How Google Business Profile is changing the way local businesses work

Before I begin with the topic, let me introduce my relationship with the Google Business Profile (formerly Google Business Listing).

Google Business Profile is older than my entire career. It commenced in 2005, just after my school days, when I had no clue that our paths would intertwine so closely.

It has undergone various names: initially as “Google Places,” later as “Google My Business,” and presently as “Google Business Profile”. When I founded my Digital Marketing company in Rohini in 2013, it bore the name “Google Places”.

When I started working in the field of Digital Marketing in 2010, Google Business Profile was not so popular, at least in India. Instead, our focus was on promoting websites to enhance their search ranking.

Promoting websites was notably simpler. I often recount a tale to clients and colleagues about utilizing an automated tool called Robo soft for generating backlinks. This software seamlessly submitted our web links to different directories, business listing sites, and bookmarking sites, streamlining the process.

We were just required to input the web page URL, page title, short description, and long description. That’s it.

After setting up this task, we would leave the office. Upon returning the next morning, the webpage, previously on the second page of SERP, astonishingly secured a spot in the top three. Isn’t that remarkable?

It seems unbelievable to today’s digital marketers, but this is the truth.

Google’s algorithm has undergone significant changes, becoming more complicated and learning extensively from user interactions. The trust-building process for businesses and websites now demands more time from Google. Its capacity to understand real-world signals has improved compared to earlier times.

Future of local businesses

To predict the future, we need to look back in the history. Unfortunately, local business, in-fact the world of the internet is still new for us. All we can predict is, based on the data we currently have.

Although we all could agree that it is impacting the businesses in Gali Mohalla.

A story worth sharing

Back in the year 2017, I was searching for a motor driving school near me. One day when I was on my morning walk, I found a training car passing nearby.

I’m not sure about other countries but in India learning cars usually have a rectangular box on the roof of the car. It has the training school contact number mentioned in bold letters which could be seen even if the car is moving at the speed of 40.

I called the number and enrolled in the training the next day. The instructor was friendly, and we used to have friendly chats.

One day trainer enquired about my profession. I told him that I promote businesses online to help them gain more customers. So he curiously, asked me if I could assist his driving school, suggesting I could use the training fee for my services.

I was not sure if he could afford the websites and other digital marketing expenses.

So I simply registered him a local business at his address obviously for free. I posted a few photographs of his car, left a review, and updated other information.

I asked him to just simply keep adding photos, and ask for reviews from trainees.

He kept following what I told him to do.

Almost a year later one day he met me again when I was on a morning walk. He stopped the training car, came out, and warmly shook my hand.

I could see gratitude on his face, and he invited me for tea at a nearby stall. I politely declined and explained I was on a morning walk.

He then generously shared that he received numerous business calls through the business listing I added, and he had even purchased another motor-driving car. I have posted images of his two cars above.

He took out his phone and proudly displayed that he had gathered 100+ reviews. I was genuinely pleased with how Google Business had positively impacted his business.

It shows the opportunity that technology has created and made things available at a search. Finding local businesses, especially in the Metro cities has turned completely into digital. There was a time when the majority of businesses were found using references or direct walk-in.

Another side of the story

There is another side of the story as well, the story of a consumer, who started searching for businesses online.

Customers began searching online for businesses, and businesses wanted to showcase themselves online. The ultimate product that emerged from this was named Google Places.

People who are in their 30s or more likely understand the difference better. They have witnessed the era when people relied on non-internet methods to search for businesses, in stark contrast to the present, where the internet plays a pivotal role in such endeavors.

The presence of businesses on the internet, particularly on Google Business Profile, has significantly simplified the lives of consumers.

For example, a simple voice search “saloon near me” can provide an extensive list of nearby salons with phone numbers, open status, photos of experience, customer reviews, directions to the business, and much more.

Next could be virtual reality, where you can see and experience how business is working lively.

Why do I trust Google Business Profile?

Many of us make purchases on Amazon based solely on reviews, trusting that the posted reviews are authentic and verified.

The higher the number of reviews the higher chances of being product tested and could be trusted.

Certainly, it’s not the case in Google. Google Business Profile reviews could be easy to manipulate and are verified by a computer program. To post a Google review, you only need a Gmail account.

Almost everybody having a smartphone has a Gmail account. Thus everybody can write a review for every of business. It does not have a tag of verified purchase which Amazon has.

Sometimes when we visit a restaurant with our location enabled on Google Maps, Google may prompt us to share our experience with the business. But we all know not all businesses need to be visited physically.

We are an IT company in Rohini, Delhi. We can offer digital marketing services in Pitampura, our neighborhood. At the same time, we can also serve clients from the USA. Despite never physically visiting our office, clients from the USA remain an integral part of our clientele and can leave Google reviews for our services.

While Google may lack a direct method to verify reviews, it relies on a comprehensive set of other signals for local businesses. These signals contribute to assessing the trustworthiness of a business and its online presence.

I won’t explain the specifics of Google Business Profile signals here, which can be explored on Google. However, it’s worth noting that Google has made substantial improvements and continues to learn from real-world examples.

Google Business Profile provides a wealth of information beyond just reviews. While fake positive reviews can be posted, they are unlikely to provide significant benefits in the overall context of the platform.

I’m sure in the future, it will improve more it will learn from real businesses, and will be trusted by people just like Amazon.

Dos and Don’ts for Google Business Profile

If you’re a local business seeking fair treatment from Google, just be honest. Google possesses extensive knowledge, and while it may not always take immediate action, engaging in dishonest practices could lead to the suspension of your listing.

Dos

• Complete your business listing and keep it updated.
• Upload relevant business photos regularly.
• Get customer reviews regularly.
• Respond to customer reviews, including negative ones.
• Add Posts and Updates regularly.
• Reply to visitor’s questions.

Don’ts

• Do not add multiple copies of the same business.
• Don’t buy/post fake reviews.
• No misleading/incorrect information.
• Don’t stuff keywords and add generic words in the business name.
• Don’t make changes to your profile too frequently.

If you are a local business looking for opportunities, we can help. Contact us to discuss your goals today.