How Can Startups and SMEs Benefit from a Google Business Profile?
Meta Description: This article explores why Google Business Profile is a brilliant jump-off point for startups and SMEs to establish an online presence and capture footfall.
Creating a Google Business Profile (BGP) is an excellent starting point for startups and small and medium-sized enterprises and businesses (SMEs and SMBs) to expand their online presence. Google has become a big part of how people discover services, businesses, and products in any area. It allows a business to leverage the massive volume of “near me” searches.
When people go on a trip and want to discover things they can do or need a service urgently, they search online for answers. If a small business or a startup has a GBP listing, it pops up in these search results, leading the customers right to you.
6 Advantages a Google Business Profile Offers to Startups and SMEs
Google Business Profile lets you create a listing for your startup or SME. This shows up on both Google Maps and Google Search with crucial information like contact details, location, customer reviews, business hours, etc. Not creating your profile or failing to optimise it is analogous to getting prime advertising space in an area with heavy foot traffic and refusing to use it!
1. Priority on Search
A GBP listing has a one-up on an organic Google listing because they factor in the user’s location. Since Google priorities local rankings, your GBP listing appears at the top of the search results.
So, when a person performs a “near me” tag search, all the relevant businesses in the neighbourhood get displayed. You won’t appear in the search results if your startup or SME does not have a Google Business Profile. You can miss out on a staggering amount of revenue given that searches for “open now near me” have grown globally by over 400%.
2. Visibility on Maps
For small businesses and startups, attracting customers is critical to generating revenue. A Google Business Profile can drive foot traffic by promoting your business’s location on Google Maps.
When a user starts a Google search, the first 3 results are frequently reserved for ads (also known as “paid search”). Right below these are three highlighted local results (also known as a “3-pack”). When there are no ads for a keyword, the 3-pack shows up right at the top, and all organic results are displayed under it.
The information shown on the local 3-pack results is taken from your GBP listing. And you can capture this valuable and extremely visible space by simply creating a listing and tapping into a stunning amount of potential revenue.
3. Cost-Effective Online Presence
A business listing can positively affect your startup or SME by creating a strong online presence. However, most reputable directories and listings come at a price. GBP is free, which makes it a useful and cost-effective tool. You can feature your business prominently on one of the biggest search engines online and put your product or services in front of a humongous customer pool.
Google Business Profile is an indispensable tool for early-stage startups and small businesses with limited marketing budgets and the need to get the most bang for their buck. It empowers your hyperlocal discovery and frees up resources that you can channel elsewhere.
4. Provides Customer Insights
A GMB profile comes with an Insights tab that gives you an inside view of your startup or SME’s performance on search pages. The data on engagement, audience, and visibility presents a unique opportunity to understand customers better and answer questions like:
1. How and where can customers find you?
2. Who are they?
3. How do they engage with your listing?
These insights help you map out what resonates with your target audience, and then you can tailor your campaigns to attract new and qualified leads, boost engagement, and increase conversions.
5. Easy Marketing Opportunity
With a GBP listing, you can directly connect with your customers in real-time through messaging. From answering questions to telling a brand story that engages more customers, messaging is a great way to start conversations.
Your GBP is also an excellent communication tool to drive foot traffic. You can create offer posts and share the most recent offers and deals.
Moreover, GBP provides you with a free marketing kit to promote your business online and offline. These print-ready posters, stickers, and social posts can be lifesavers for small businesses.
6. Trust Building Opportunity Through Reviews
One of the easiest ways to build credibility is the respond to reviews that customers leave. Remember, responding to negative reviews is just as important as positive ones. Responding proactively and incorporating feedback suggested by customers shows them that you care. This builds a reliable image and trust with current and potential clients.
ProManage and Your Google Business Profile
A GBP is a brilliant jumping-off point for hyperlocal marketing. That said, establishing an online presence and building awareness is a continuous process. It requires effort because you have to update and maintain the business profile.
With ProManage, the confusing and often lengthy task becomes simpler. It’s a tool that helps businesses improve visibility, reach-ability, and credibility by organically optimising their GMB profile! Learn how you can benefit from ProManage’s services. Sign up for a demo today!
