Getting the most out of your Google Business Profile (GBP) is very important to our local SEO strategy. This guide will give you the tips and tricks you will need to optimize our client’s GBP. Because we will be using the Yext platform to manage our listing we will need to focus on developing our information directly in the Yext platform.
Complete All Information In the Knowledge Graph
Having a robust listing full of quality information will help Google serve our listing in as many relevant situations as possible. You will want to fill out as much information as you can.
Here are some of the most important pieces to consider:
Business Name, Phone, and Address - Consistency is key.
Categories - Very important. See below for information about selecting good
Business Description - Think homepage content. You want to capture what the business is, what they do, and anything that sets them apart.
Business Hours - They need to be accurate and up-to-date.
Attributes - These provide quick at-a-glance information about the business such as whether or not they have a wheelchair-accessible entrance or require masks.
Advanced - These will normally require interaction with the client, as well as, their participation to make use of these features:
Add Products and Services
Generate and Answer Questions
Add Photos
Review and Respond to Reviews
Set Up Messaging
Picking Good GBP Categories
Google recommends that you try to limit the number of categories to as few as possible. For your main category, you should try to select the most all-encompassing option. For example, if you’re a grocery store that also has a pharmacy, deli, and gas station, you would select “Grocery Store” as your main category and “Pharmacy”, “Deli”, and “Gas Station” as secondary categories.
Some other considerations for category selection include:
Profitability - You want to select categories that will align with the most profitable products and services
Volume - You want to select categories that are related to the high volume search terms in your niche
Competitors - You can also look at your competition to see what categories they are using
Here is a full list of Google Categories: https://bit.ly/2uC9asw
That tool will also allow you to see related categories so you can explore to find the right one.
Advanced - Yext Category Overrides
Sometimes the categories in Yext don’t align perfectly with the categories Google uses and in those cases Yext has an override tool that will allow you to set categories for each platform.
How to access them:
On the Yext Knowledge Graph for a client, click the edit pencil on the “Categories” Section
In the bottom right of the pane you will see a blue “Advanced” link; click it
Once it loads click “Google Business Profile” from the list on the left
From there you can add/remove/change the categories as you would want them to display on GBP
Then click the check box next to “Override categories for Google Business Profile”
Click “Apply”
Then you will need to click “Save” on the categories section
You will then see a warning box pop up. Click the blue “I’d like to change my categories” link to apply the changes. If you click the button your changes will be removed
Writing Good Business Descriptions
You have 750 characters to tell potential customers about your business. Taking a human approach will give you the most success in both local ranking and educating/attracting customers.
How to start:
Begin with the basics
What is your company’s name
What your business does
What value your business offer
Where your business is located
2. Then get into the details:
Mention the primary business category
Add mentions of high-value products/services
Specify a target location or service area
Include one or multiple unique selling propositions (USPs)
Add social proofing (founding date or highlight an achievement)
Reduce friction by including a promotion or low barrier to entry offer
Some other tips include using the active voice while you’re writing and avoiding keyword stuffing. The best advice is to think about it like homepage content. Keep it short, to the point, and include the information a potential client would want to know. Then end it with a call to action such as “Give us a call today!”
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