Google Business Profile is a free list of companies from Google that allows business owners to provide details and photos of their company, including its location, services, and products. It is important to note that a listing on Google My Business is free and no payment should be made for it. However, if you hire a digital marketing agency to manage your Google listing, you are buying a service called local SEO, which is not free. Verified business locations are “more likely to appear in local search results for Google products, such as Maps and Search”.
To help businesses with their marketing efforts, Google offers a free marketing kit with stickers, social media posts, and printable posters. Creating a Google business profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is an essential way to attract new customers to your company through Google search and Maps. It is also important to note that if you have an online-only business, you will need to use other Google tools such as Google Ads and Google Analytics. Google AdWords strategically places personalized advertising for your company at the top of relevant search results.
This means that when people search for terms related to your business, such as air conditioning repair or HVAC services, they will see Google Ads results first (before Google Maps and organic search results). In addition, Google has launched a messaging feature that allows companies to quickly respond to questions from their current and potential customers. To make the most of this feature, businesses can use Hootsuite to communicate with their customers through the Google business profile and all their other social channels. Both Google My Business and Google Ads are suitable for different companies with different marketing strategies.
It is important to understand the differences between them in order to make the most of your digital marketing efforts.
