Your customers are online. And they are looking for you. Most likely their go-to search engine is Google, and this is beneficial because you can create Business Profile on Google to help your current and potential customers, in-state and out, easily find important information such as your business hours. It is also a quick way to communicate and interact with your customers before meeting face-to-face.

Follow along for some tips on how to successfully set up and maintain your tourism business profile and ensure your business is available to potential customers all over the country.

Understand GBP Guidelines

The first step to creating a Business Profile on Google is understanding the basic guidelines. There are certain rules all businesses must follow in order to get their profile posted. Some include having consistent representation of your business across all platforms and channels and making sure your address is correct and can be easily found. Then you have to ensure you do not have any other profiles floating around the internet.

Understand GBP Restrictions

Once you meet all the requirements to get set up, you have to follow the content guidelines and restrictions. You can review all the nitty gritty details, but we’d like to walk you through the ground rules with the following tips: 

1. Keep your content clean and cohesive. Don’t play clickbait. Display high-quality, relevant content and don’t focus specifically on special promotions or display offensive content.
2. Provide specific, accurate information. Always. Make sure your business name, address and phone number is specific and correct. Keep your business hours up-to-date and change when necessary. Note that some businesses should not add hours of operation if they do not have a consistent schedule. An example of these would be schools, movie theaters, event venues, etc. However you do have the option to set seasonal hours, temporary closures and events. 
3. Present your business with a purpose. Ensure you set up your Business Profile on Google under the appropriate categories. Try answering the phrase, “My business is” instead of “My business has,” to choose categories that describe your overall business. But keep it to a minimum.

Chains, Departments, and Individual GBP Settings

There may be specific guidelines for chains, departments and individual practitioners that have to be followed as well. In regards to names and categories, make sure you represent your department as the company first the department second. A couple good examples include: Walmart Vision Center and Publix Pharmacy. However, individual practitioners should have a profile separate from their location and organization. In this case, the location should have its own profiled. 

Setting up a Business Profile on Google is a resourceful tool to communicate important details and information with your in-state and out-of-state customers. Here’s more information on how you can customize your profile to rank better and bring in more customers. If you’re interested to see how Push has helped businesses plus up their online presence, check out our work here. Ready to get your business on Google? If you’re in need of a helping hand, guide or just want to ask a few questions, we’re here for you. Just send us a message here.