Google Business Profile Management

Achieving high visibility in local search results is crucial for businesses today, and a fully optimized Google Business Profile (GBP) listing plays a pivotal role. As the most prominent element on search engine results pages, particularly on mobile devices, GBP listings can significantly impact your local SEO strategy.

At Foundery, we help your business reach its full potential through your GBP listing, ensuring strategic data utilization, optimized local marketing efforts, and sustainable business growth. We measure what matters most to your business.

How We Can Help

Though it may seem simple and straight forward, proper management of your GBP profile takes time and expertise. We specialize in managing and optimizing your listing(s) so you can spend time running your business.

If your page isn’t set up to Google’s exact guidelines, it could easily hurt your business listing’s visibility or could even cause a suspension. On top of that, poor reviews or out-of-date information can deter potential customers. From setup to optimization, our GBP specialists are dedicated to ensuring that your online reputation matches the personality of your brand and engages your target audience.

Do you have an issue with your business listing and can’t seem to get any help from Google Customer Support? It is a common problem to have your business listing disapproved or removed from the local search listings.

If you are having issues with getting your GBP page verified, we can help. We have been working with Google Business Profile since its inception and are well versed in the nuances of getting listings verified. These are a few common issues businesses will run into with their GBP:

Google Business Profile listing is not “Published”?
My Business Listing has errors I cannot fix
My Google Business Profile listing says it is a duplicate address
My listing has negative reviews that I want removed
My Google Business Profile listing has been suspended
An irrelevant photo has been uploaded to my listing
My business’ map pin on Google Maps is in the wrong location
My Google Business Profile posts have been rejected
Unable to claim your Google Business Profile

At Foundery, we ensure our Google Business Profile plans and tactics align with your business’ primary goals as well as integrate with your digital marketing strategy. GBP is a critical part of local SEO and can be integrated seamlessly with a coordinated marketing approach. Some of our Google Business Profile optimizations include:

Verifying your official Google listings and removing any duplicates
Updating your banners, branding, and images
Adding photos and videos to highlight your company’s culture and environment
Creating posts about your current events, promotions, and company updates
Monitoring and responding to your reviews
Optimizing listing to help improve your search engine rankings and align with your business’ website
Writing and implementing optimized business descriptions, service descriptions, and product listings
Ensure all business information is updated and accurate

The Features of Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile optimization is incredibly important for improving your visibility for the search queries (branded and non-branded) that often have the highest purchase intent. Customers are searching for your products and services online and your GBP listing is your first chance to reach them online.

Our GBP services are designed to help businesses of all sizes manage their online presence across the Google platform. With a personalized SEO strategy, our team of specialists takes advantage of all the features available, including:

Leveraging data insights and user analytics

GBP Insights provide a snapshot into how customers are engaging with your business listing, including:

How often your listing is viewed
How often users clicked on your phone number or requested directions
The times of day and days of the week your listing is most often viewed.

Improving Engagement with Posts

This feature allows you to speak directly to your potential customers before they even reach your website. Offers and promotions can encourage users to click on your listing, instead of your competitors’ listing.

Setting Up Convenient Customer Messaging

Interact directly with customers through the Google Business Profile messaging functionality. Use this feature to answer questions and provide more information right when your users need it.

Build Brand Reputation with Google Review Management

Don’t let negative reviews ruin your reputation. Report reviews in violation of Google policies and respond to both your negative and positive reviews directly. Responding to reviews demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction.

Answer Customer’s Questions Online

Don’t let your customer’s questions go unanswered, or worse, be answered incorrectly by others. Google Business Profile listings provide your customers a platform to easily ask questions that you and your team members can respond to.

Promote Products & Services

Add your services and main products to your GBP listing so potential customers can quickly know that your business is the one they’re looking for.

Implementing Booking Integrations

By implementing booking integrations, we allow customers to book an appointment or reservation directly from your business listing. With integrations like OpenTable and Trip Advisor, you can now drive business directly from your listing.

Like the fast-paced digital marketing industry, GBP and all its features are constantly changing. Our specialists stay on top of every new update and feature to optimize your GBP profile(s) – so you don’t have to.

