May 7, 2025 • 48 mins
Overview
Want to know why some contractors dominate local search while others don't even show up? In this episode of the CGN Podcast, we sit down with CGN's SEO Manager, Stephanie, to walk you through how to optimize your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) and turn it into a lead-generating machine.
From avoiding common mistakes that lead to suspension, to learning how to rank in Google Maps, this episode is packed with actionable steps for contractors serious about growing their local presence online.
Episode Highlights
- What is a Google Business Profile (GBP) and why it matters for contractors
- The difference between local SEO and traditional SEO
- The exact checklist CGN uses to audit client profiles
- How to properly set up NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) consistency
- Photo and video best practices to boost conversions
- How to use posts, reviews, and core service offerings to improve ranking
- Troubleshooting common issues like duplicate listings and account suspensions
- Advanced tips for expanding visibility using business hours and insights
Key Takeaways
- GBP is your digital storefront—often the potential clients' first impression of your business.
- You should aim to have 2–5 well-defined core offerings on your profile, not an overwhelming list of everything you do.
- Posting weekly, uploading high-quality photos, and responding to all reviews (good and bad) significantly helps local SEO.
- Extend your business hours if available—it can help you rank during off-hours searches.
- Use Google Business Insights to monitor clicks, calls, and profile views—it's free and powerful.
Book your GBP Audit with Stephanie!
https://www.contractorgrowthnetwork.com/contact/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
SeanWe wondered why some businesses dominate Google, while others are possibly invisible. Well, today we're diving into a secret weapon for local SEO. For local SEO success, which is your Google business profile, or GPP? If you're a contractor looking to get local leads, your GBP is as important as your website. And today we're going to show you how to build it, optimize it, and essentially how to keep it out of trouble.
(00:25):
SeanSo to help us break it all down, I'm joined by Stephanie, who is our SEO manager here at CG. And she's been designing, optimizing and, rescuing GPUs for contractors. And trust me, you're going to want to hear what she has to say.
SeanI'm fired up about this one, because Gvp is, some of the lowest hanging fruit in marketing, and most contractors aren't tamed. Advantage of it.
(00:52):
StephanieAbsolutely. Thanks so much for having me, Sean, and really excited to be here today.
SeanStephanie, thank you for being here.
StephanieYou're welcome to.
SeanGive me a fun.
StephanieEpisode. This is going to be a fun episode. You hit the nail on the head. A lot of contractors don't recognize kind of the power of their Google business profiles. And what's really cool is when you optimize them and build them up. The success rate that we see from that is kind of next level. So I'm excited to share some tips.
(01:16):
SeanPerfect. Yeah, I'm sure people are going to love to hear this. There are some stuff when we're going through this. I was like, I didn't even know that. And I thought I knew quite a bit of it. I thought it was very basic, GBP, but there's actually a lot more into it than I originally imagined.
SeanIt's almost like a full website on your own.
StephanieAbsolutely. It's kind of like the digital storefront for your business. What people see before they even get to your website. So obviously having a website is huge, but what kind of can introduce your website to people is your Google Business profile, so it's good to have it built up, well-rounded. Have it compliment your website as well.
(01:51):
SeanYeah. So let's market a little bit. I mean, you kind of went into some of that already, but like what are the basics that people need to know about GBG? Like why is it so important for contractors? Like you already said, it's your first storefront, right? So there's the first thing that people see when they're searching you on Google.
SeanWhy is that so important?
StephanieWhy is that so important? Well, having an optimized Google business profile will help you show up in the local pack, which is the list of that top three businesses that populates above the organic search results. We have seen the most valuable transactional traffic. So the traffic that is actually a qualified lead typically spends their time searching on that local pack.
(02:28):
StephanieSo we want to make sure that a contractor that we're working with is showing up their Google business profiles by optimizing them helps your local SEO. And that's kind of the main goal gets you showing up in the local pack.
SeanThat's great. I'm glad you brought that up because, that's something we kind of need to distinguish local SEO versus just like regular SEO. Yeah. Because all this is, I mean, GBP is really big for. What do you say, local SEO, right? That's it's my main goal. Absolutely. So why does a contractor why if they just do their GMB or GBP?
(02:59):
SeanSorry, GMB is the old way of saying it. If they do this they got local SEO. Why do they need regular SEO?
StephanieLike they complement each other. So everything is build on each other. What you're trying to do for Google is establish trust and credibility between both your profile and your website. So the stronger both of them are, the more likely that they they'll both benefit from that. So.
(03:25):
SeanSo are you saying they're definitely going to need both of them? Yes. Yeah. Okay. Because I know that we don't want people to come out of this thinking, oh, I just need to set up my GBP. I don't need a website. I don't need to make sure my website is optimized. We still need all of that.
StephanieYou definitely still need all of that. So as we mentioned, the Google business will help you show up in Google search and in Google Maps. Your website just shows up in Google search when people are using Google Maps to search, such as contractor Near Me, Kitchen Remodeling, Charlotte, North Carolina. That's when your Google business profile will show up in that map pack.
(03:59):
StephanieIs that ideal goal.
SeanNow are we seeing that people are doing that? Are they using Google Maps to find.
StephanieGreat all the time? Absolutely. Yep. It is more common typically that people use a standard search engine. However, we should not discount Google Maps as a search engine in itself. People search it all the time. The map function shows up on Google searches as well with the pin, so it's really important that you're kind of making your profile ideal for both.
(04:26):
SeanYeah, that's actually something I've noticed, not too long ago, where I just happened to be looking at my Google Maps when I was using it for like, travel and businesses would pop up on that map. Yeah, I kind of had nothing. I mean, none of that had nothing to do, but like, I was going to a specific location, but along the way it popped up like, here's this place.
(04:47):
SeanAnd I had no idea that those were even there. I know, and some of them I was like, oh, what even is that? Because, you know, you're used to seeing. I remember, originally it was just like gas stations, which is it makes sense. You're traveling, you're driving a gas station along the way is very useful. But then I started to see, like, some businesses that were like grocery stores or, like, sporting goods or something like that, like stuff that wasn't necessarily what I was looking for.
(05:11):
SeanBut now that I know it's there was useful they'll showing up.
StephanieCommon denominator for that is those businesses have Google business profiles and they're optimized. They're likely very optimized to make sense. Make sense. Yeah. Helps you show up. And it's really good for brand recognition as well. Like, for example, while you're driving on the street and you see those now, you know that that grocery store exists, it keeps them at the top of your mind or lets you know what's nearby.
(05:36):
StephanieIt's really great kind of feature.
SeanYeah. Now, how does, like, does having a GMB. Oh, shoot, GBP that's gonna be tough. That's gonna be really tough to get over. I mean, it happened like four years ago. They changed that name.
StephanieI know it's okay. I still do it sometimes, too.
SeanFor those of you who aren't aware, it used to be called Google My Business. Yep. And then they changed it to Google Business Profile. Correct. Because it's kind of more like a social media profile. Almost correct. Yeah. Which makes more sense. But I still like the way the Google my business sounds.
(06:07):
StephanieI know. Yeah.
SeanSo I still struggle with, with adjusting that.
StephanieThat's okay. I think it's good that people know both because you're you're not the only one. We still have contractors come in who refer to it as GMB as well. So it's it is the same thing. Google business Profile now has added functionalities and features, things like that that they've kind of enhanced over time since Google My business.
(06:29):
StephanieSo as the feature keeps growing, we keep learning and we learn how to optimize it even better.
SeanAnd what's even better is that because I've said GMB, I can now tag it in SEO.
StephanieYeah, you know, tag goodness.
SeanYeah. So, what I was trying to ask is if you have your, Google business profile optimized and set up. Right, how does that affect, the opposite of that, which is I like your website. Does this generate more traffic to your website?
(06:55):
StephanieYes, absolutely. I consider Google Business profile, traffic driver. So again, it's kind of the first thing that they'll see before they even click to your website. So that's kind of the virtual business card as you might say. And then your website, the purpose of that is to help convert those leads so people be interested in you, understand that your reputable, trustworthy business nearby want to learn more.
(07:20):
StephanieThey get to a website that complements that profile, has high quality images that are also that you should also be using on your Google business profile. We'll get into that later. Yeah. But and all it all comes together to essentially get you the right traffic. You're looking for traffic that actually converts. We're not just here to drive you visitors that aren't looking for, for example, a home remodeler in Charlotte, North Carolina.
(07:44):
StephanieYou know, the local SEO that traffic is valuable. These are people actually searching for your services. So.
SeanAnd you said something. You had an analogy in there that, I like to, I like the way it sounds is, for those who are listening, like your GBP is your digital business card 100 if you're handing out business cards, are you handing it out blank? Oh.
(08:06):
StephanieI hope not.
SeanThere is an entire science. I don't know if you remember this. And it I mean, it still exists because we will still have business cards, but there's an entire science behind what you should have on your business card. Yeah, and what shouldn't be there. Yeah. And those are things like your contact information. What, you do like a tag.
SeanLike everything was specific to optimize even your business card. So this is the same thing. It's just a digital business card.
(08:28):
StephanieDigital business card. Same elements as well, which we'll I'm sure we'll dive into it here as we keep talking. But, it's really important that your contact information is visible and not only visible, but also matches other sources across the web. So you want your name, address and phone number. That nap. I'll probably reference that a few times and I never.
(08:49):
SeanHeard that before. Yeah.
StephanieName, address, phone number. You really want that to be the same across the board? This is what is establishing the Google that you are real, reputable and trustworthy. That will help you rank.
SeanPerfect. So now we've laid the groundwork. Let's show, contractors how they can stand out and drive leads, so we can optimize that by optimizing it the right way, essentially. So, Stephanie, let's start breaking into, the best practices for your GMB Google business profile. So let's talk about how you audit clients because this is what you do.
(09:24):
SeanYou you audit their Google business profile. What is like the what are the things that you're looking for when you're auditing these things?
StephanieYeah, absolutely. Audits are really fun. So it's a really awesome chance for us to get to know our customers as we're going through their profile. The first thing I look for, which I know we'll talk about later in more detail, is any duplicates or suspensions. So if you're Google Business Profile, if you have more than one, or if your Google business profile isn't showing up, that is the first thing we look for.
(09:54):
StephanieSo no, Matt, no amount of optimizing will help a business. If Google has decided that they're not showing it for verification purposes. So definitely need to get that fixed right out of the gate. After that, I go into, as I just mentioned, name, address, phone. So we make sure that that information on the profile matches the other sources across the web, whether that be your Better Business Bureau profile, your social media profiles, your Yelp account, or any of those other types of profiles, your information should be consistent and the same.
(10:26):
SeanBut even though you can, you connect your Yelp to Google Business profile.
StephanieYou can't connect the Yelp to Google Business Profile, but you can. You just need to make sure that you're using the same URL for your website on the Yelp profile, as well as your Google business profile.
SeanOkay.
