Does Google Know Your Business is Open and Active?
Why would Google think otherwise?
Google Business Profile Strategies
As we usher in 2024, Google has unveiled a series of updates to its Business Profiles, marking a significant pivot towards fostering active engagement from businesses like yours. This move isn’t just about keeping your business information up to date; it’s a strategic play by Google to enhance user experience and provide businesses with more tools to engage with their audience. As business owners, we stand at the cusp of these changes, ready to leverage them to outshine competitors and connect more deeply with customers.
Use your Google Business Profile
Google wants us to USE our GBP often. There is no definition for often. I am guessing there needs to be activity at least once per month. Use this list of strategies to keep your profile active:
- Getting a review (you should be getting at least 1 per month anyway)
- Adding images or video
- Adding an event
- Adding an update (article)
- Adding holiday hours
- Adding some Questions and Answers
- Adding products or services
Prove to Google that your Business is Actively Accepting Clients
Think about this from Google’s perspective—they want to provide users with the best search results. If there is no evidence that a business is active, why would they give your business the coveted first position in Maps?
I am sure many businesses are closed but never bothered to remove their GBP for that business. Some may have changed business names and opened a new Google Business Profile, leaving the old one active.
Google is looking for evidence that a business is actively operating to display it confidently in Maps for searches. One of the best indicators of this is actively using your profile.
Gone are the days when you could set one up and ignore it or check it off your list.
The Shift Towards Active Engagement
Google’s focus on active engagement responds to the evolving digital landscape where static information no longer suffices. This shift represents an opportunity for businesses like Premium Websites to turn their Google Business Profile into a dynamic asset, driving interaction and staying top-of-mind with customers.
If you covet the first position in Maps for your local area, do one of the activities listed above weekly. This is my goal and what I am recommending to all my clients. Just put 15 minutes into your weekly schedule to update your GBP.
