Setting up a Google Business Profile is one of the easiest ways you can manage your business’s online presence. It’s free, practical, and provides you with a range of features and tools to help you attract and engage with customers.
By creating a single online business profile, your business will be visible in Search, Maps, and Reviews, giving you the ability to connect with customers and manage your digital presence all in one place.
As I said, it’s free, but don’t let that price tag fool you. Google loaded the GBP service with features. You’ll have access to a range of essentials including the ability to create a complete business profile (hence the name change from Google My Business to Google Business Profile), customer reviews, contact information, scheduling integrations, driving directions to your location(s), website URL, and featured photos. You can also customize your profile with your business’s logo, tagline, categories, business hours, and payment options – and you should!
Plus, whenever you update your profile, the new info on your hours of operation, discounts, specials, etc. will take effect immediately. This helps prevent miscommunications and misunderstandings with your customers which, inevitably, also prevents negative reviews.
Now, the features mentioned above are great – powerful and helpful, but those aren’t the options that we’re discussing when we say that Google added premium features to the service.
These premium options are designed to help small businesses maximize their online presence and stand out from the competition.
The newly available premium features include more robust company profiles, integrations with third-party applications, more customization options, enhanced analytics, and greater control over the look and feel of your profile (think brand awareness).
Let’s break down these five premium features that will undoubtedly help you optimize your online presence, reach more customers, and gain valuable insights about your audience:
Premium Style Feature #1: Insights
One of the premium features included in Google Business Profile is Insights, which is an invaluable tool for any business looking to improve its online presence. Insights provides businesses with a wealth of information about their customers, including their demographics, engagement rates, and other critical metrics.
With this feature, you can gain a better understanding of your customer base and how you can customize your services to better meet their needs. For example, you can use Insights to see which products or services are most popular among different age groups or locations, helping you make informed decisions about your business strategy.
Insights also provides you with detailed analytics about how customers are interacting with your business online. You can see how many people have viewed your profile, clicked on your website link, or requested directions to your business. You can even track how many phone calls you receive directly from your Google Business Profile.
All this information is presented in an easy-to-understand format, with graphs and charts that make it simple to spot trends and patterns. This feature is free and easy to use, and it can help you make data-driven decisions that will improve your business’s online presence and drive more customers to your door.
Premium Style Feature #2: Posts
Another great premium feature, that is free, included in Google Business Profile is Posts. With Posts, businesses can share a variety of content on their profile, from news and promotions to updates about their business. This feature is an excellent way to keep your customers engaged and provide them with valuable information about your business.
Posts are highly customizable and can be tailored to suit your specific needs. You can add images, videos, and even call-to-action buttons to encourage customers to act, such as booking an appointment or visiting your website.
What’s more, Posts are highly visible and show up prominently in Google search results, making them an excellent way to grab customers’ attention and stand out from the competition. Plus, since Posts are temporary, you can use them to promote limited time offers or events, helping you drive more traffic to your business during peak periods.
Using Posts is simple and straightforward. You can create a post right from your Google Business Profile dashboard, and it will be published instantly. You can also schedule posts in advance, ensuring that your customers always have fresh, up-to-date content to engage with.
Overall, the Posts feature is an excellent way to keep your customers engaged and informed about your business. It’s easy to use, highly customizable, and can help you stand out in a crowded digital marketplace.
Premium Style Feature #3: Reviews
The third premium feature on Google Business Profile is Reviews. Reviews are an essential part of any business’s online presence, as they provide customers with a platform to leave feedback about their experience with the business. With the Reviews feature, you can easily monitor and manage customer reviews, respond to customer feedback, and showcase positive reviews to potential customers.
Reviews can provide potential customers with a more in-depth look at the quality of your business’s services. Positive reviews can help build trust and credibility with your target audience, while negative reviews can provide valuable feedback and insights into areas where your business can improve.
The Reviews feature also allows you to respond to customer feedback directly from your Google Business Profile dashboard. This can help you address any concerns or issues that customers may have and show your commitment to providing excellent customer service.
Additionally, you can showcase positive reviews by highlighting them on your profile, which can help boost your business’s visibility and attract more customers. You can even set up alerts to notify you when new reviews are posted, ensuring that you can respond promptly and effectively to any feedback.
Needless to say, the Reviews feature on Google Business Profile is a valuable tool for any business looking to improve its online reputation and attract more customers. It’s easy to use, customizable, and can provide you with valuable insights into your customer’s experience with your business.
Premium Style Feature #4: Ads
The fourth premium feature on Google Business Profile is Ads. This feature allows businesses to reach a wider audience by targeting potential customers with ads based on their interests. With Google Ads, you can create and run ad campaigns that target specific demographics, interests, and locations, ensuring that your ads are seen by the right people.
This feature can be particularly useful for businesses looking to increase their online visibility and drive more traffic to their website. By targeting potential customers with relevant ads, you can improve the chances of converting them into paying customers.
With Google Ads, you have complete control over your ad campaigns, including the ability to set your own budget, target specific keywords, and track your ad performance. This means that you can create ads that are tailored to your business goals and track the effectiveness of your campaigns in real-time.
Another benefit of the Ads feature is that you only pay for the clicks or impressions that your ad receives, meaning that you’re not wasting money on ads that aren’t being seen or clicked on. This can help you maximize your advertising budget and ensure that you’re getting the most bang for your buck.
The Ads feature on Google Business Profile is a powerful tool that can help businesses increase their online visibility, reach a wider audience, and drive more traffic to their website.
By creating targeted ad campaigns that are tailored to your business goals, you can ensure that your ads are seen by the right people and that you’re getting the most value from your advertising budget.
Premium Style Feature #5: Analytics
The fifth premium feature on Google Business Profile is Analytics. This feature provides businesses with detailed insights into their website traffic and campaign performance, allowing them to make data-driven decisions to optimize their online presence.
With Analytics, businesses can track key metrics such as website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates, and use this information to improve their online presence. For example, businesses can identify which pages on their website are most popular, which keywords are driving the most traffic, and which campaigns are generating the most leads or sales.
This information can be used to optimize your website content, refine your marketing strategy, and improve your overall online presence. By making data-driven decisions based on the insights provided by Analytics, you can ensure that your business is always moving in the right direction.
In addition, the Analytics feature on Google Business Profile is user-friendly and easy to navigate, even for those who are new to web analytics. The dashboard is designed to provide businesses with a quick overview of their performance, while also allowing them to dig deeper into specific metrics for a more detailed analysis.
Overall, the Analytics feature on Google Business Profile is a valuable tool for businesses looking to optimize their online presence and make data-driven decisions to drive growth and success. With its detailed insights and user-friendly interface, it’s a must-have for any business looking to succeed online.
Conclusion & Review
In conclusion, Google Business Profile offers a variety of premium features for businesses looking to optimize their online presence and reach more customers. These features are designed to be user-friendly, providing businesses with valuable insights and tools to help them succeed online.
The five premium features discussed in this article, including Insights, Posts, Reviews, Ads, and Analytics, provide businesses with a range of capabilities, from understanding their customers better to optimizing their marketing campaigns and tracking their online performance.
What’s more, all these premium features are available for free, making them accessible to businesses of all sizes and budgets. With Google Business Profile, businesses can create a professional and engaging online presence, connect with their customers, and stand out from the competition.
So, whether you’re a small business just starting or an established brand looking to enhance your online presence, Google Business Profile is a powerful tool that can help you achieve your goals.
By taking advantage of these premium features without the premium price tags, you can gain a competitive edge and position your business for success.