StephanieAll right. So again, it's a imagine somebody googling your business. All of the results that get listed. You want those to be the same. That that would confuse a customer right. If they were to search home remodel or Charlotte North Carolina. And they hear Sean's remodeling, right.
(10:56):
SeanThat sounds good to me though.
StephanieIt sounds pretty.
SeanGood.
StephanieSean's remodeling. But if you're let's say your name is spelled differently or your phone numbers are different or your address is different, right? They're not going to understand quite who you are, and neither will Google. So in order, it's a ranking factor, making yourself very clear of what you do, who you are, what services you offer, and where you offer them.
(11:19):
SeanYeah, that makes sense. Yeah, yeah, across the board should be the same, which is really anything for your marketing, your business or branding. So that makes sense. Like Google would see that that way. Absolutely. So what do our clients who are coming to you to audit their. Is it usually that they've already set it up and you're auditing it, or are you setting it up for the first time or both?
(11:39):
StephanieWe typically get the profiles after they've already been set up, or if a contractor reaches out, lets us know that they have set one up, but they're struggling with verification processes. Verification for a Google business profile can be quite a hurdle, especially for businesses like contractors that we work with very commonly who are service area businesses, rather than having a brick and mortar storefront location.
(12:03):
StephanieA lot of times Google can make that process a little harder for their business to be verified and show up in Google.
Sean
StephanieMaps.
SeanSo what can they expect if they were to call you? So, Stephanie, struggling with my, Google business profile, what do they need from you to get started?
StephanieWhat do they need for me to get started?
(12:25):
SeanYeah. So, like, like, what's the process? What do we what are they given to you for you to audit them?
StephanieOh, first things first. Is that you would grant me access to the back end of your profile. You'd assign me as a manager so I can get in and take a look at how you have everything set up on the back end, and can edit things and adjust things if I see kind of an opportunity to enhance them.
(12:48):
StephanieThe first thing I look for, like I said, is if it's suspended. But after that, I'll go through the name, address, phone, I'll take your business categories as well, which I know. We'll also talk about this one a little bit more detail, but we have offered options to categorize a business, with both primary and secondary categories.
StephanieThis is one of the most important features of a Google business profile. And what helps you get ranked for those terms. Choosing the right categories. And it's something that a lot of contractors might not even know. There are over 4000 options for categories to assign to your profile.
(13:25):
SeanLet's not get too far into that yet, because that's going to be a little bit later. So they just need to assign you as, like as a manager.
StephanieAs a manager.
SeanSo it's as easy as that.
StephanieAs easy as that.
SeanOkay. Cool. Because I know some of our processes requires them to send over photos and stuff like that. That when you're setting it up after you audit it, if you like, are you including are you setting up the photos or you set up the videos?
(13:48):
StephanieI would absolutely love to do that. If you are able to provide me with files like that, that is absolutely something that I can do for you.
SeanWe do that.
StephanieWhat we run into sometimes is that contractors may not have those photos available yet or videos available yet. I when I'm talking to a new customer who's come in a new client that's coming in wanting to work on their GPP, I make sure to tell them right out of the gate to prioritize photo and video creation. It's a Google Business profile, has a great gallery feature where you can upload all of these images or video files.
(14:20):
StephanieIt shows Google that you're kind of an active, business, right? If a potential customers researching, they can see photos of your work, both before, during and after projects. It's really exciting.
SeanSo I can tell you, I, I'm sure I'm not the only one, but specifically when I am searching, literally. Yesterday, I was searching for a place to get a haircut. Yeah. And I looked at this place that was new, near my home. And I went to their Google business profile. They didn't have any photos. They didn't have it there.
(14:53):
SeanI think they had, like, two reviews. And I decided not to go to them because they only had a photo of just their storefront. And it was the photo from Google, right? I'm sure they're a good business. They've this as they've been in business for years, but they didn't have any photos. They didn't look active. They didn't have much information other than their phone number.
SeanThey didn't have a website. It was enough for me to be like, I'll go somewhere else.
(15:15):
StephanieKeep searching. And that is such a common user behavior. And that's across industries. Like you said, you're just looking for a haircut and you're still looking at Google Business profiles. I imagine especially in the contracting space, you, potential customers looking to.
SeanA much bigger.
StephaniePicture remodel their home. Right. They want to see what types of projects you've completed before. They also want to see good reviews. They want to see this is why Google business profiles are so important, especially in this space.
(15:43):
SeanAnd it's crazy that, you know, when we were setting this episode up to to do this, I didn't think about any of this stuff. Like, I know Google Business profile is important. But when we start to really dive into some of these, I was like, I guess I do that like when I and I don't realize how often I'm doing that it is the first thing I do is I go to all these and verify this business before I even go on their website or their social media apps.
(16:07):
SeanOkay, so let's dive a little bit more into the photos and videos. You know, I'm a videographer, I love photos and videos. And a lot of my purchases are dealt with, you know, going through those on GMB. So let's look at best practices for people who may not know or may not have photos set up on their, Google business profile.
SeanRight. What are you finding best practices for photos? Like, I know on social media, people don't really like to see, the during photos they really want to see before and afters at the same with Google business profile.
(16:40):
StephanieI will be honest with you, I've seen the best success with completed photos like completion photos of projects that you're really proud of. We always recommend on websites to use professionally shot photos for websites. Google Business Profile would also really benefit if you're getting professional photos taken of your work, absolutely put those on Google Business Profile, but you can also put in high quality image shots that you take yourself, but of a project that you're really proud of, something that really showcases, something that you've created and something that you're capable of, essentially you're trying to sell what you do to the people who are interested in getting it done.
(17:16):
SeanAs a visual.
StephanieMedium. It's a visual.
SeanMedium. I think contractors forget that all the time. I mean, we mean Aaron would go and travel to our contractors and shoot videos with them. And, you know, it seems like they don't realize how important it is, the look of what they do.
StephanieOh, look at what they do.
SeanSo there's so many contractors out there who they don't take photos. I mean, you have a photo for you. You have a camera in your pocket. They don't take photos. They don't take videos. And and the ones that they do post on social media is not very appealing.
(17:45):
StephanieNot the great ones. I know. I see it all the time.
SeanTheir work is so good, so.
StephanieGood.
SeanAnd that is what's going to sell it. Is that the photography or the the visual aspect of it? People are going to look at this kitchen and be like, I want that.
StephanieI want that I can I will do that on my own.
SeanI'd go to these contractors jobs. I bought a house that needed to be updated, and I'd go to these homes and look into this kitchen and come home and just be depressed, because I'd see these kitchens that are just like, this is what I want, and go home to my house. That is not what I want. So like, people are going to be visualizing that, whether it's on your social media or your Google business profile.
(18:21):
SeanSo it's very important.
StephanieIs very important. And I will say especially, and kind of an underused feature are the videos. So Google is actually we've become a really video, a video age. Right. Video first TikTok we have you name it.
SeanIt's how we consume nowadays.
StephaniePeople love video content. Google is starting to really understand that. So even just a walk through of a completed job site where you're showing off your final work, posting that to Google Business. Really? Yes, absolutely. Google, we have that.
(18:51):
SeanContract digital time. I they've given me so much that stuff. So literally just a walkthrough of the final job.
StephanieWalkthrough the final job. Just make sure obviously that you're showing a project that you're proud of. If possible, try to have it cleaned up. You don't necessarily want to throw videos out there that are complete that still have tools laying around, but I'm saying if you don't have anything that's better than nothing, then nothing.
(19:14):
SeanNow, that's also better than probably the next thing I want to bring up, because I know we've had a lot of contractors who they use a lot of stock photos on their website, and I know we've moved away from that. That was, ten years ago. That was something that was used a lot or accepted. But now they're getting dinged for that on their websites.
SeanYes.
StephanieGoogle is able to tell when a photo is a stock image. They can actually see if it's been used other places across the web. And also, I think consumers are getting a little smarter about that too. Right? So yeah, you.
(19:43):
SeanThe lighting's different. It's usually staged.
StephanieIt's usually staged.
SeanIt's just too good too HGTV
StephanieRight. And I mean, in this day and age, there's even like AI editing of these videos or these images and it's it's wild. I do not recommend using stock photos at all. On your Google business profile. Again, like you said, people can kind of pick up on that. It's not an accurate reflection of your work. And again, if you're doing good work, go take some photos of it.
(20:09):
StephanieLet's see it like showcase.
SeanThat I think the biggest thing about using a stock I know Google did it right, but if I see a stock footage and I know my eyes are different because I work in the field, but I'm sure there's other people who would notice it the moment I see there's a stock image on your website or something, I feel like you're lying to me.
SeanI feel this is sketchy.
StephanieIt's a trust factor, for sure.
(20:29):
SeanThat's the number one thing. If I don't trust you, I'm not buying for me.
StephanieYeah, and Google trust factor as well. If you are a real life. Right. There you.
SeanGo. Yeah, yeah, I know something.
StephanieI'm so proud. If Google can recognize that you're, like, a real authority in your space. Not somebody who's using stock images, but somebody that has these high quality photos, these great reviews on their, Google business page, a really well built out website that compliments it. You have a higher chance of ranking. Google considers you more of an authority in the space than maybe somebody who doesn't have those things.
(21:04):
StephanieSo it's really important to build that out.
SeanYeah. So let's talk a little bit about, these core offerings that you were bringing up earlier. So, based on what you told me, you generally want to highlight 2 to 5 core offerings. Yeah. What are those and why 2 to 5?
StephanieAbsolutely. There is a section of the Google business Profile for anybody not familiar called the product section. There's both products and services sections. This is the product section that we're talking about. And this is where I do.
(21:32):
SeanThis kind of where we get into like it's a digital storefront.
StephanieIt is a digital storefront.
SeanYour products for sale right there.
StephanieCorrect. And some people might think, you know, I would put maybe a T-shirt there, like, I sell this t shirt and in some cases, sure, that could work for you. But in the contracting space, what this product section does is kind of gives you a chance to highlight your main service offerings. The reason I recommend not putting everything that you do, because we work with people who do deck building, kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels, general carpentry services, the list could go on.
(22:07):
StephanieWhat you want to do is, again, this is kind of a business card. You want to put your best foot forward. You want to put the thing that you're really trying to drive business for, for you at the front, front and center of your profile. The more that you have there, I feel like you lose a little bit of interest.
StephanieA lot of people, they aren't going to go scrolling really in-depth into, let's say, a list of 25 different products. If you have a list of 4 or 5 kind of main categories that you offer, it makes it really clear to a customer and to Google what you offer and again, where you offer it, which of course brings you more likely to rank in your area for those services.
(22:46):
SeanSo I have a great analogy for any contractor listening to connect that to. So we were over in Pennsylvania with Dennis Gaming and Gaming remodeling, and he was talking to us about, doorknob knobs on like cabinets, cabinetry and you showing us how many there are. I mean, there are hundreds, thousands to choose from. And it's overwhelming. Yeah.