Specialized Google Business Profile Listings

Work with industry experts who know how to develop, optimize, and manage your GBP listing. We specialize in managing listings for a variety of industries including:

Google Business Profile for Auto Dealerships
Google Business Profile for Practitioner Listings
Google Business Profile for Chains and Franchises
Google Business Profile for Service Area Businesses

If your listings are not set up and promoted properly, it will hurt your local ranking and visibility. Don’t take that chance. Get your Google My Business listing professionally set up and managed to receive the best possible results.

General Google Business Profile FAQs

Yes! You can create a Business Profile on Google for free and manage the account with no costs attached.

While you don’t need a website to create a listing, it’s a good idea to add one. Having a website attached to your Google Business Profile is a ranking signal and will help make your business more visible online. Google Business Profile does have a built-in feature where you can create a free one-page website through its platform though we recommend creating your own website so that it is customized to your needs.

Yes, especially for local businesses and when users are searching for a particular business nearby using Google Maps. A verified listing can increase your chance of being featured in the local 3-pack which will allow your business to appear at the top of the search results.

Google Business Profile plays an important role in helping people find their business online. It’s one of the first things your customers will find when searching for your business. It shows them where you’re located, how to visit you, and what products and services you offer. It also lets you check your business information and update it when necessary.

Yes, you can have a profile if you don’t have a storefront as long as you make in-person contact with your customers, whether that’s through delivery or on-site visits. You can also set a service area for your Google Business Profile listing to cover a large area where you do business.

Google Business Profile Maintenance & Setup

Setting up your free Google Business Profile is fairly simple. Here’s how you do it:

Step #1: Go to google.com/business

Step #2: Log in with your Google account. If you don’t have an account, you can create one for free.

Step #3: Add your business name, address and phone number. Make sure everything is correct and that you are using a real address so that you can verify your location.

Step #4: Select if you are a storefront or service provider. This will let you know if customers can visit you at your location.

Step #5: Choose a primary business category. What you select will determine what you show up for in search results. Make sure you select your core business offerings.

Step #6: Verify your business and fill out any additional information (business description, holiday hours, etc.)

Google can verify your business through phone, SMS, or through a postcard that is sent to your address. You’ll receive a verification code that you enter to confirm your account. We recommend verifying your listing, so Google knows that you are the rightful owner of the business.

Sign into your Google Business Profile and edit the section that you want to make changes to. Look for the icon that looks like a pen. You can change things like your hours, phone number, photos, services, and address.

While you can post as frequently as you want, it is recommended to at least post new content once a week.

Photo’s that are posted by the business can be removed. Sign into your profile and head to the Photos section. Select the photos uploaded by the owner and choose the photos you want to remove. Photos that are added by customers can be removed by request. Customer photos are reviewed and may possibly be removed but it is not guaranteed.

You can request Google to remove a review by flagging if it violates one of Google’s policies. Go to the review section and select the review you want to flag. Find the three-dot icon in the top right-hand corner. It can take several days for Google to assess the review. Keep in mind that Google will not remove reviews because you disagree with them.

Google Business Profile Troubleshooting

If you’ve added a business and it’s marked as a duplicate, chances are it’s because Google has already verified a listing with that location. Duplicate listings are not shown in Google Search or Google Maps. You can either try to claim the listing, have ownership transferred to you, or report the location to Google.

First, you need to make sure that you have claimed all of the listings that you want to merge. You cannot merge duplicate listings if you do not own them. After verifying those listings, make sure that the listings you want to merge match your listing’s address exactly. You can request Google to merge the two listings by reaching them through the help center.

Google doesn’t share why your business listing has been suspended but will notify you when the account has been suspended on your dashboard. Your listing can be suspended if it doesn’t follow its guidelines, its terms of service or because of a manual suspension.

You can request that Google reinstate your listing by completing a form. It’s important to solve the issue before you make an appeal to be reinstated. Do not create a new listing, simply make changes to your current listing by following best practices. Read over the guidelines to determine what areas you can improve or make changes to.

The most common reason why you aren’t appearing in the search results is because your business lacks authority. If you have an account but aren’t showing up it could be because your listing is not verified, you’ve relocated your business, the listing has been suspended or you lack location authority.