In the realm of digital marketing, standing out from the competition is paramount. With Google being a top-tier platform for businesses to establish their online presence, it’s crucial to know how to make the most of your Google Business Profile. This article will reveal four potent strategies to make your listing outshine the rest.
1. Making Your Service Justifications Visible
A client once shared a screenshot highlighting his competitor’s profile, which featured an additional service, ‘area rug cleaning,’ under the ‘provides’ section. This add-on not only presented another service offering to potential customers but also set the business apart from the competition.
So how can your business profile show this extra service? Let’s take a closer look using Big West Marketing as an example.
While logged into Google, typing ‘Big West Marketing’ will bring up various options for making changes to the business profile. One of these options is ‘Edit Services.’ Clicking on this brings up a list of services Google has suggested and that have been approved for the Google Business account.
When you opt to edit, you will see all the different services listed. Sometimes, Google suggests new services, for example, ‘web design.’ Once you’ve approved these suggestions, they are added to your profile after a pending review period. As an example, if ‘contractor marketing’ is added as a service, a search for ‘contractor marketing Missoula’ should list the business and the ‘provides contractor marketing’ line under the services.
2. Understanding Review Justifications
In Google’s business profiling language, the scenario described above is called a ‘service justification.’ It’s essentially the action of adding Google-suggested services to your profile to make it stand out. However, service justifications aren’t the only way to add more visibility to your profile. You can also use review and post justifications.
Other businesses ranking for a particular search term may have ‘review justifications.’ This means Google analyzes reviews related to, for example, ‘contractor marketing,’ and showcases these in your business profile. Hence, it’s crucial to encourage your clients to leave reviews, preferably including potential search terms to increase chances of review justifications.
3. Maximizing Post Justifications and Updates
‘Post justifications’ occur when you create Google updates or Google posts sprinkled with relevant keywords. To create a post, navigate to the ‘Add update’ or ‘Add offer’ options on the edit screen of your profile. Remember, in 2023, Google no longer refers to these as ‘Google Post’ – they’re now ‘updates.’
Updates can be an exciting piece of news about your business, or even an upcoming event. Sprinkling these with relevant keywords and regularly posting can lead to post justifications, further enhancing your business profile’s visibility.
4. The Power of Website Justifications
The fourth strategy involves ‘website justification.’ As content remains king in the digital world, Google’s algorithm scours your website for content relevant to specific search terms or keywords. When it finds a match, it may decide to show this on your profile. This justification is indicated by a little globe icon.
For example, if your website mentions ‘car accident attorney,’ Google might feature this as a justification, making your profile stand out more to people searching for this specific service.
In Conclusion
While Google autonomously decides whether to include these justifications, there are steps you can take to optimize your profile. Improving your website content, adding services, encouraging customer reviews, and updating posts regularly can increase your chances of gaining more justifications. Implementing these strategies consistently can make your profile more vibrant and appealing, setting it apart from the competition.
I hope these strategies help elevate your online marketing game.