(23:11):
SeanAnd and a lot of clients, they, they see this and they can't pick and they kind of shut down. Yes. And so it's kind of their job to help guide them through that. Okay. So I feel like that's the same thing. That's great. If you have 20 services on your, Google business profile, that's going to be something that is going to deter people because that's too many options.
(23:32):
StephanieIt's a little it can it can dilute it a little bit. Right. Like you are trying to tell Google what your primary services and offerings are. Just like you're trying to tell your customers what those are as well. So it just dilutes the results a little bit. In my experience, if you focus on that list of 2 to 5, depending on what you offer.
StephanieFor example, I just finished optimizing a profile for a home remodel, and we did home additions, bathroom remodeling and kitchen remodeling and that's it. And they have seen such great success so far.
(24:01):
SeanSo even though they offer way more than that.
StephanieThey offer a few different services here and there. But that's not even something that they're really trying to put a huge focus on. It's just something that they do if needed. And I found that's great. And it's something that you can always educate and talk to your customers about later. But let's get your phone to ring first or.
SeanYeah, that's the most important.
(24:22):
StephanieThat's the most phones that the phone has to be ringing. And that's, in my experience, the best way to start getting it to do some it.
SeanI'll talk about posts on Google Business profile. We all know like posting on social media. Cool, right? That makes sense. Yeah, but posting on Google Business Profile is is something that we should be doing. How frequently should we be doing it?
(24:43):
StephanieAbsolutely. It is an underused area. Definitely.
SeanI don't think I mean, I don't think I knew that it was a thing.
StephanieCorrect. A lot of people don't. And, you know, sometimes depending on your view, you might not even see the posts. Necessarily on that first scroll. But again, the point of your Google business profile is to really be reinforcing the signals that we're sending to Google, that you're an active business in your community, that you're engaged. The posts are a really great place to do that.
(25:13):
StephanieNot only do you get an opportunity to highlight some photos, which we've already talked about, or a video, you get a chance to kind of optimize the descriptive text. So I recently completed a project in Charlotte, NC. Here are a few photos if you're looking to get a kitchen remodel near Huntersville. All right. Give us.
SeanThis helps with that local SEO.
StephanieIt absolutely helps.
(25:33):
SeanBecause now it's putting you on a map. Yes.
StephanieYeah. Yep. Again, telling Google it's our job. Google is an incredible service right. Like there's a lot of capabilities in Google. But it's still our job to tell Google what we want it to know about us. You don't necessarily want to trust Google to figure that all out by itself. It can. But you want to get it right, so you feed it the right information.
(25:57):
StephaniePosts are a great way to do that. I typically recommend maybe once a week or so on. Okay, Google business posts.
SeanAnd what would you put? Well, yeah, I already said that. I'm sorry.
StephanieNo, there's a lot of different options because I said yes, you can do like a project, a completed project post. This is something I just worked on. Check out the photos. But there's also opportunity for you to post a discount or promo that you're doing. We're working with a debt contractor and, Massachusetts right now who's doing 15% off decking, and we're making sure to post that on his Google business profile.
(26:30):
StephanieAgain, you're just letting customers.
SeanSomebody is currently, let's say right now they're they're they're searching. I need a deck built in Massachusetts. The first thing now coming up is that little snippet. And they see that post of 15% off right now. Correct. Now they're more than likely they're more likely to click on.
StephanieYou 100%. And on those posts, you can put a dedicated button to call so they can call directly from that post. They don't even need to back out or re navigate anything like that. The the post itself can be, traffic driver.
(27:03):
SeanThat's awesome. Yeah, yeah. And I'm assuming two you could probably put on that post. You can probably put like Google ads on on like you can boost that right?
StephanieI believe so, yes.
SeanOkay. Yeah, I would assume so. But let's talk about, like reviews and responding to reviews. Oh.
StephanieSo important.
SeanOkay, so I know some people might know I am not afraid to, get on a Google business profile and put a negative review. Oh, I'm sure other people, are as well. They're more likely to leave negative reviews. How do we respond to that as a contractor?
(27:41):
StephanieI will tell you, you first things first, respond to it. Yeah, a lot of people think that maybe they can just let it go, or especially if they feel it's unfair or not really related to their business, or they just don't want to stir the pot. I can understand all of that, but I will tell you, it is best practice to respond to every single one of your reviews, positive and negative.
(28:04):
SeanWhy is that?
StephanieWhy? Because as a potential customer, you were looking at those reviews, right?
SeanDefinitely.
StephanieYou just mentioned it when you were talking about your haircut appointment. We absolutely look at those reviews. If you see a lot of negative reviews, it's your opportunity to show professional ism, in your response. So sometimes you might not have a customer that's happy with you. And it it is unfortunate if they leave you review that that is something that you have to deal with.
(28:31):
StephanieHandle that well. Like show your professionalism, show courtesy. Help kind of convince customers. Hey, just because we had one negative review doesn't mean we're a negative company to work with. And this is why, you can.
SeanThere's just circumstances that cause.
StephanieAbsolutely.
SeanBad time.
StephanieI had a client the other day get a negative review, from a potential customer who was actually out of their service area. And the customer, on the review said that they didn't respond fast enough to their inquiry. Rather than getting defensive.
(29:03):
SeanI see that a lot.
StephanieActually. It's a common one. Yeah. Rather than getting defensive or taking maybe a less professional route on that review response, what they did is just calmly explain, we're so grateful that you reached out to us. We we are in our peak busy season right now. We apologize for the slight delay in getting back with you. Unfortunately, we looked at your account, and we do realize you're out of our service area, but we're so grateful that you considered us.
(29:30):
StephanieWe're not going to be able to get rid of that review, but that response says a lot about the absolutely about the business more than it does about maybe that one negative review. So it's just another place to kind of highlight who you are, your core values are you professional? Are you courteous? Do you treat people with respect?
StephanieThat's a negative reviews, a great opportunity to prove that.
SeanYeah. And what about positive reviews?
(29:52):
StephaniePositive reviews are the same thing. And I actually love positive review, replying.
SeanI think everybody does.
StephanieOh yes. These. It feels so good. Yeah. I always give some good advice on positive reviews. Applying where you can actually optimize your review responses for search. And I know that seems a little crazy, but it's kind of just in your phrasing. So rather, let's say you have Susie down the street says they did a great job.
(30:18):
StephanieThank you so much for your time. You can say thank you, Susie. We appreciated working with you and that's great. And feel free to do that. But you're actually missing out on some opportunity to tell Google once again who you are, where you are, and what you do. So what you can do when you respond to things like that say, Susie, we had such a great time working on your bathroom remodel.
(30:40):
StephanieWe truly strive to be the best home remodeler in Charlotte, North Carolina and getting to work with you was a great opportunity for us to blank, blank, blank. You know, kind of throw in some keywords are key phrases that people kind of use when they're considering searching for businesses.
SeanYeah. That's awesome. I don't think I would have ever thought of that. Yeah, that absolutely makes sense to our SEO. I mean, this is a SEO local SEO play, right?
(31:07):
Stephanie100.
SeanPercent. That makes sense. That literally at every moment, at every turn that you can you can naturally put it in.
StephanieThere naturally.
SeanBut in the location, put in the job that you do and who you are.
StephanieAbsolutely. Yes.
SeanThat's awesome.
StephanieReviews are so important. We have seen that, clients that have ten or more reviews get a little boost with SEO as well. Okay. So kind of keep that in mind as, like a magic number as we try to get people to get to ten reviews minimum if they can. So we definitely always recommend asking for your reviews.
(31:38):
StephanieDon't forget to ask your customers to leave your review if they just so happen to put a photo on their review. That is Google Gold. Google loves that. And again, when you respond to it, say things like, this was a great bathroom remodeling project for us. Our team really enjoyed doing your custom kitchen countertops, whatever it may be.
(32:00):
StephanieAnd again, you're just reinforcing to Google and potential customers who are most definitely reading your reviews, what you do, how well you do it, where you do it helps you pop up.
SeanYeah, I can tell you we did, an episode not long ago with Ian. And we kind of talked about testimonials and reviews, obviously came up, sir. And you want to be asking for those reviews before the project started and then throughout the project? Absolutely. Yeah. Just reminding them from here and there every now and then.
(32:29):
SeanAbsolutely. I know the reason why I brought up originally was me. I feel like I'd be afraid to ask for that review upfront, but it sounds like from what I've talked to everybody over in SEO is that it's a very natural thing and people are usually respond to it positively of, yeah, sure, we'll give you a review and if we love the job, we're going to give you a review there.
SeanYeah. Don't be afraid to ask for it.
(32:50):
StephanieDon't be afraid. You out of yourself. You know, the people that we work with do really great work, you know, like be proud. Let your customers know. Hi. This would really help our business. We're trying to expand or we're trying to grow. We're trying to become, you know, make it more personal and emotional. Will you help us?
(33:11):
StephanieYou know, we're helping you. Can you help us? Yeah. It's not a bad thing. It's nothing to be ashamed of at all. And again, people don't mind doing it. You know, I love leaving a good review. I went out to, dinner the other day, and my waitress asked if I'd leave a review, and I did it right there on the spot price.
StephanieYeah, there you go. Put her name in there and everything.
SeanAnd it's always best when you put the name in there.
StephanieOh, yeah. Like nice little call out.
(33:33):
SeanYeah, yeah, because their bosses are seeing it.
StephanieThat's exactly what I thought of. I said I want them to know that she did a great job.
SeanPerfect. Yeah. So now that we're, we're we're fully optimized. Our Google business profile is fully optimized, and we're ahead of the game. Yeah. Let's transition into some troubleshooting and some, problems that you might see that we want to fix to, build longevity. Right. So, when you audit what are you looking for are the most common problems that you see, I know you kind of touched on this in the first one.
(34:05):
StephanieSir, and yes, I probably that.
SeanSuspension one. Right.
StephanieSuspension is huge. So obviously once you're suspended, it's likely that Google is not showing your business profile for related searches.
SeanSo why might you have been suspended?
StephanieThere's common answers can include, keyword stuffing. Basically trying to trick Google. Google takes that a little personally.
(34:29):
SeanAnd hold on. What is keyword stuffing?
StephanieOh, absolutely. Yes. Keyword stuffing is being unnatural in the way that you talk about your business and your services. So kitchen remodel or kitchen remodel or kitchen remodel or kitchen remodeler Google doesn't like that. It's not reading naturally. It's not helping a customer. So.
SeanThey would prefer it to be in a sentence where I am a kitchen remodeler yes, I did.
(34:52):
StephanieKitchen roll. It should be authentic and real. Google does prioritize that. They're back in the day. Early on, before Google's algorithms were catching this kind of thing, keyword stuffing worked. A lot of businesses were popping up over credible, trustworthy businesses because of those practices. What Google found is that those businesses weren't actually helping the customer.
(35:16):
StephanieAnd Google wants to be a great search engine. They don't want to give poor feedback or results to their users. Right.
