to come back to you again and again. Take your time, think things through, be genuine, and respond as if you would in person or on the telephone.
Yes, you must even reply to negative reviews. You can often turn a negative into a positive if you apologize genuinely and do what you can to put things right. People like to see how you handle these reviews so don’t ignore them.
5) Answer questions from the Questions & Answers section
You can include keywords here too, so don’t forget your SEO just because you’re writing an FAQ. People will post questions and just as with reviews, it’s important that you answer them and make them feel important.
Answering your Q&As can be helpful for you too, as you won’t need to repeat yourself as much if the frequently asked questions are right there on your profile for all to see.
If there aren’t any questions at first, you can still fill this in. Just add some questions you know people ask and answer them.
6) Post on Google
There’s plenty of space to post on your profile just like you would on your blog. You can add your latest news and special offers, and create educational information to educate and help your customers. You can talk about your business and add updates. Again, it’s always great to include before and after shots too.
This is a place to keep your customers updated and coming back for more. You can build a rapport with people here and show how much you care about them and their pets.
7) List services/products your business provides
Don’t forget the services and products section of your profile. There’s space to list what services you perform and to talk through what you can do for your clients.
If you also sell items like combs, doggy shampoo, and other related items, post them here too for greater visibility. This could help you make more sales on top of the actual service bookings and add to your income.
Again, add your keywords. Make sure you include them in every section, including local keywords to get yourself found.
information up to date, provide updates on opening times, holidays, contact information and more.
You can create a fantastic community space here, where people come to feel involved and get to know you better. Keep regularly updating and you’ll have a vibrant, attractive profile that attracts and keeps your ideal customers.
Attend a Surefire Local Marketing Platform demo
With Surefire Local’s professional business intelligence marketing software, you can keep your Google Business Profile and all your other business directories updated with just a few clicks. You can also manage your reviews right in our platform without having to log in and out of multiple sites. Request reviews, follow up with reminders, and respond to your reviews all in one place.
We can’t take away all of the work, but we can make it far easier to build and maintain your Google Business Profile.
And we can help you manage the most important online marketing activities within one platform. Including content marketing, email management, social media, paid ads, and more.
Why not book a demo today?