Ways To Optimize Google Business Listing for the Holidays

Many shoppers rush to find the perfect gift for the holiday season, and Google is the best way to get to a retailer’s storefront. It only means that the holiday season is the best time to increase your reach and get more people searching for your goods. Google reports that “where to buy” searches have increased by over 85% in the past two years.

To stand out this holiday season, experts in local SEO in Cleveland now use a simple but effective tool: Google Business Profile listing (or GBP Listing). To increase foot traffic to their physical stores, retailers need to make the most of Google Business Profile (GBP) and Google Maps.

Google Business Profile : What’s It About?

An online dashboard is a popular way for retailers to showcase their products and services. It allows them to manage their online presence and control their business information. Google Business Profile is a user-friendly, widely accessible tool that you can take full advantage of as it’s primarily designed to connect buyers and sellers online.

GBP is a great tool that allows businesses to maximize Google Display, Google Search Results, and Google Maps for consumers to find businesses among all those listed in Google. Log in to Google Business Profile to update your information and secure web traffic during the highly competitive shopping season.

Why Update My Google Business Profile

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes: do you honestly think you’d spend hours on Google looking for a product or service that you need or want? That said, if you consider user behavior, you’d want all your business information on one page so users won’t have to do much work and spend more time just finding how they can contact you.

With approximately half of the searchers don’t want to spend time on every website looking for the best holiday deals, you’d want to provide everything they need on one page. Many customers are looking for fast, frictionless shopping services.

Hence, your business will be more competitive if you update your Google Business Profile. Here are a few reasons to update your listing if you need the extra push.

Google Business Profile listings populate Google search results, so consumers can save time searching for what they are looking for. You can win more customers this holiday by updating your profile to rank higher in Google search results.
Google has a feature called Local Pack, or Snack Pack. This section will give your business greater exposure online by listing you.
Knowledge Graph is an organic listing that your business name creates. Consumers will find your business instantly if they search for your company’s name using the Knowledge Graph from your GBP listing.
Google Business Profile is a part of the information that Voice Search returns. Keep your profile updated to ensure that potential customers receive accurate and relevant information.

How To Optimize Your Google Business Profile

If you want to increase your visibility and rank during this time when people are more active online, you need more than just setting up your Google Business Profile. Optimizing and managing your GBP listing will prepare you for the festive season.

Here are the steps you need to get started:

Add holiday hours .

Last-minute shopping has become almost a holiday tradition. Shoppers in a rush will ask if a business is open until Christmas Day.

Google found that uploading all details to your GBP listing, including business hours, results in 13% more driving directions requests and 42% more website visitors. Google allows business owners to add special hours to their profiles without overwriting their weekly hours.

Take advantage of the most recent GBP updates .

Your listing should be as engaging as possible to grab customers’ attention and encourage them to look at your holiday offers. Solid visual storytelling using images and videos will improve your website traffic and increase the number of visitors.

Your cover photo can be updated with photos of your locality and staff, ready to greet your customers. You can also reuse content from other social media sites. Make sure to personalize your GBP listing to be relevant for holidays.

Encourage customers to leave positive reviews .

Google searches are a great way to improve your rank. You can encourage customers to leave feedback by offering a forum where they can freely share their experiences with your brand.

Your rating will be displayed in Google Maps search results. Positive reviews will help you rank higher in search results, increasing your click-through rate.

There will be an increase in consumers asking questions and providing feedback this holiday. Be ready to answer any questions they may have. Let them know you are available to answer their questions whenever they need.

The Wrap-up

Keep checking back for updates in your listing throughout the year. You should continue updating information about your business even after Christmas is over. Inform customers if your business will be closed on Presidents’ Day, MLK Day, or any other holiday that falls between New Year and Thanksgiving. If you are extending your hours of operation, let customers know. Your customers will appreciate being informed before they come into your store.

Black Friday is just days away, so now is the perfect time to ensure your business information is up-to-date. You can take advantage of seasonal traffic to make holiday shopping easier for your customers by bringing the SERPs directly to your door.