SeanBecause then they'll go somewhere else.
StephanieThey'll go somewhere.
SeanElse. Microsoft. Oh gosh. What's the Microsoft? Bing. Bing.
StephanieYeah, sure. Yeah. And so what we try to do is always remind people that this is you're looking to be authentic. This is, again, your digital business card. You're not handing out a fake business card for a company that does something similar to, like, make it real. Talk about yourself in a real way. Talk about your services in a real way.
(35:50):
StephanieMake it useful for a potential customer. Google values that. It makes them a better search engine, so.
SeanAnd it's kind of the thing. It's the whole all of digital marketing in content marketing now is really it's a personality. You have to be alive. Your brand needs to be a living, breathing thing online. Absolutely. So like when you're on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, you get ranked better. Like if you just post content and then disappear until your next post.
(36:20):
SeanThey don't like that. You have to be on there building that community, communicating with people, having a authentic voice, through all of your content.
StephanieAnd.
SeanThat. And I would assume that Google Business Profile is the same way.
StephanieI was just about to say it translates right over to a Google business profile. You talk about engagement that's responding to those reviews, and you talk about posting. That can include business posts, but it can also include updating your gallery, making sure that your business hours are accurate. There's holidays that come up. Google will remind you to do.
(36:51):
StephanieThey will remind you to update your hours. And a lot of people ignore that thinking, oh, it's no biggie.
SeanOr I can tell you it's very annoying there because there are certain holidays that not everyone's closed on, right? Yes, there's the big ones like Christmas and Thanksgiving. Obviously most people are closed. But then there's other ones that are smaller ones. Maybe you're doing a sale like I know some stores run massive sales on the Veteran's Day or President's Day.
(37:15):
SeanYeah. And they're not closed, but there might be something that I'm searching for and I'm like, I have this day off. Are you open?
StephanieAre you.
SeanOpen when you go to Google and it just says these hours maybe may.
StephanieBe affected?
SeanI want to know, are you actually open right now? What I'm gonna do is I'm going to call and bother you and say, hey, are you open? I know you answered the phone, but are you open? Because I wasn't sure. Absolutely. Or I'm just not going to call at all and just not go to your business.
(37:41):
StephanieCorrect. So to.
SeanAnswer that question, answer.
StephanieThe question that your hours and another kind of cool trick when it comes to hours now that we're talking about it. And yeah, I would love to give a little trick here. So outside of standard, business hours, Google can actually prioritize businesses that are open. So let's say you have somebody after work looking to explore home remodeling or even before work, just in the morning while they're getting ready.
(38:07):
StephanieOne thing that you can do, if you have the ability to actually have somebody available to answer the phone, is extend your business hours. So something I recommend, if I'm working with a client that is always on their phone, is happy to receive a call at any time. If anybody's interested in their services is expand out your business hours just a little bit, whether that be seven to 6 or 8, 30 to 630, whatever works for you.
(38:33):
StephanieBut Google actually does consider that when they're showing local businesses and their rankings. So if you're looking to maybe capitalize on some searches either before or after work, one little tip that we've tried and seen some good success with is adjusting your business hours.
SeanSo you're saying if someone is at their home after work 530 and they're searching for like a remodeler, and you happen to be the one that's open according to Google, they are likely to recommend you over somebody else.
(39:04):
StephanieAbsolutely. Over close business. And you've seen it before. And, Google searches, if you're if you are typing in something, Google can offer you modifiers on their search. So open now or yeah, near me.
SeanThat makes.
StephanieSense. If you're open now you show up in that open now section. So if you have like I said, if you have the ability and the capacity, that's something that you want to take on in your business a couple an hour or two a day, just test it out, see if that works well for you. We seen good success for other contractors that I've tried that.
(39:35):
SeanYeah. And this doesn't necessarily mean that they have to be like in the office. A lot of times these are commuting hours too. Right? So this could literally be someone, a contractor in the car while they're listening to the Contractor Growth Network podcast. You know, they are now they get a phone call for a potential job, just because their phone was on, correct?
SeanYeah. That's perfect. Yep. I mean, I know that when I, I work a 9 to 5 job, I constantly forget during the day that I have to schedule an appointment. Right? So, like, the a good one is my vet. My vets are only open 9 to 5 and I constantly forget it'll be I'll be driving home. It's 530.
(40:14):
SeanThey're closed. If they were just someone there to just take my appointment, they don't have to take my dog right to answer the phone. Just answer the phone. It would help me out immensely and I'd be so appreciative of that.
StephanieAbsolutely.
SeanYeah. Yeah, that's a great trick.
StephanieIt's a great little trick. Again, and I, I only recommend it for those who are there, you know, like we get contractors in who were wouldn't mind getting a phone call at seven for a potential kitchen, or a whole home remodel, so I wouldn't mind my phone ringing at seven if that's the project on the other line.
(40:46):
SeanAnd even then, it doesn't have to be in-depth. It could be like, let's schedule a time to talk more in depth.
StephanieGreat to hear from you.
SeanYeah, just answer the phone.
StephanieYeah.
SeanNow, I know a lot of people when they set up their, their, their Google business profile. I know me personally. I've, I've done this. They forgot that they set up their business profile on like a different Google account because I know I have probably seven Google email accounts. And then when I create a new one now there's a conflict of interest, right.
(41:18):
SeanSo what do we do about this? We have duplicated business Google business profiles.
StephanieYes. That is actually a common issue that we see here. It was it is something, you know, when somebody is starting up a new business, for example, they may get excited and go ahead and set up their Google business profile, maybe with their personal email address, and then when they get a little bit more established and they have a work email address, they go set up another profile.
(41:44):
StephanieYeah. That is you think it might be great thing to have your site listed more than once, but what that does to Google is it confuses it. So what you need to do and what we would recommend doing and what we can help doing if you do have a duplicate profile is we want to merge these profiles, especially if there's a review.
StephanieSo let's say both versions of your profiles have gotten you reviews. You don't want to lose the reviews, right? So we don't want just want to go in and delete a profile.
(42:13):
SeanEspecially if the review was made some time ago. So it's had some time to be crawled in. Absolutely filled up authority.
StephanieAbsolutely.
SeanSo like these SEO words I mean.
StephanieI do like those SEO is I'm impressed. Yeah, yeah. You'll have to come, over to our side of the words sometimes.
StephanieBut what we would do there is we can actually get in touch with Google support and request a merge of your profile. So that's a carryover over of all the data from one profile to another profile. What you really need to do is pick the profile that you'd like to manage. I always suggest using the one that's managed by your work email address, just for obvious reasons.
(42:53):
StephanieIt makes sense. But we can actually kind of pull that information, including your reviews, over to the, specific profile. So that's been really helpful. I will say Google business updates, things like this. It is a process. So it's not something that it sounds like it's going to be really easy. It is something that you might need help with.
StephanieIt's something that we do here regularly. I see duplicate profiles pretty commonly. It's a common error that I run into here, so it's not impossible. You just need to know what you're doing.
(43:23):
SeanSo Google like they won't see like the business name is exactly the same the address, same name right or same address. They won't do it on their own or.
StephanieNot always now.
SeanBut they might sometimes.
StephanieI haven't seen that myself. Right.
SeanSo you you do have to initialize.
StephanieI have seen only having duplicates like this two separate listings.
(43:44):
SeanGotcha. Okay.
StephanieOkay. Especially with service area businesses because they Google might not be able to tell specifically if it is the same business. If the let's say the address isn't listed on Google, they can't necessarily figure that out on their own.
SeanSo gotcha. Okay. That makes sense. Now, one thing we haven't touched on yet I love analytics. I'm all about analytics. Yeah. And the company, in my opinion that has the best analytics is Google.
(44:10):
Stephanie100%.
SeanI spend hours looking at YouTube analytics. It's my favorite.
StephanieIt's so insightful. Yeah. Data driven decision making is my bread and butter. Yeah, absolutely.
SeanSo I would be surprised if Google Business Profile did not have analytics.
StephanieI would be surprised as well. And lucky for us, they do do they do is.
(44:32):
SeanWhich is a wild thing to think of right. Yeah. So what are in these analytics for a business profile. Sure.
StephanieYeah. The analytics that you'll get from Google Business profiles are called Google Business Insights.
SeanOh.
StephanieSo when you're logged on to your profile, you can actually click in and see graphs and information of really valuable data. Not only will it measure the amount of clicks over to your website, it also will tell you how many people have clicked your call button. I don't tell you how many people have requested directions to you.
(45:07):
StephanieIf you have your address listed. Just general interactions, profile views. At a certain point, it'll start telling you the keywords that people are searching for that make your profile pop up huge. It's huge. So you know what's working, what isn't working, what your brand has visibility for in your area. These insights are everything.
(45:28):
SeanYou know, so it just occurred to me too, this is all free.
StephanieIt is all free.
SeanHonestly, that legit just occurred to me. Yep. You get all this and you not have to pay any extra. There's no premium, there's no paywalls.
StephanieYou just have to know what button to click.
SeanYeah. That's wild. So why are some of those the analytics really important for your business.
StephanieWell obviously what we're really looking to drive our leads. Right. So you want to understand if your if your Google business profile is showing are people clicking over to your website. Is there something wrong with your profile that maybe they're not clicking over to your website? Let's say you don't have a lot of photos or not good quality photos, or everybody's least favorite only during photos of projects, right?
(46:10):
StephanieYeah. You want to make sure that your Google business profile is driving those actual engagement and not just views, not just visibility, but engagement. The people who are local to you, looking for your services, wanting to explore your brand. And we see that most commonly in those calls, clicks of the website. And then if you have a brick and mortar directions to you.
(46:33):
SeanHuge.
StephanieIt's huge.
SeanSo those are the three things that they want to be looking out for on their Google business.
StephanieIf you're a service area business, you won't get, insights on direction requests, which is a okay, I don't think you'd want at that point.
SeanIt probably clicks to call.
StephanieLikes to call.
SeanYeah.
StephanieAnd then another thing that we do on our side is we also set up a specific tracking link. So the link that will add the URL that will add to your Google business profile. We will create a dedicated tracking links to Google Analytics as well. So we can kind of watch and monitor the performance of individual users on their site afterwards.
(47:08):
StephanieSo okay, that's something that we do here.
SeanSo today we went through the entire roadmap of your Google business profile, how to optimize it, how to get local visibility, how to, troubleshoot it in case there are some problems with your, your suspensions or you have duplicates. And if it's one thing that I've, that we can take away from this episode, is that your Google business profile is a living, breathing thing, just like anything else with your business.
(47:34):
StephanieAbsolutely. You want to make sure that it's updated, optimize. You want to spend time on it. Again, it's the first, typically the first view that a potential customer has of your business. This is before the website. This is before they get you on the phone. It is your Google business profile, and a lot of people forget to take it as seriously as you should.
(47:54):
SeanAt your portfolio.
