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 Uberall platform to manage our listing we will need to focus on developing our information directly on the Uberall platform.
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.
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 promotion or low barrier to entry offer
Some other tips include using an 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”, “Schedule an appointment“, or “Get a quote!”. You have to ask for what you want someone to do.