How to Generate Organic Visits for Google Business Profile?

A well-optimized Google business profile will help your local store to get searched by the users looking for the services or products in the Google Maps results. This is the best way to generate organic visits for your Google Business profile and turn the searcher into a potential customer.

Google My Business page helps to improve online visibility on local searches, gaining credibility, and the best way to share information about the store with local searchers. In this post, you can learn how to generate organic visits for Google business profile.

Let’s get started

What is Google Business Profile?

Google business profile is the listing added including each and every detail about Business like name, address, phone number and website. This helps to improve online visibility and rankings in local 3 pack Google results to drive organic visits to Google My Business profile.

Benefits of organic visits to Google Business Page

1. Cost-effective – The clicks and visits come from unpaid sources.
2. Build trust – By appearing at the top of the search results; users can compare the reviews to check their credibility.
3. Calculate Distance – It shows the distance and time to travel so visitors can decide how they will reach the store.
4. Hours of Operation – Opening hours information helps them to check when the store remains open.
5. Importance of Photos – Most people dining out check the menu before visiting the restaurant so Menu shared in the photos by others can help them explore the dishes. 
6. Boost local rankings – It increases rankings and can help to stand out as a service/ product leader.
7. Attract more Clients – Local keywords attract more clients searching for services or products near their location.

Creating a Google Business Profile

1. Add Business – Go to Google Maps and add a business to Google. Click the top left corner button on Google Maps.

Click on it and add business to Google as follows.

•  Add or Claim Business – Create a business account if you do not have any and in case you have already then claim and add it through an existing account. Fill out all the information required, then you must verify a phone number. Google will ask you for more details and then send the terms and conditions.
• Fill Basic Details – Add details like name and category. The selection of a category is crucial as it decides the type of business you own. Make sure to write the business name as it is and do not try to stuff it with keywords.
• Add your location – If you have a physical location then add business to Google. You can easily select No if you do not have the physical store location and skip the step. When you add the address, then make sure to enter the exact location. You may already get the listing available based on the address so claim your listing otherwise you can select no for the options displayed by Google.
• Choose your service area – If you have added the local store address, then choose the serving locations or areas you serve
• Add your contact information – Include phone and website URL. Searchers will use this information to reach you so ensure you add accurate information.
• Verifying Google Business Page – This is a crucial step because your Google My Business page will not rank if the Google listing isn’t verified.
• Ensure consistent NAP – Inconsistency can lead to confusion between users and search engines and Google can demote your rankings.
• Add quality images and videos – Including great quality Images and videos to your GMB profile such as logo cover photos, and images showcasing products or services.

Google My Business Profile Verification

There are five ways to perform.

• By phone – Here you will receive a call or text on the added phone number
• By Email – You will receive an email verification code by email verification
• By postcard – In this verification method, you will receive the postcard at the address you mentioned on your Google Business page.
• By video recording – For this, you have to record a video to show proof of location and that will confirm you are the authorized manager of the business.
• By live video call- This is the same as video recording but you must present the same proof on a live call with a support representative.

How to Claim an Existing Google Business Page?

1. Go to Google and find your business name. If you are not listed, then you must create it from the above-mentioned steps.  
2. If the listing is already there then you have to claim the listing by the button “claim this business” or “own this business”
3. If the listing is already verified then you need to get in touch with the existing Google My Business manager. In case you already own it then it will be added to your account.
4. Ensure that you are the business owner otherwise you need to claim the listing.
5. Verify your Google Business page by phone, email, postcard, and the ways mentioned above.

How to Optimize Your Google Business Profile?

1.  Consistent NAP – Review NAP + W (Name, Address, phone number, website) on the entire web and ensure to follow the consistency. You can opt listing management tool by SEMrush or Brightlocal to save time and effort.
2. Catchy Business Description – You can write an optimized Business description. Make sure you do not stuff it with keywords instead try to provide an informational description gaining the interest of the searchers. Avoid using confusing information, profane language, specials, or promotions. For further information, you can check a list of guidelines for representing your business on Google.
3. Add Attractive Images – Add quality images to stand out among your competitors. Set a profile photo, logo, and cover photo, and add business-related images as well.
4. Create an outstanding post – It can help to drive massive traffic. You can always hire a specialist to make the Google posts more interesting and entice user’s clicks.
5. Add Featured Products – You can always add featured products to make searchers aware of what your local store is selling.
6. Respond always to reviews: Relying on reviews no matter whether they are positive or negative will help you gain trust and credibility.
7. Add questions and answers – Answer general queries and important information to the searchers. You can answer the questions posted by searchers and some basic FAQs customers want to know along with the relevant answer.
8. Select highlights or attributes – It is an effective way to show off the unique aspect of your business. It takes 3 days to be live for your updates to be published.
9. Post regular updates – This helps you to be active in your industry and can include new images and offers about sales or discounts.
10.  Write an engaging business description – This helps to grab the attention of visitors. Naturally, incorporate keywords that searchers may type in before visiting the store.   