StephanieIt's your portfolio use business card. It has so many awesome features. You can answer questions and answers for your local customers and community. Add those photos, business posts like a social media platform. I mean, the options are almost endless, and it's just knowing kind of what to look for and knowing how to do it.
(48:15):
SeanYeah. Well, Stephanie, I appreciate you coming on. This is a great episode and I knew it was going to be a great episode.
StephanieI'm so glad I have such a good time being here today. Thank you so much.
SeanYou joined us. This was fun. Yeah. So, thank you for sharing your insights and for anybody listening. Now it's time to take action. Go check your Google business profile. When's the last time you checked it? Make sure that all the stuff that we just went over is correct and is up to date, and, you know, make it a real asset for your business.
(48:47):
StephanieAnd.
SeanWe wondered why some businesses dominate Google, while others are possibly invisible. Well, today we're diving into a secret weapon for local SEO. For local SEO success, which is your Google business profile, or GPP? If you're a contractor looking to get local leads, your GBP is as important as your website. And today we're going to show you how to build it, optimize it, and essentially how to keep it out of trouble.
(00:25):
SeanSo to help us break it all down, I'm joined by Stephanie, who is our SEO manager here at CG. And she's been designing, optimizing and, rescuing GPUs for contractors. And trust me, you're going to want to hear what she has to say.
SeanI'm fired up about this one, because Gvp is, some of the lowest hanging fruit in marketing, and most contractors aren't tamed. Advantage of it.
(00:52):
StephanieAbsolutely. Thanks so much for having me, Sean, and really excited to be here today.
SeanStephanie, thank you for being here.
StephanieYou're welcome to.
SeanGive me a fun.
StephanieEpisode. This is going to be a fun episode. You hit the nail on the head. A lot of contractors don't recognize kind of the power of their Google business profiles. And what's really cool is when you optimize them and build them up. The success rate that we see from that is kind of next level. So I'm excited to share some tips.
(01:16):
SeanPerfect. Yeah, I'm sure people are going to love to hear this. There are some stuff when we're going through this. I was like, I didn't even know that. And I thought I knew quite a bit of it. I thought it was very basic, GBP, but there's actually a lot more into it than I originally imagined.
SeanIt's almost like a full website on your own.
StephanieAbsolutely. It's kind of like the digital storefront for your business. What people see before they even get to your website. So obviously having a website is huge, but what kind of can introduce your website to people is your Google Business profile, so it's good to have it built up, well-rounded. Have it compliment your website as well.
(01:51):
SeanYeah. So let's market a little bit. I mean, you kind of went into some of that already, but like what are the basics that people need to know about GBG? Like why is it so important for contractors? Like you already said, it's your first storefront, right? So there's the first thing that people see when they're searching you on Google.
SeanWhy is that so important?
StephanieWhy is that so important? Well, having an optimized Google business profile will help you show up in the local pack, which is the list of that top three businesses that populates above the organic search results. We have seen the most valuable transactional traffic. So the traffic that is actually a qualified lead typically spends their time searching on that local pack.
(02:28):
StephanieSo we want to make sure that a contractor that we're working with is showing up their Google business profiles by optimizing them helps your local SEO. And that's kind of the main goal gets you showing up in the local pack.
SeanThat's great. I'm glad you brought that up because, that's something we kind of need to distinguish local SEO versus just like regular SEO. Yeah. Because all this is, I mean, GBP is really big for. What do you say, local SEO, right? That's it's my main goal. Absolutely. So why does a contractor why if they just do their GMB or GBP?
(02:59):
SeanSorry, GMB is the old way of saying it. If they do this they got local SEO. Why do they need regular SEO?
StephanieLike they complement each other. So everything is build on each other. What you're trying to do for Google is establish trust and credibility between both your profile and your website. So the stronger both of them are, the more likely that they they'll both benefit from that. So.
(03:25):
SeanSo are you saying they're definitely going to need both of them? Yes. Yeah. Okay. Because I know that we don't want people to come out of this thinking, oh, I just need to set up my GBP. I don't need a website. I don't need to make sure my website is optimized. We still need all of that.
StephanieYou definitely still need all of that. So as we mentioned, the Google business will help you show up in Google search and in Google Maps. Your website just shows up in Google search when people are using Google Maps to search, such as contractor Near Me, Kitchen Remodeling, Charlotte, North Carolina. That's when your Google business profile will show up in that map pack.
(03:59):
StephanieIs that ideal goal.
SeanNow are we seeing that people are doing that? Are they using Google Maps to find.
StephanieGreat all the time? Absolutely. Yep. It is more common typically that people use a standard search engine. However, we should not discount Google Maps as a search engine in itself. People search it all the time. The map function shows up on Google searches as well with the pin, so it's really important that you're kind of making your profile ideal for both.
(04:26):
SeanYeah, that's actually something I've noticed, not too long ago, where I just happened to be looking at my Google Maps when I was using it for like, travel and businesses would pop up on that map. Yeah, I kind of had nothing. I mean, none of that had nothing to do, but like, I was going to a specific location, but along the way it popped up like, here's this place.
(04:47):
SeanAnd I had no idea that those were even there. I know, and some of them I was like, oh, what even is that? Because, you know, you're used to seeing. I remember, originally it was just like gas stations, which is it makes sense. You're traveling, you're driving a gas station along the way is very useful. But then I started to see, like, some businesses that were like grocery stores or, like, sporting goods or something like that, like stuff that wasn't necessarily what I was looking for.
(05:11):
SeanBut now that I know it's there was useful they'll showing up.
StephanieCommon denominator for that is those businesses have Google business profiles and they're optimized. They're likely very optimized to make sense. Make sense. Yeah. Helps you show up. And it's really good for brand recognition as well. Like, for example, while you're driving on the street and you see those now, you know that that grocery store exists, it keeps them at the top of your mind or lets you know what's nearby.
(05:36):
StephanieIt's really great kind of feature.
SeanYeah. Now, how does, like, does having a GMB. Oh, shoot, GBP that's gonna be tough. That's gonna be really tough to get over. I mean, it happened like four years ago. They changed that name.
StephanieI know it's okay. I still do it sometimes, too.
SeanFor those of you who aren't aware, it used to be called Google My Business. Yep. And then they changed it to Google Business Profile. Correct. Because it's kind of more like a social media profile. Almost correct. Yeah. Which makes more sense. But I still like the way the Google my business sounds.
(06:07):
StephanieI know. Yeah.
SeanSo I still struggle with, with adjusting that.
StephanieThat's okay. I think it's good that people know both because you're you're not the only one. We still have contractors come in who refer to it as GMB as well. So it's it is the same thing. Google business Profile now has added functionalities and features, things like that that they've kind of enhanced over time since Google My business.
(06:29):
StephanieSo as the feature keeps growing, we keep learning and we learn how to optimize it even better.
SeanAnd what's even better is that because I've said GMB, I can now tag it in SEO.
StephanieYeah, you know, tag goodness.
SeanYeah. So, what I was trying to ask is if you have your, Google business profile optimized and set up. Right, how does that affect, the opposite of that, which is I like your website. Does this generate more traffic to your website?
(06:55):
StephanieYes, absolutely. I consider Google Business profile, traffic driver. So again, it's kind of the first thing that they'll see before they even click to your website. So that's kind of the virtual business card as you might say. And then your website, the purpose of that is to help convert those leads so people be interested in you, understand that your reputable, trustworthy business nearby want to learn more.
(07:20):
StephanieThey get to a website that complements that profile, has high quality images that are also that you should also be using on your Google business profile. We'll get into that later. Yeah. But and all it all comes together to essentially get you the right traffic. You're looking for traffic that actually converts. We're not just here to drive you visitors that aren't looking for, for example, a home remodeler in Charlotte, North Carolina.
(07:44):
StephanieYou know, the local SEO that traffic is valuable. These are people actually searching for your services. So.
SeanAnd you said something. You had an analogy in there that, I like to, I like the way it sounds is, for those who are listening, like your GBP is your digital business card 100 if you're handing out business cards, are you handing it out blank? Oh.
(08:06):
StephanieI hope not.
SeanThere is an entire science. I don't know if you remember this. And it I mean, it still exists because we will still have business cards, but there's an entire science behind what you should have on your business card. Yeah, and what shouldn't be there. Yeah. And those are things like your contact information. What, you do like a tag.
SeanLike everything was specific to optimize even your business card. So this is the same thing. It's just a digital business card.
(08:28):
StephanieDigital business card. Same elements as well, which we'll I'm sure we'll dive into it here as we keep talking. But, it's really important that your contact information is visible and not only visible, but also matches other sources across the web. So you want your name, address and phone number. That nap. I'll probably reference that a few times and I never.
(08:49):
SeanHeard that before. Yeah.
StephanieName, address, phone number. You really want that to be the same across the board? This is what is establishing the Google that you are real, reputable and trustworthy. That will help you rank.
SeanPerfect. So now we've laid the groundwork. Let's show, contractors how they can stand out and drive leads, so we can optimize that by optimizing it the right way, essentially. So, Stephanie, let's start breaking into, the best practices for your GMB Google business profile. So let's talk about how you audit clients because this is what you do.
(09:24):
SeanYou you audit their Google business profile. What is like the what are the things that you're looking for when you're auditing these things?
StephanieYeah, absolutely. Audits are really fun. So it's a really awesome chance for us to get to know our customers as we're going through their profile. The first thing I look for, which I know we'll talk about later in more detail, is any duplicates or suspensions. So if you're Google Business Profile, if you have more than one, or if your Google business profile isn't showing up, that is the first thing we look for.
(09:54):
StephanieSo no, Matt, no amount of optimizing will help a business. If Google has decided that they're not showing it for verification purposes. So definitely need to get that fixed right out of the gate. After that, I go into, as I just mentioned, name, address, phone. So we make sure that that information on the profile matches the other sources across the web, whether that be your Better Business Bureau profile, your social media profiles, your Yelp account, or any of those other types of profiles, your information should be consistent and the same.
(10:26):
SeanBut even though you can, you connect your Yelp to Google Business profile.
StephanieYou can't connect the Yelp to Google Business Profile, but you can. You just need to make sure that you're using the same URL for your website on the Yelp profile, as well as your Google business profile.
SeanOkay.
StephanieAll right. So again, it's a imagine somebody googling your business. All of the results that get listed. You want those to be the same. That that would confuse a customer right. If they were to search home remodel or Charlotte North Carolina. And they hear Sean's remodeling, right.
(10:56):
SeanThat sounds good to me though.
StephanieIt sounds pretty.
SeanGood.
StephanieSean's remodeling. But if you're let's say your name is spelled differently or your phone numbers are different or your address is different, right? They're not going to understand quite who you are, and neither will Google. So in order, it's a ranking factor, making yourself very clear of what you do, who you are, what services you offer, and where you offer them.
