Your Google Business Listing is often the first point of contact between your business and potential customers. It showcases essential details like your business hours, address, and services, helping clients find and engage with your business. However, an outdated listing can lead to confusion, missed opportunities, and frustrated customers. Keeping your Google Business Listing up-to-date is crucial to ensure accuracy and increase visibility.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to keep your Google Business Listing current and relevant.
1. Regularly Update Your Business Hours
Business hours can change due to holidays, events, or seasonal operations. If customers rely on your Google Business Listing to check your availability and find outdated hours, they might show up when you’re closed—or worse, they could take their business elsewhere.
Action Steps:
- Log in to your Google Business Profile regularly.
- Check your hours and update them as needed, especially during holidays or peak seasons.
- Use the Special Hours feature to manage holiday hours or other temporary changes.
By keeping your hours accurate, you’ll avoid customer frustration and ensure people know when they can visit or contact you.
2. Ensure Contact Information is Correct
Your phone number, address, and website link should always be correct on your Google Business Listing. This ensures that customers can reach you quickly, whether they’re calling to inquire about a service or trying to find directions to your location.
Action Steps:
- Double-check your NAP (Name, Address, and Phone number) information frequently to ensure it’s current.
- Test your website link from your Google Business Listing to make sure it directs users to the right page.
- If your business moves or changes phone numbers, update this information immediately to avoid confusion.
Accurate contact information not only improves customer experience but also boosts your business’s credibility.
3. Add New Photos and Videos
Visual content is key to attracting attention, especially for businesses in industries like retail, hospitality, or event planning. If your Google Business Listing only features outdated photos or generic stock images, it could make your business appear inactive or uninspiring.
Action Steps:
- Upload recent, high-quality photos of your business, products, or services. For example, update photos of your storefront, event spaces, or new product lines.
- Add videos to showcase your business in action—whether it’s a product demonstration, a behind-the-scenes look, or an event.
- Regularly refresh your visuals to keep your listing engaging and reflective of your latest offerings.
This constant stream of fresh visuals can increase engagement and make your listing stand out from competitors.
4. Create Google Posts for Promotions and Updates
Google Posts allow you to share news, offers, events, and updates directly from your listing. It’s a great way to keep your audience informed and showcase your latest promotions, changes, or achievements.
Action Steps:
- Create Google Posts whenever you have a new offer, product launch, or event.
- Keep your posts short and to the point, with an eye-catching image or video.
- Use Google Posts to announce temporary closures, new products, or seasonal deals.
Regular updates not only keep your customers informed but also boost your business’s activity on Google, which can positively impact your search ranking.
5. Manage and Respond to Reviews
Customer reviews on your Google Business Listing play a huge role in building your business’s reputation. However, managing reviews is not a one-time task; it requires continuous attention. Positive reviews can attract new customers, while negative ones can damage your business if left unaddressed.
Action Steps:
- Monitor reviews regularly, thanking customers for positive feedback and addressing negative reviews politely and constructively.
- Encourage happy customers to leave reviews by providing them with a direct link to your Google Business Listing.
- Avoid generic responses—personalize each one to show customers you value their input.
Prompt and thoughtful responses show potential customers that you care about their experience, helping to build trust and loyalty.
6. Update Your Services and Product Information
If your business expands its offerings, changes its services, or discontinues certain products, your Google Business Listing should reflect these changes. Failing to update this information can lead to misunderstandings and lost opportunities.
Action Steps:
- Regularly review and update the Products and Services section of your listing to match your current offerings.
- Add new services or products with descriptions and pricing if applicable.
- Remove discontinued products or services to avoid confusion.
Keeping your offerings up-to-date ensures potential customers have accurate information when deciding whether to engage with your business.
7. Track and Leverage Insights
Google provides business owners with Insights, which offer valuable data about how customers interact with their listing. These insights show how often people are viewing your listing, what actions they take (like clicking on your website or calling), and which photos or posts are performing best.
Action Steps:
- Review the insights regularly to see what’s working and what isn’t. For example, are more customers finding your business through Google Maps or Google Search?
- Use this data to optimize your listing. If a certain photo or post is attracting attention, you can prioritize similar content.
- Pay attention to trends—such as increasing views or calls during certain times of the year—to adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.
Insights allow you to refine your approach and maximize the effectiveness of your Google Business Listing.
8. Verify Your Listing After Changes
Whenever you make major changes to your business—such as relocating or changing your business name—Google may ask you to verify your listing again. This ensures that your listing is legitimate and accurate.
Action Steps:
- Follow Google’s verification process if required. Typically, this involves receiving a postcard or a phone call with a verification code.
- Complete the verification promptly to avoid any disruptions in your listing’s visibility.
Maintaining verification ensures that your business continues to appear in local searches and that customers can trust the information they find.
9. Check for Inconsistent Information Online
Sometimes, outdated or incorrect information about your business may exist elsewhere online (such as old directories or review sites). Inconsistent information can confuse customers and hurt your local SEO rankings.
Action Steps:
- Search for your business name and review any listings or directories where your business appears.
- Make sure the contact details and other key information match what is on your Google Business Listing.
- Update or request corrections on third-party sites that display incorrect information.
By ensuring consistency across all platforms, you strengthen your online presence and enhance your local search ranking.
Conclusion
Your Google Business Listing is a valuable asset that connects your business to potential customers, but it’s only effective if it’s kept up-to-date. Regular updates to your hours, contact details, services, and visuals ensure that your business remains relevant, accurate, and engaging.