Google Business Profile: #1 Marketing Tool

Why use a Google Business Profile? Allow me a hypothetical. If I knew nothing about a business and was allowed no questions but had to advise the said business on improving its online presence with only 15 minutes a week, my answer would be Google. 

 

 

What do I even mean by Google, though? Most of us know Google as the search tool so ubiquitous its name is synonymous with online searching. It’s a multibillion-dollar company, so what does it have to do with your marketing efforts? 

 

 

Until a few weeks ago, I would have been referring to Google My Business, where your Google Business Profile was housed. Those with a bit of marketing knowledge may be aware of Google My Business, and if they are, they are also likely aware of its demise, hence my “until a few weeks ago” preamble. 

 

 

For those of you unfamiliar, a quick explanation: Google My Business was the tool that allowed you to read business reviews, click on a company’s site, call it, and more right from the Google search. On a computer, it appeared at the top right of your screen beside the search results. On a smartphone, it’s at the top of the search. You’ve probably used it recently to choose or call a restaurant. 

 

 

For months now, the web and varied learned online luminaries have warned of the seismic shift that’s been coming. Even Google itself warned us, though in less apocalyptic terms. And while it’s true that Google My Business is now gone, my hypothetical advice to a business I know nothing about remains the same. Google is your tool. 

 

 

In fact, casual users are likely unaware that anything has changed. You may have used that very business profile box in your search window today. So, what’s up?

 

 

The Rumors Of Google My Business’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated 

 

 

Technically it’s true Google My Business is gone. However, you still get the little business box in your search screen with options to give or read a review. What changed?

 

 

The change comes in how users manage it on the back end. Instead of managing your business profile in “Google My Business,” you, the business owner, manage it in search or maps. End users, i.e., searchers and would-be customers, don’t even see the difference. It’s a technical change with no functional shift to the end-user. 

 

 

Since it looks the same to end users and is used the same way, it retains its importance. But why is it so important? 

 

 

Google Business Profile – Social Media Without The Social

 

 

If you’re a tweeter on Twitter or a poster on Facebook on Insta, you probably spend a lot of time there. You’re reading scrolling other people’s posts (often in a state of outrage, most likely, since the algorithms will feed it to you). You’re sharing information, commenting, and waiting on comments and likes to feed your brain’s reward center. 

 

 

Companies know this. That’s why they have their own Facebook, Instagram, et al. They use their page’s posts to attract your attention. 

 

 

And companies that do it well also entertain you along the way. Those that don’t, don’t keep your attention. 

 

 

Google is different. There’s less sharing. Thare are  no comments. Why do we discuss it with social media?

 

 

Google Business Profiles Posts

 

 

As a company, you can still post on Google as you can post on social media elsewhere. Of course, the interaction isn’t the same (no comments, etc.), but it still matters. Here’s why.

 

 

Google is the single biggest search tool in the world, hence the term “googling.” Though there are other ways to find you online, the most considerable portion of your customers is likely to be using Google. Therefore, you want to utilize it fully. 

 

 

More Screen Space Means More Marketing

 

 

A business profile on Google gives you more screen space in the search. The more frequently people see your business, the likelier they will consider using you. Likewise, the more space you take up on the search screen, the more likely they are to see you in the first place.