(11:19):
SeanYeah, that makes sense. Yeah, yeah, across the board should be the same, which is really anything for your marketing, your business or branding. So that makes sense. Like Google would see that that way. Absolutely. So what do our clients who are coming to you to audit their. Is it usually that they've already set it up and you're auditing it, or are you setting it up for the first time or both?
(11:39):
StephanieWe typically get the profiles after they've already been set up, or if a contractor reaches out, lets us know that they have set one up, but they're struggling with verification processes. Verification for a Google business profile can be quite a hurdle, especially for businesses like contractors that we work with very commonly who are service area businesses, rather than having a brick and mortar storefront location.
(12:03):
StephanieA lot of times Google can make that process a little harder for their business to be verified and show up in Google.
Sean
StephanieMaps.
SeanSo what can they expect if they were to call you? So, Stephanie, struggling with my, Google business profile, what do they need from you to get started?
StephanieWhat do they need for me to get started?
(12:25):
SeanYeah. So, like, like, what's the process? What do we what are they given to you for you to audit them?
StephanieOh, first things first. Is that you would grant me access to the back end of your profile. You'd assign me as a manager so I can get in and take a look at how you have everything set up on the back end, and can edit things and adjust things if I see kind of an opportunity to enhance them.
(12:48):
StephanieThe first thing I look for, like I said, is if it's suspended. But after that, I'll go through the name, address, phone, I'll take your business categories as well, which I know. We'll also talk about this one a little bit more detail, but we have offered options to categorize a business, with both primary and secondary categories.
StephanieThis is one of the most important features of a Google business profile. And what helps you get ranked for those terms. Choosing the right categories. And it's something that a lot of contractors might not even know. There are over 4000 options for categories to assign to your profile.
(13:25):
SeanLet's not get too far into that yet, because that's going to be a little bit later. So they just need to assign you as, like as a manager.
StephanieAs a manager.
SeanSo it's as easy as that.
StephanieAs easy as that.
SeanOkay. Cool. Because I know some of our processes requires them to send over photos and stuff like that. That when you're setting it up after you audit it, if you like, are you including are you setting up the photos or you set up the videos?
(13:48):
StephanieI would absolutely love to do that. If you are able to provide me with files like that, that is absolutely something that I can do for you.
SeanWe do that.
StephanieWhat we run into sometimes is that contractors may not have those photos available yet or videos available yet. I when I'm talking to a new customer who's come in a new client that's coming in wanting to work on their GPP, I make sure to tell them right out of the gate to prioritize photo and video creation. It's a Google Business profile, has a great gallery feature where you can upload all of these images or video files.
(14:20):
StephanieIt shows Google that you're kind of an active, business, right? If a potential customers researching, they can see photos of your work, both before, during and after projects. It's really exciting.
SeanSo I can tell you, I, I'm sure I'm not the only one, but specifically when I am searching, literally. Yesterday, I was searching for a place to get a haircut. Yeah. And I looked at this place that was new, near my home. And I went to their Google business profile. They didn't have any photos. They didn't have it there.
(14:53):
SeanI think they had, like, two reviews. And I decided not to go to them because they only had a photo of just their storefront. And it was the photo from Google, right? I'm sure they're a good business. They've this as they've been in business for years, but they didn't have any photos. They didn't look active. They didn't have much information other than their phone number.
SeanThey didn't have a website. It was enough for me to be like, I'll go somewhere else.
(15:15):
StephanieKeep searching. And that is such a common user behavior. And that's across industries. Like you said, you're just looking for a haircut and you're still looking at Google Business profiles. I imagine especially in the contracting space, you, potential customers looking to.
SeanA much bigger.
StephaniePicture remodel their home. Right. They want to see what types of projects you've completed before. They also want to see good reviews. They want to see this is why Google business profiles are so important, especially in this space.
(15:43):
SeanAnd it's crazy that, you know, when we were setting this episode up to to do this, I didn't think about any of this stuff. Like, I know Google Business profile is important. But when we start to really dive into some of these, I was like, I guess I do that like when I and I don't realize how often I'm doing that it is the first thing I do is I go to all these and verify this business before I even go on their website or their social media apps.
(16:07):
SeanOkay, so let's dive a little bit more into the photos and videos. You know, I'm a videographer, I love photos and videos. And a lot of my purchases are dealt with, you know, going through those on GMB. So let's look at best practices for people who may not know or may not have photos set up on their, Google business profile.
SeanRight. What are you finding best practices for photos? Like, I know on social media, people don't really like to see, the during photos they really want to see before and afters at the same with Google business profile.
(16:40):
StephanieI will be honest with you, I've seen the best success with completed photos like completion photos of projects that you're really proud of. We always recommend on websites to use professionally shot photos for websites. Google Business Profile would also really benefit if you're getting professional photos taken of your work, absolutely put those on Google Business Profile, but you can also put in high quality image shots that you take yourself, but of a project that you're really proud of, something that really showcases, something that you've created and something that you're capable of, essentially you're trying to sell what you do to the people who are interested in getting it done.
(17:16):
SeanAs a visual.
StephanieMedium. It's a visual.
SeanMedium. I think contractors forget that all the time. I mean, we mean Aaron would go and travel to our contractors and shoot videos with them. And, you know, it seems like they don't realize how important it is, the look of what they do.
StephanieOh, look at what they do.
SeanSo there's so many contractors out there who they don't take photos. I mean, you have a photo for you. You have a camera in your pocket. They don't take photos. They don't take videos. And and the ones that they do post on social media is not very appealing.
(17:45):
StephanieNot the great ones. I know. I see it all the time.
SeanTheir work is so good, so.
StephanieGood.
SeanAnd that is what's going to sell it. Is that the photography or the the visual aspect of it? People are going to look at this kitchen and be like, I want that.
StephanieI want that I can I will do that on my own.
SeanI'd go to these contractors jobs. I bought a house that needed to be updated, and I'd go to these homes and look into this kitchen and come home and just be depressed, because I'd see these kitchens that are just like, this is what I want, and go home to my house. That is not what I want. So like, people are going to be visualizing that, whether it's on your social media or your Google business profile.
(18:21):
SeanSo it's very important.
StephanieIs very important. And I will say especially, and kind of an underused feature are the videos. So Google is actually we've become a really video, a video age. Right. Video first TikTok we have you name it.
SeanIt's how we consume nowadays.
StephaniePeople love video content. Google is starting to really understand that. So even just a walk through of a completed job site where you're showing off your final work, posting that to Google Business. Really? Yes, absolutely. Google, we have that.
(18:51):
SeanContract digital time. I they've given me so much that stuff. So literally just a walkthrough of the final job.
StephanieWalkthrough the final job. Just make sure obviously that you're showing a project that you're proud of. If possible, try to have it cleaned up. You don't necessarily want to throw videos out there that are complete that still have tools laying around, but I'm saying if you don't have anything that's better than nothing, then nothing.
(19:14):
SeanNow, that's also better than probably the next thing I want to bring up, because I know we've had a lot of contractors who they use a lot of stock photos on their website, and I know we've moved away from that. That was, ten years ago. That was something that was used a lot or accepted. But now they're getting dinged for that on their websites.
SeanYes.
StephanieGoogle is able to tell when a photo is a stock image. They can actually see if it's been used other places across the web. And also, I think consumers are getting a little smarter about that too. Right? So yeah, you.
(19:43):
SeanThe lighting's different. It's usually staged.
StephanieIt's usually staged.
SeanIt's just too good too HGTV
StephanieRight. And I mean, in this day and age, there's even like AI editing of these videos or these images and it's it's wild. I do not recommend using stock photos at all. On your Google business profile. Again, like you said, people can kind of pick up on that. It's not an accurate reflection of your work. And again, if you're doing good work, go take some photos of it.
(20:09):
StephanieLet's see it like showcase.
SeanThat I think the biggest thing about using a stock I know Google did it right, but if I see a stock footage and I know my eyes are different because I work in the field, but I'm sure there's other people who would notice it the moment I see there's a stock image on your website or something, I feel like you're lying to me.
SeanI feel this is sketchy.
StephanieIt's a trust factor, for sure.
(20:29):
SeanThat's the number one thing. If I don't trust you, I'm not buying for me.
StephanieYeah, and Google trust factor as well. If you are a real life. Right. There you.
SeanGo. Yeah, yeah, I know something.
StephanieI'm so proud. If Google can recognize that you're, like, a real authority in your space. Not somebody who's using stock images, but somebody that has these high quality photos, these great reviews on their, Google business page, a really well built out website that compliments it. You have a higher chance of ranking. Google considers you more of an authority in the space than maybe somebody who doesn't have those things.
(21:04):
StephanieSo it's really important to build that out.
SeanYeah. So let's talk a little bit about, these core offerings that you were bringing up earlier. So, based on what you told me, you generally want to highlight 2 to 5 core offerings. Yeah. What are those and why 2 to 5?
StephanieAbsolutely. There is a section of the Google business Profile for anybody not familiar called the product section. There's both products and services sections. This is the product section that we're talking about. And this is where I do.
(21:32):
SeanThis kind of where we get into like it's a digital storefront.
StephanieIt is a digital storefront.
SeanYour products for sale right there.
StephanieCorrect. And some people might think, you know, I would put maybe a T-shirt there, like, I sell this t shirt and in some cases, sure, that could work for you. But in the contracting space, what this product section does is kind of gives you a chance to highlight your main service offerings. The reason I recommend not putting everything that you do, because we work with people who do deck building, kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels, general carpentry services, the list could go on.
(22:07):
StephanieWhat you want to do is, again, this is kind of a business card. You want to put your best foot forward. You want to put the thing that you're really trying to drive business for, for you at the front, front and center of your profile. The more that you have there, I feel like you lose a little bit of interest.
StephanieA lot of people, they aren't going to go scrolling really in-depth into, let's say, a list of 25 different products. If you have a list of 4 or 5 kind of main categories that you offer, it makes it really clear to a customer and to Google what you offer and again, where you offer it, which of course brings you more likely to rank in your area for those services.
(22:46):
SeanSo I have a great analogy for any contractor listening to connect that to. So we were over in Pennsylvania with Dennis Gaming and Gaming remodeling, and he was talking to us about, doorknob knobs on like cabinets, cabinetry and you showing us how many there are. I mean, there are hundreds, thousands to choose from. And it's overwhelming. Yeah.
(23:11):
SeanAnd and a lot of clients, they, they see this and they can't pick and they kind of shut down. Yes. And so it's kind of their job to help guide them through that. Okay. So I feel like that's the same thing. That's great. If you have 20 services on your, Google business profile, that's going to be something that is going to deter people because that's too many options.
(23:32):
StephanieIt's a little it can it can dilute it a little bit. Right. Like you are trying to tell Google what your primary services and offerings are. Just like you're trying to tell your customers what those are as well. So it just dilutes the results a little bit. In my experience, if you focus on that list of 2 to 5, depending on what you offer.
StephanieFor example, I just finished optimizing a profile for a home remodel, and we did home additions, bathroom remodeling and kitchen remodeling and that's it. And they have seen such great success so far.