Best Practices to Attract more Visitors to Google Business Profile

1. Competitor Analysis

This is a crucial process to spy on your competitors and outperform them in 3-pack Google listings.  Identify the keywords they are ranking, and how they using the name, category, description, etc to optimize their GMB profile. Paying attention to keywords can help you know what customers are searching for. Look at the type of photos and videos they are adding to Google’s business page.

2. Encourage Customer Reviews

Online reviews help to boost the local presence making your Google listing more clickable and authentic. You can ask directly when clients come to you for shopping to review your store. In addition, you can also offer them cashback or a small token of a prize to review. There are some more ways to get reviews and they are-

• Email follow-up to registered users
• SMS them on their registered number
• In-app review by offering them cashback or coins/ points.
• Regular polite follow-up after all purchases visitors make.

Always thank and respond to the reviews. Expressing gratitude to the customers for sharing positive feedback is always helpful. In addition, this will help to generate organic visits for Google business profile. Ensure that you reply to negative reviews by providing guidelines on responding professionally and constructively to mitigate damage.

3. Post Regularly and be Active

You can share promotions, events, and new products in the form of posts photos, or videos to attract organic visitors and drive more sales. Visual assets play a huge role in capturing the user’s attention. You can also tailor posts based on holidays, events, or seasonal promotions. In addition, involve promoting local events or sponsorships to connect with the community.

4. Leverage Questions and Answers

Answer the common questions users may ask about your product or service. It will help to build a strong online reputation as visitors get clear answers they are actively looking for. Add the Frequently Ask section on the GMB profile to list common inquiries they have and respond to it to enhance user experience.

When customers come and ask questions related to your product or service, then reply to them. In addition, request them to post their questions on the GMB profile and answer there.  This will help other customers know the answers and ultimately help in fostering customer engagement.

5. Enhance Local SEO

Optimize the website for local keywords as it will help you drive customers. As they are actively searching for products and services, they are likely to buy also from your shop. This will help you grow Google business profile audience. Here is the list of local keywords you can target.

6. Mobile Friendly Design

Local searches require mobile-friendly or responsive designs as most queries start from mobile devices. According to Mobile statistics from Ahrefs,

“58.67% of all website traffic worldwide comes from mobile phones.”

“57% of local search queries are submitted using a mobile device or tablet”.

7. Build Local Citations

Consistent NAP also called citation across the web will give strong ranking signals to Google and can establish the brand’s online visibility. You can add NAP+W on reputed online directories. Build as many local citations as you can. In addition, use bright local services to identify and fix all the citations.

8. Utilize the Power of Social Media

Sharing content regularly on social media can help in improving online visibility, and drive organic visits to the Google listing. This will improve the rankings and visitors will more often come to the store and thus contribute directly to sales.

You can share your Google Business profile content on social media to build brand awareness. This will also help you to earn credibility and trust. Sending your message on social media can target customers active on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Posting on social platforms helps in building the community and fosters target advertising for ads to reach customers based on demographics and interests. Highlighting the reviews on your social media pages for customer satisfaction and engagement.

9. Engage with Community

Collaborate with local partners for cross-promotion and partnerships. Participate in local events, festivals, fairs and sponsorships. It will help in building customer loyalty and brand awareness.

You can understand the customer needs in a better way. Supporting local events can enhance your brand reputation which can attract more customers. Engaging with the community can provide rich content to post on social media.

10. Monitor the Google My Business Account Performance

Analyze the Google profile views insights generated by the Google business page, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics 4. You can measure demographic details, searches, and key actions visitors take to the website. The engagement report will help understand visitors’ shopping patterns and create future strategies to improve the content. You can measure the following Key metrics.

Views and impressions – Help track the number of times the profile appears in search results. You can plan the promotions based on visibility.

Customer Actions – Help to understand customer engagement by monitoring actions such as website visits, phone calls, and direction requests.

Search Queries – This helps you to know the terms people are searching related to your business so that you can use this information to optimize the Google My Business account. This will help you to generate more organic visits. 

Customer Reviews – Keep track of the online reviews and respond to both positive and negative to improve customer relations.

Post Engagement – Monitor the performance of your posts and analyze them based on views, clicks, and other engagement metrics.

Photos and videos– Regularly update your media to get more engagement and influence customer’s perceptions.

Tools for Monitoring GMB Profile

• Google My Business Dashboard
• Google Analytics 4
• Google Search Console
• Third-Party Tools – Bright local, Moz local, SEMrush

Hope this guide will help you to create, optimize and attract more organic visitors through Google My Business (GMB) profile