The Ultimate Google Business Profile Guide

As a local business owner, or a marketer working with local clients, you’ll likely already understand the importance of Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business).

This essential local marketing tool launched in 2014 and has since been embraced by businesses all around the world. If you operate a business that serves a local area, such as a gym, a restaurant, or a plumbing service, then you’ll want to include Google Business Profile (GBP) in your regular marketing activities.

Without GBP, you’ll be unable to rank in the Local Pack and the Local Finder—which should be a high-priority goal for any local business. Since the Local Pack appears at the very top of the search results for a local query, you definitely won’t want to risk missing out on this huge potential slice of web traffic. Before you jump into a Google Business Profile Audit, though, you'll need to learn the basics.

Learn Google Business Profile

Throughout this extensive Google Business Profile guide, we’ll be exploring the ins and outs of the platform and demonstrating how to go the extra mile to make it work wonders for you. We'd recommend starting with our introduction to Google Business Profile or jumping straight into "What is Google Business Profile?".

With so many great features to take advantage of, such as earning customer reviews, posting photos and videos, sharing updates, and answering questions, there are countless opportunities to promote your brand while engaging with your audience.

As an added bonus, the GBP platform is entirely free for all, so there shouldn’t be any barriers to including it in your local marketing strategy. In fact, this should be considered an integral part of the plan for any local business that wants to get noticed and gain traction online. 

Once you’ve reached the end of this Hub, you’ll have the answers to all of your GBP questions and be able to use this tool effectively to market your business. 

Ready to get started? Let’s dive right in!

Introduction to Google Business Profile

Once you’ve worked your way through this section, you’ll have a working knowledge of what GBP is and what the far-reaching advantages of using it are. 

Getting Started with Google Business Profile

Once you reach the end of this section, you’ll know how to set up, verify, and edit your account, which are the very first steps to mastering Google Business Profile (GBP).

How to Optimize Google Business Profile

There are numerous ways to optimize your Google Business Profile - find out what they are in this section.

Google Business Profile Reporting

Discover how to report on Google Business Profile, how to track your data, and insights to explore.

Google Business Profile Support and Common Issues

By the time you reach the end of this section, you’ll understand how to keep your account safe, how to stay on Google’s good side, and how to gain assistance, should you ever need it.