(24:01):
SeanSo even though they offer way more than that.
StephanieThey offer a few different services here and there. But that's not even something that they're really trying to put a huge focus on. It's just something that they do if needed. And I found that's great. And it's something that you can always educate and talk to your customers about later. But let's get your phone to ring first or.
SeanYeah, that's the most important.
(24:22):
StephanieThat's the most phones that the phone has to be ringing. And that's, in my experience, the best way to start getting it to do some it.
SeanI'll talk about posts on Google Business profile. We all know like posting on social media. Cool, right? That makes sense. Yeah, but posting on Google Business Profile is is something that we should be doing. How frequently should we be doing it?
(24:43):
StephanieAbsolutely. It is an underused area. Definitely.
SeanI don't think I mean, I don't think I knew that it was a thing.
StephanieCorrect. A lot of people don't. And, you know, sometimes depending on your view, you might not even see the posts. Necessarily on that first scroll. But again, the point of your Google business profile is to really be reinforcing the signals that we're sending to Google, that you're an active business in your community, that you're engaged. The posts are a really great place to do that.
(25:13):
StephanieNot only do you get an opportunity to highlight some photos, which we've already talked about, or a video, you get a chance to kind of optimize the descriptive text. So I recently completed a project in Charlotte, NC. Here are a few photos if you're looking to get a kitchen remodel near Huntersville. All right. Give us.
SeanThis helps with that local SEO.
StephanieIt absolutely helps.
(25:33):
SeanBecause now it's putting you on a map. Yes.
StephanieYeah. Yep. Again, telling Google it's our job. Google is an incredible service right. Like there's a lot of capabilities in Google. But it's still our job to tell Google what we want it to know about us. You don't necessarily want to trust Google to figure that all out by itself. It can. But you want to get it right, so you feed it the right information.
(25:57):
StephaniePosts are a great way to do that. I typically recommend maybe once a week or so on. Okay, Google business posts.
SeanAnd what would you put? Well, yeah, I already said that. I'm sorry.
StephanieNo, there's a lot of different options because I said yes, you can do like a project, a completed project post. This is something I just worked on. Check out the photos. But there's also opportunity for you to post a discount or promo that you're doing. We're working with a debt contractor and, Massachusetts right now who's doing 15% off decking, and we're making sure to post that on his Google business profile.
(26:30):
StephanieAgain, you're just letting customers.
SeanSomebody is currently, let's say right now they're they're they're searching. I need a deck built in Massachusetts. The first thing now coming up is that little snippet. And they see that post of 15% off right now. Correct. Now they're more than likely they're more likely to click on.
StephanieYou 100%. And on those posts, you can put a dedicated button to call so they can call directly from that post. They don't even need to back out or re navigate anything like that. The the post itself can be, traffic driver.
(27:03):
SeanThat's awesome. Yeah, yeah. And I'm assuming two you could probably put on that post. You can probably put like Google ads on on like you can boost that right?
StephanieI believe so, yes.
SeanOkay. Yeah, I would assume so. But let's talk about, like reviews and responding to reviews. Oh.
StephanieSo important.
SeanOkay, so I know some people might know I am not afraid to, get on a Google business profile and put a negative review. Oh, I'm sure other people, are as well. They're more likely to leave negative reviews. How do we respond to that as a contractor?
(27:41):
StephanieI will tell you, you first things first, respond to it. Yeah, a lot of people think that maybe they can just let it go, or especially if they feel it's unfair or not really related to their business, or they just don't want to stir the pot. I can understand all of that, but I will tell you, it is best practice to respond to every single one of your reviews, positive and negative.
(28:04):
SeanWhy is that?
StephanieWhy? Because as a potential customer, you were looking at those reviews, right?
SeanDefinitely.
StephanieYou just mentioned it when you were talking about your haircut appointment. We absolutely look at those reviews. If you see a lot of negative reviews, it's your opportunity to show professional ism, in your response. So sometimes you might not have a customer that's happy with you. And it it is unfortunate if they leave you review that that is something that you have to deal with.
(28:31):
StephanieHandle that well. Like show your professionalism, show courtesy. Help kind of convince customers. Hey, just because we had one negative review doesn't mean we're a negative company to work with. And this is why, you can.
SeanThere's just circumstances that cause.
StephanieAbsolutely.
SeanBad time.
StephanieI had a client the other day get a negative review, from a potential customer who was actually out of their service area. And the customer, on the review said that they didn't respond fast enough to their inquiry. Rather than getting defensive.
(29:03):
SeanI see that a lot.
StephanieActually. It's a common one. Yeah. Rather than getting defensive or taking maybe a less professional route on that review response, what they did is just calmly explain, we're so grateful that you reached out to us. We we are in our peak busy season right now. We apologize for the slight delay in getting back with you. Unfortunately, we looked at your account, and we do realize you're out of our service area, but we're so grateful that you considered us.
(29:30):
StephanieWe're not going to be able to get rid of that review, but that response says a lot about the absolutely about the business more than it does about maybe that one negative review. So it's just another place to kind of highlight who you are, your core values are you professional? Are you courteous? Do you treat people with respect?
StephanieThat's a negative reviews, a great opportunity to prove that.
SeanYeah. And what about positive reviews?
(29:52):
StephaniePositive reviews are the same thing. And I actually love positive review, replying.
SeanI think everybody does.
StephanieOh yes. These. It feels so good. Yeah. I always give some good advice on positive reviews. Applying where you can actually optimize your review responses for search. And I know that seems a little crazy, but it's kind of just in your phrasing. So rather, let's say you have Susie down the street says they did a great job.
(30:18):
StephanieThank you so much for your time. You can say thank you, Susie. We appreciated working with you and that's great. And feel free to do that. But you're actually missing out on some opportunity to tell Google once again who you are, where you are, and what you do. So what you can do when you respond to things like that say, Susie, we had such a great time working on your bathroom remodel.
(30:40):
StephanieWe truly strive to be the best home remodeler in Charlotte, North Carolina and getting to work with you was a great opportunity for us to blank, blank, blank. You know, kind of throw in some keywords are key phrases that people kind of use when they're considering searching for businesses.
SeanYeah. That's awesome. I don't think I would have ever thought of that. Yeah, that absolutely makes sense to our SEO. I mean, this is a SEO local SEO play, right?
(31:07):
Stephanie100.
SeanPercent. That makes sense. That literally at every moment, at every turn that you can you can naturally put it in.
StephanieThere naturally.
SeanBut in the location, put in the job that you do and who you are.
StephanieAbsolutely. Yes.
SeanThat's awesome.
StephanieReviews are so important. We have seen that, clients that have ten or more reviews get a little boost with SEO as well. Okay. So kind of keep that in mind as, like a magic number as we try to get people to get to ten reviews minimum if they can. So we definitely always recommend asking for your reviews.
(31:38):
StephanieDon't forget to ask your customers to leave your review if they just so happen to put a photo on their review. That is Google Gold. Google loves that. And again, when you respond to it, say things like, this was a great bathroom remodeling project for us. Our team really enjoyed doing your custom kitchen countertops, whatever it may be.
(32:00):
StephanieAnd again, you're just reinforcing to Google and potential customers who are most definitely reading your reviews, what you do, how well you do it, where you do it helps you pop up.
SeanYeah, I can tell you we did, an episode not long ago with Ian. And we kind of talked about testimonials and reviews, obviously came up, sir. And you want to be asking for those reviews before the project started and then throughout the project? Absolutely. Yeah. Just reminding them from here and there every now and then.
(32:29):
SeanAbsolutely. I know the reason why I brought up originally was me. I feel like I'd be afraid to ask for that review upfront, but it sounds like from what I've talked to everybody over in SEO is that it's a very natural thing and people are usually respond to it positively of, yeah, sure, we'll give you a review and if we love the job, we're going to give you a review there.
SeanYeah. Don't be afraid to ask for it.
(32:50):
StephanieDon't be afraid. You out of yourself. You know, the people that we work with do really great work, you know, like be proud. Let your customers know. Hi. This would really help our business. We're trying to expand or we're trying to grow. We're trying to become, you know, make it more personal and emotional. Will you help us?
(33:11):
StephanieYou know, we're helping you. Can you help us? Yeah. It's not a bad thing. It's nothing to be ashamed of at all. And again, people don't mind doing it. You know, I love leaving a good review. I went out to, dinner the other day, and my waitress asked if I'd leave a review, and I did it right there on the spot price.
StephanieYeah, there you go. Put her name in there and everything.
SeanAnd it's always best when you put the name in there.
StephanieOh, yeah. Like nice little call out.
(33:33):
SeanYeah, yeah, because their bosses are seeing it.
StephanieThat's exactly what I thought of. I said I want them to know that she did a great job.
SeanPerfect. Yeah. So now that we're, we're we're fully optimized. Our Google business profile is fully optimized, and we're ahead of the game. Yeah. Let's transition into some troubleshooting and some, problems that you might see that we want to fix to, build longevity. Right. So, when you audit what are you looking for are the most common problems that you see, I know you kind of touched on this in the first one.
(34:05):
StephanieSir, and yes, I probably that.
SeanSuspension one. Right.
StephanieSuspension is huge. So obviously once you're suspended, it's likely that Google is not showing your business profile for related searches.
SeanSo why might you have been suspended?
StephanieThere's common answers can include, keyword stuffing. Basically trying to trick Google. Google takes that a little personally.
(34:29):
SeanAnd hold on. What is keyword stuffing?
StephanieOh, absolutely. Yes. Keyword stuffing is being unnatural in the way that you talk about your business and your services. So kitchen remodel or kitchen remodel or kitchen remodel or kitchen remodeler Google doesn't like that. It's not reading naturally. It's not helping a customer. So.
SeanThey would prefer it to be in a sentence where I am a kitchen remodeler yes, I did.
(34:52):
StephanieKitchen roll. It should be authentic and real. Google does prioritize that. They're back in the day. Early on, before Google's algorithms were catching this kind of thing, keyword stuffing worked. A lot of businesses were popping up over credible, trustworthy businesses because of those practices. What Google found is that those businesses weren't actually helping the customer.
(35:16):
StephanieAnd Google wants to be a great search engine. They don't want to give poor feedback or results to their users. Right.
SeanBecause then they'll go somewhere else.
StephanieThey'll go somewhere.
SeanElse. Microsoft. Oh gosh. What's the Microsoft? Bing. Bing.
StephanieYeah, sure. Yeah. And so what we try to do is always remind people that this is you're looking to be authentic. This is, again, your digital business card. You're not handing out a fake business card for a company that does something similar to, like, make it real. Talk about yourself in a real way. Talk about your services in a real way.
(35:50):
StephanieMake it useful for a potential customer. Google values that. It makes them a better search engine, so.
SeanAnd it's kind of the thing. It's the whole all of digital marketing in content marketing now is really it's a personality. You have to be alive. Your brand needs to be a living, breathing thing online. Absolutely. So like when you're on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, you get ranked better. Like if you just post content and then disappear until your next post.
