{"id":12608,"date":"2021-05-11T04:00:21","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T09:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.advicelocal.com\/?p=12608"},"modified":"2021-05-11T04:00:21","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T09:00:21","slug":"why-is-google-my-business-so-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.advicelocal.com\/blog\/why-is-google-my-business-so-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Is the Google Business Profile So Important?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yes, I\u2019m talking about Google Business Profile<\/a> (formerly Google My Business) again today! And there\u2019s a reason \u2026 Do you fully understand why Google Business Profile is so important?<\/em> Besides the fact they are Google, it\u2019s so important because consumers trust Google.<\/p>\n

\"Lead<\/a><\/div>\n

When it comes to search, Google pretty much has a monopoly. According to Statista<\/a>, as of February 2021 they have 86.6% of worldwide desktop market share.<\/p>\n

\"statista<\/p>\n

As local marketers, while we don\u2019t always love Google and their many algorithm changes, where would we be without them? Local businesses wouldn\u2019t need to hire us to help them place in Google search, and more than likely, we\u2019d all have other careers!<\/p>\n

So, Why Is Google Business Profile Important?<\/h2>\n

First, it\u2019s time to think beyond the reason \u201cbecause consumers trust Google\u201d (even though they do). The more obvious reason is that Google owns Google Business Profile. This means they prioritize the businesses that are using their products and services. By having an optimized Google Business Profile (GBP) listing, Google can better understand the business, their products and services \u2013 and deliver relevant search results that are based on the user\u2019s query, and the location of the user in relation to the business that\u2019s closest to them.<\/p>\n

Back in January, I discussed zero-click searches and website mentions<\/a>, and covered how mentions in conjunction with an optimized business listing can help a business to surface more often in Google Maps for specific queries. I used the example probate litigation mckinney in our January search.<\/p>\n

In April I looked at this again, and shared<\/a> how adding detailed product descriptions to the business\u2019 GBP listing moved the business to the first position in Google Maps. And when the business is surfacing, notice it\u2019s for the information within the GBP listing \u2013 the website wasn\u2019t mentioned as a factor.<\/p>\n

These local justifications<\/a> \u2013 as Miriam Ellis discussed on Moz\u2019s blog this week \u2013 had us wanting to test this once more. Just like the other times I started with a desktop search.<\/p>\n

Instead of getting a local pack when searching for probate litigation mckinney<\/em> and then advancing to maps, there is no local pack at all. Instead, the business Luc\u00e9 Evans Law (which is referenced in the prior examples) is returned as the single result. For transparency\u2019s sake, I have actually been testing this query over the last month, and this business is returned as the single result each time in a desktop search, and is holding in the first position on Google Maps.<\/p>\n

\"Why<\/p>\n

The optimization of this business\u2019 Google Business Profile listing moved Luc\u00e9 Evans Law from not appearing in the local pack until clicking through to Google Maps (in approximately the fifth position in January), to now being the only result in a desktop search \u2013 and also in the first position in Google Maps. As you can see in the example above, the business\u2019 website is also placing organically for probate litigation mckinney<\/em> in the first page of desktop search results. They were not placing in search on the first page for this phrase back in January.<\/p>\n

So, Now We Ask You\u2026 Is Google Business Profile Important?<\/h3>\n

Well, if you want your local business clients to place in local search results, then yes.<\/p>\n

At Advice Local, we equip you with all you need to fully leverage a Google Business Profile listing for your local business clients.<\/p>\n