This post compiles insights from hundreds of Google My Business profiles, dozens of marketers, a couple of energy drinks, and a passionate marketer—all to help YOU rank your GMB profile and beat the competition. You opened up your business. You made the leap, registered the name, did all the paperwork, and got all the tools and software you need to get this business going.
You then set up your Google My Business (GMB) profile, added your logo, photos, and all the critical information – the hit “complete”. You wait another week for your verification letter to arrive so you can confirm your business. Now EVERYTHING IS DONE.
The calls should start pouring in…but nothing happens.
Days go by, and you finally get a call. But it’s an Angi’s List rep trying to sell you a service. Another call comes in from a Yelp sales rep. Real customer calls? Few and far between.
In this post, I’ll share actionable steps to get your GMB rankings up. You might ask, “Who are you to tell me how to rank MY PROFILE??” I’m glad you asked! With 8 years of marketing businesses (mainly in local home improvement), dozens of case studies, hundreds of tests, and happy clients—I’ve seen what works.
So, take some time to adjust, and read on to get your profile truly optimized—and start getting those customer calls rolling in!
1. Initial Setup & Optimization
Business Name:
If your business name includes a keyword or two, great! If not, it may be a good idea to get a DBA (doing business as) that integrates your primary service into the title. For example: Alan’s General Contracting, Alan’s Kitchen and Bath Remodel, or Alan’s Plumbing. These are far better than something vague like “Alan and Co.”
DISCLAIMER: Avoid keyword stuffing in your GMB title, like “Alan’s Company – Kitchen Remodeler, Bath Remodeler, General Contractor, and More!” This will get your profile suspended by Google. However, if you have a DBA, you can incorporate keywords without going overboard.
Business Category:
- Selecting the correct primary category for your business is crucial. Not sure which to choose? Check your five biggest competitors; chances are they all use the same primary category. Follow suit.
- You can also add additional categories. Be creative here! Look for services your company offers and add them. If you don’t see a category that matches your services, you can always add custom services after your profile is live.
Description:
- Write a description without obsessing over keywords. Keep it easy to read and relevant to someone genuinely interested in your services. After introducing your services, feel free to list them. Use the full 750-character limit if possible.
- Don’t forget to add your phone, website, and social profiles.
Location:
- Your business location is one of the most important factors for ranking on Google My Business, but it’s also one of the hardest to control. Avoid using a virtual address or listing your home address unless there is clear signage and you accept customers during business hours. If you’re operating from home, it’s best to hide your address to stay compliant with Google’s policies.
- If you can avoid it, DO NOT EVER HIDE YOUR ADDRESS. In our research, businesses that hide their addresses rank lower. How you can verify? Search the service your company provides, look at the top 10 results. How many don’t have an address visible on the profile? Very few.
- While proximity to city center still helps with ranking, Google now factors in location services on devices, showing a mix of the most optimized and nearby locations. Even so, from our testing we see that proximity to city center helps business rank higher.
- *Gray Area Alert* If you are a residential address, you can still try to verify and serve your address on Google. But lately Google has been requiring a video verification that shows clear signage and office. You can try to set up your location from a virtual office space. However, this goes against Google’s Terms of Service.
Service Area:
- Include every city your business serves. Don’t limit yourself to the metro area alone.
Unlock the Potential of Marketing for Your Business.
2. Ongoing Optimizations
Reviews:
- Consistency is key! Some businesses can only get one review every two weeks, while others can get 10 per day. Prioritize staying consistent with them, which signals to Google that you’re an active, relevant business.
- Respond to every review with a detailed response. For example: “Kelly, thank you for your review! We are glad that you are enjoying your new kitchen remodel!” This will always be better than “Thanks!”
Updates:
- Aim for consistent updates. If you can do weekly, great! If not, monthly works. Having relevant updates keeps your profile fresh and active.
Products:
- We have not seen ranking boosts for adding products, but an extra step never hurts. We do recommend adding all services as products for good measure.
Photos:
- Add photos every month, and incentivize your clients to add photos of their completed projects as well.
3. Advanced Strategies
You’ve completed the basic steps, focused on reviews, but if you are an overachiever – read on!
Google My Business Profile:
- Make sure the website page linked in your GMB includes the City name and primary service you are targeting.
- Ask clients to upload pictures and leave reviews from their homes, so Google recognizes the area you serve.
Pictures:
- Geotagging photos doesn’t move the needle for rankings. However you can add meta descriptions to the images that you upload. We always add the City name, service, and a short description of the photo in the meta.
- Google will strip metadata from almost all sources, but I noticed it doesn’t from Photoshop. So that is what we use.
Citations:
- Make sure your business name address and phone number is consistent across all socials, your website, Yelp, Bing, and other places that your website is listed. *TIP: Look for local directories you can list in, and directories related to your industry/niche.
Website:
- Your website SEO does influence your GMB, in spite of what some designers may tell you. Elements like title tag (name, city, state), site speed, mobile friendliness, and URL structure impact rankings.
4. Bonus Tips
- For a new GMB profile, focus on optimizing only for your primary service.
- For an established GMB, limit your focus to a maximum of three primary services.
- Study your competition—what are they doing that you aren’t?
And finally, take it easy! Google likes throwing curveballs with new updates, algorithm changes, and more. Don’t despair when you feel like you got everything right but don’t instant results. Give it some time, stay consistent, and call will start coming.