(36:20):
SeanThey don't like that. You have to be on there building that community, communicating with people, having a authentic voice, through all of your content.
StephanieAnd.
SeanThat. And I would assume that Google Business Profile is the same way.
StephanieI was just about to say it translates right over to a Google business profile. You talk about engagement that's responding to those reviews, and you talk about posting. That can include business posts, but it can also include updating your gallery, making sure that your business hours are accurate. There's holidays that come up. Google will remind you to do.
(36:51):
StephanieThey will remind you to update your hours. And a lot of people ignore that thinking, oh, it's no biggie.
SeanOr I can tell you it's very annoying there because there are certain holidays that not everyone's closed on, right? Yes, there's the big ones like Christmas and Thanksgiving. Obviously most people are closed. But then there's other ones that are smaller ones. Maybe you're doing a sale like I know some stores run massive sales on the Veteran's Day or President's Day.
(37:15):
SeanYeah. And they're not closed, but there might be something that I'm searching for and I'm like, I have this day off. Are you open?
StephanieAre you.
SeanOpen when you go to Google and it just says these hours maybe may.
StephanieBe affected?
SeanI want to know, are you actually open right now? What I'm gonna do is I'm going to call and bother you and say, hey, are you open? I know you answered the phone, but are you open? Because I wasn't sure. Absolutely. Or I'm just not going to call at all and just not go to your business.
(37:41):
StephanieCorrect. So to.
SeanAnswer that question, answer.
StephanieThe question that your hours and another kind of cool trick when it comes to hours now that we're talking about it. And yeah, I would love to give a little trick here. So outside of standard, business hours, Google can actually prioritize businesses that are open. So let's say you have somebody after work looking to explore home remodeling or even before work, just in the morning while they're getting ready.
(38:07):
StephanieOne thing that you can do, if you have the ability to actually have somebody available to answer the phone, is extend your business hours. So something I recommend, if I'm working with a client that is always on their phone, is happy to receive a call at any time. If anybody's interested in their services is expand out your business hours just a little bit, whether that be seven to 6 or 8, 30 to 630, whatever works for you.
(38:33):
StephanieBut Google actually does consider that when they're showing local businesses and their rankings. So if you're looking to maybe capitalize on some searches either before or after work, one little tip that we've tried and seen some good success with is adjusting your business hours.
SeanSo you're saying if someone is at their home after work 530 and they're searching for like a remodeler, and you happen to be the one that's open according to Google, they are likely to recommend you over somebody else.
(39:04):
StephanieAbsolutely. Over close business. And you've seen it before. And, Google searches, if you're if you are typing in something, Google can offer you modifiers on their search. So open now or yeah, near me.
SeanThat makes.
StephanieSense. If you're open now you show up in that open now section. So if you have like I said, if you have the ability and the capacity, that's something that you want to take on in your business a couple an hour or two a day, just test it out, see if that works well for you. We seen good success for other contractors that I've tried that.
(39:35):
SeanYeah. And this doesn't necessarily mean that they have to be like in the office. A lot of times these are commuting hours too. Right? So this could literally be someone, a contractor in the car while they're listening to the Contractor Growth Network podcast. You know, they are now they get a phone call for a potential job, just because their phone was on, correct?
SeanYeah. That's perfect. Yep. I mean, I know that when I, I work a 9 to 5 job, I constantly forget during the day that I have to schedule an appointment. Right? So, like, the a good one is my vet. My vets are only open 9 to 5 and I constantly forget it'll be I'll be driving home. It's 530.
(40:14):
SeanThey're closed. If they were just someone there to just take my appointment, they don't have to take my dog right to answer the phone. Just answer the phone. It would help me out immensely and I'd be so appreciative of that.
StephanieAbsolutely.
SeanYeah. Yeah, that's a great trick.
StephanieIt's a great little trick. Again, and I, I only recommend it for those who are there, you know, like we get contractors in who were wouldn't mind getting a phone call at seven for a potential kitchen, or a whole home remodel, so I wouldn't mind my phone ringing at seven if that's the project on the other line.
(40:46):
SeanAnd even then, it doesn't have to be in-depth. It could be like, let's schedule a time to talk more in depth.
StephanieGreat to hear from you.
SeanYeah, just answer the phone.
StephanieYeah.
SeanNow, I know a lot of people when they set up their, their, their Google business profile. I know me personally. I've, I've done this. They forgot that they set up their business profile on like a different Google account because I know I have probably seven Google email accounts. And then when I create a new one now there's a conflict of interest, right.
(41:18):
SeanSo what do we do about this? We have duplicated business Google business profiles.
StephanieYes. That is actually a common issue that we see here. It was it is something, you know, when somebody is starting up a new business, for example, they may get excited and go ahead and set up their Google business profile, maybe with their personal email address, and then when they get a little bit more established and they have a work email address, they go set up another profile.
(41:44):
StephanieYeah. That is you think it might be great thing to have your site listed more than once, but what that does to Google is it confuses it. So what you need to do and what we would recommend doing and what we can help doing if you do have a duplicate profile is we want to merge these profiles, especially if there's a review.
StephanieSo let's say both versions of your profiles have gotten you reviews. You don't want to lose the reviews, right? So we don't want just want to go in and delete a profile.
(42:13):
SeanEspecially if the review was made some time ago. So it's had some time to be crawled in. Absolutely filled up authority.
StephanieAbsolutely.
SeanSo like these SEO words I mean.
StephanieI do like those SEO is I'm impressed. Yeah, yeah. You'll have to come, over to our side of the words sometimes.
StephanieBut what we would do there is we can actually get in touch with Google support and request a merge of your profile. So that's a carryover over of all the data from one profile to another profile. What you really need to do is pick the profile that you'd like to manage. I always suggest using the one that's managed by your work email address, just for obvious reasons.
(42:53):
StephanieIt makes sense. But we can actually kind of pull that information, including your reviews, over to the, specific profile. So that's been really helpful. I will say Google business updates, things like this. It is a process. So it's not something that it sounds like it's going to be really easy. It is something that you might need help with.
StephanieIt's something that we do here regularly. I see duplicate profiles pretty commonly. It's a common error that I run into here, so it's not impossible. You just need to know what you're doing.
(43:23):
SeanSo Google like they won't see like the business name is exactly the same the address, same name right or same address. They won't do it on their own or.
StephanieNot always now.
SeanBut they might sometimes.
StephanieI haven't seen that myself. Right.
SeanSo you you do have to initialize.
StephanieI have seen only having duplicates like this two separate listings.
(43:44):
SeanGotcha. Okay.
StephanieOkay. Especially with service area businesses because they Google might not be able to tell specifically if it is the same business. If the let's say the address isn't listed on Google, they can't necessarily figure that out on their own.
SeanSo gotcha. Okay. That makes sense. Now, one thing we haven't touched on yet I love analytics. I'm all about analytics. Yeah. And the company, in my opinion that has the best analytics is Google.
(44:10):
Stephanie100%.
SeanI spend hours looking at YouTube analytics. It's my favorite.
StephanieIt's so insightful. Yeah. Data driven decision making is my bread and butter. Yeah, absolutely.
SeanSo I would be surprised if Google Business Profile did not have analytics.
StephanieI would be surprised as well. And lucky for us, they do do they do is.
(44:32):
SeanWhich is a wild thing to think of right. Yeah. So what are in these analytics for a business profile. Sure.
StephanieYeah. The analytics that you'll get from Google Business profiles are called Google Business Insights.
SeanOh.
StephanieSo when you're logged on to your profile, you can actually click in and see graphs and information of really valuable data. Not only will it measure the amount of clicks over to your website, it also will tell you how many people have clicked your call button. I don't tell you how many people have requested directions to you.
(45:07):
StephanieIf you have your address listed. Just general interactions, profile views. At a certain point, it'll start telling you the keywords that people are searching for that make your profile pop up huge. It's huge. So you know what's working, what isn't working, what your brand has visibility for in your area. These insights are everything.
(45:28):
SeanYou know, so it just occurred to me too, this is all free.
StephanieIt is all free.
SeanHonestly, that legit just occurred to me. Yep. You get all this and you not have to pay any extra. There's no premium, there's no paywalls.
StephanieYou just have to know what button to click.
SeanYeah. That's wild. So why are some of those the analytics really important for your business.
StephanieWell obviously what we're really looking to drive our leads. Right. So you want to understand if your if your Google business profile is showing are people clicking over to your website. Is there something wrong with your profile that maybe they're not clicking over to your website? Let's say you don't have a lot of photos or not good quality photos, or everybody's least favorite only during photos of projects, right?
(46:10):
StephanieYeah. You want to make sure that your Google business profile is driving those actual engagement and not just views, not just visibility, but engagement. The people who are local to you, looking for your services, wanting to explore your brand. And we see that most commonly in those calls, clicks of the website. And then if you have a brick and mortar directions to you.
(46:33):
SeanHuge.
StephanieIt's huge.
SeanSo those are the three things that they want to be looking out for on their Google business.
StephanieIf you're a service area business, you won't get, insights on direction requests, which is a okay, I don't think you'd want at that point.
SeanIt probably clicks to call.
StephanieLikes to call.
SeanYeah.
StephanieAnd then another thing that we do on our side is we also set up a specific tracking link. So the link that will add the URL that will add to your Google business profile. We will create a dedicated tracking links to Google Analytics as well. So we can kind of watch and monitor the performance of individual users on their site afterwards.
(47:08):
StephanieSo okay, that's something that we do here.
SeanSo today we went through the entire roadmap of your Google business profile, how to optimize it, how to get local visibility, how to, troubleshoot it in case there are some problems with your, your suspensions or you have duplicates. And if it's one thing that I've, that we can take away from this episode, is that your Google business profile is a living, breathing thing, just like anything else with your business.
(47:34):
StephanieAbsolutely. You want to make sure that it's updated, optimize. You want to spend time on it. Again, it's the first, typically the first view that a potential customer has of your business. This is before the website. This is before they get you on the phone. It is your Google business profile, and a lot of people forget to take it as seriously as you should.
(47:54):
SeanAt your portfolio.
StephanieIt's your portfolio use business card. It has so many awesome features. You can answer questions and answers for your local customers and community. Add those photos, business posts like a social media platform. I mean, the options are almost endless, and it's just knowing kind of what to look for and knowing how to do it.
(48:15):
SeanYeah. Well, Stephanie, I appreciate you coming on. This is a great episode and I knew it was going to be a great episode.
StephanieI'm so glad I have such a good time being here today. Thank you so much.
SeanYou joined us. This was fun. Yeah. So, thank you for sharing your insights and for anybody listening. Now it's time to take action. Go check your Google business profile. When's the last time you checked it? Make sure that all the stuff that we just went over is correct and is up to date, and, you know, make it a real asset for your business.
(48:47):
StephanieAnd.
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