WHY is the Google Business Profile SO Important?

Google ranks local business listings and Google Maps results using three core factors:

1. Relevance to the search query.

2. Distance to the searcher's location.

3. Prominence, that is, how well-known and trusted the business is offline and online.

Google controls over 90% of online searches. They DEFINE how we search - and we now refer to searching as "googling". To earn YOUR repeat business, Google must provide the most useful and relevant search results.

Since Google provides your business with the Google Business Profile, it should not be a surprise that they PRIORITIZE the GBP content!

I have been creating content for websites for over 30 years - first, for my own company, then for my clients as an outside consultant. In a lifetime of sales and marketing, I have watched the evolution of marketing:

• I lived through the era of Main Street retailers that dominated shopping. Gradually, local stores were replaced with national brands in strip malls and shopping centers on the edge of town.

• Then - the Internet presented a market beyond normal driving distance. At the same time, package delivery to your home - even overnight - became affordable. Combined, a brand with a website leap-frogged the competition.

• The first websites were only online brochures. You had to know the company's website address to access their products. But Google changed everything! Now, you could search for a product or service - not a company. Almost immediately, content was KING! Google awarded higher search rankings to ACTIVE websites with more pages, blog articles, and photos that resulted in more time onsite.

• The next revolution was when businesses realized that YouTube videos could be used as 24/7/365 product presentations. Instead of stupid cat videos, businesses could use YouTube to redirect TRAFFIC to their websites. In addition, viewers could SEARCH for topics and product videos - and it didn't take long until YouTube became the Number 2 search engine. The start-up founders of YouTube accepted a buy-out from Google for $1.65 BILLION dollars - and that now is considered a BARGAIN!

And then - "social media" was born...

• Almost overnight, Facebook was transformed from a college dating app to a worldwide phenomenon. It didn't take much longer for dumb posts about what you were eating for dinner to be replaced with BUSINESS insights, articles, and videos. Companies realized that their customers weren't a faceless block, but individuals. They left comments, asked questions, and valued replies.

• NOW - companies were expected to have an online presence EVERYWHERE! But, not only a presence, but to interact with their customers - and prospective customers.

• A picture is worth 1,000 words. "User-generated content" now had a higher credibility that anything the brand posted. "Influencers" gained thousands, sometimes millions of followers - and were paid accordingly. Facebook noticed and bought Instagram for $1 billion in CASH!

Your customers - and prospective customers - EXPECT you to be EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME!

In the early days of the Internet, having a crude website gave you an advantage over everyone else. Today, your website is typically the LAST places your customers look!

• First, they look at the Google Map Pack for the best matches to their search. Over 60% of searches go no farther! In a few seconds they know who is the closest, who is still open, and who is the most highly rated.

  Note in the example below that "Blue Hummingbird" has fewer reviews than "Hello Kitty". But they have a higher average rating (4.5 vs 4.2.) Blue Hummingbird likely replies promptly to each review. In addition, we can assume that Hello Kitty's reviews are older and less specific to "coffee". The DANGER is that it will only take 2 or 3 bad reviews to destroy Blue Hummingbird's average. On the other hand, "Wall Writers" could leap to Number One with an optimized GBP!

• Second, if they haven't decided, they search YouTube, Facebook, or other media. A business that doesn't have a presence here is simply not relevant. If they haven't posted recently they don't show much concern for customer opinion. Customers seek engagement. Ideally, they want to spend money at a business that they can Like and Follow - and who might follow them back!

• Third, if they are still searching for information on a significant purchase, they consider the other mentions of the brand. Where else is the company or specific model discussed? Are there comparison articles or in-depth reviews? Is there any bad press?

• FINALLY - if they haven't eliminated your company - they may visit your website. Why last? They already know that you are going to say that you are the best, most experienced, blah, blah, blah. We no longer trust advertising!

Remember, shoppers are confronted with TOO MUCH information. They want to make an informed decision, BUT as quickly and as painlessly as possible. They are looking for the SLIGHTEST excuse to narrow the field, making their choice fast and easy.

If they visit your website, they are ready to buy! Your website needs to match their search, especially for the service or product "near me". It needs to be modern and full of current information, not obviously neglected for 5 or 10 years!

As shown above, the Competitor Scan generates a composite score - 0 to 100 - across FOUR variables:

• Your Google Business Profile is scored on completeness and accuracy.

• Your Google Reviews are compared to the competition based on quantity, quality (that is, average "stars"), and recency (with old reviews deleted, and more weight given for the latest reviews.)

• Your website: Is it complete, accurate, and include recent updates. Does the information exactly match the GBP and is the information consistent across your social media profiles?

• Does your website include the "meta" data for Search Engine Optimization by Google's "web spiders" AND the search functionality used by voice searches and AI chatbots.

The Competitor Scan is the first step in evaluating your current position. It also shows us where to concentrate our efforts - in relation to the competition. But your top competitors are also moving. NO ONE is crowned "Top Supplier" for life!

I employ a strategy to CONTINUOUSLY add relevance and prominence to your GBP. This REQUIRES technology because it exceeds human capabilities, even if you could afford a dedicated TEAM. Even then, we need to reevaluate by running another Competitor Scan every 90-days to evaluate progress and redirect our efforts.

You are facing a crucial series of decisions. How you proceed determines if your business is visible or invisible; if your customers and shoppers consider you to be relevant or irrelevant.

Unless you are planning your retirement, doing NOTHING is not a valid choice. And this reminds me of a story:

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle—when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

The first step is the FREE Competitor Scan. Then we can implement a plan. Without a dedicated team and supporting technology, the tasks are relentless and super-human.

Stay tuned for more specific strategies to maximize customer referrals and retention. In upcoming articles I will discuss your Google Business Profile in more depth, including how to "optimize" the four primary factors used in the ranking protocol. We will also cover the work flow required, including how to use the latest tech to automate both the request for reviews, post timely responses to your reviews, and continuously update your Google Business Profile.