Cheap SEO Wins: Professional Service Firms & Google Business Profiles

(Note: This newsletter article supplements previous writing we’ve done on our blog here. Two related articles of potential interest include: “Local SEO for Law Firms,” and “Google Practitioner Listings: What Are They and Why Should You Care?”)

Marketing plans for professional service firms usually consist of a variety of strategies. Social media, content marketing and SEO, paid advertising and email marketing are some of the typical “go to” strategies making up professional service and b2b marketing plans.

As a marketing counselor for our clients, we evaluate different strategies based on the relative bang-for-the-buck (or “ROI”) each provides. Assuming our client has a? physical location, we always recommend putting effort into the business’ Google Business Profile. (For definitional purposes, Google Business Profiles are a cornerstone of what digital marketers refer to as “local search” or “local SEO.”)

Local SEO refers to search engine results which are influenced by the searcher’s current location or the location which they type in their Google search. The signature example of local search at work is showing up in Google’s “Map Pack.” A business shows up in the Map Pack when, and only when, Google deems that your business is a match for a searcher’s query.?

Why are we so enthusiastic about Google Business Profiles?

• Obviously, like all organic strategies, ranking in local search results is “free.”?
• Unlike website-oriented search engine optimization, the guidelines for success in local search are more knowable and accessible. Starting here, for instance, will tell you much of what you need to know. And we’ll summarize the basics, further on in our newsletter.
• Despite the straightforward rules for success, many professional service firms invest little effort in the Google Business Profiles and other local ranking factors. This often makes it easier to gain visibility in local search than other digital marketing methods.

How does a business get visibility in local search??

We’ll look at several factors which influence local search results but first, let’s start with the basic prerequisite.

The first step in ranking for local search is to make sure you have a claimed, verified Google Business Profile, which conforms to Google’s standards. It is critical to understand that this first step is a prerequisite for success in local search. Claiming and verification is a two-step process. If your Google business listing has already been created and you see it, you can begin the claiming process by clicking on the link in the visible profile which reads “Own this business?” This will launch the verification process. We will not be exploring this process in detail, though it is outlined here.

Beyond just claiming and verifying your listing, Google advises that you be sure to completely fill out your business profile. Specifically, their bulleted list includes:

1. Ensure that all basic business information is correct. It is especially important that your business’s name, address & phone number appear accurately. Failing to get these basics right will tank your odds of ranking in local packs on Google. Beyond just basic information about your business, there are opportunities to describe your firm’s focus and values, choose a primary category describing your firm’s service areas, etc. Again, this post will not go into all the details associated with creating an ideal business profile.
2. Add photographs and other branded images to your profile. People respond to enticing images; you can include service-related photos, photos of both the exterior and interiors of your office, etc.
3. List your business hours. Even though the precise hours of a professional service provider might be fluid, Google Maps innately wants to frame its results according to a retail model. Humor them and fill out hours which approximate your availability.
4. Manage and collect reviews. Be aware that the number of reviews your business has – and the aggregate score rating you’ve received – are ranking factors for local search. You can’t avoid the reality that the review system on Google exists; it is in your best interest to cultivate positive reviews proactively.?
5. Respond to reviews. It’s not enough to just collect reviews; you should be responding to them as well. Positive reviews are usually a breeze to respond to. Everybody loves compliments! Negative reviews, however, require strategy. Avoid getting into a tit-for-tat with the reviewer; acknowledge their pain points. Put on your diplomat’s hat and respond with grace. For more nuanced strategies, see this article from Birdeye.
6. Fill out the “edit services” area within your Google Business Profile. Unlike the primary category labels which Google requires upon setup, services allow businesses to get very granular in their descriptions. Besides the list of services Google offers up as defaults, Google now allows businesses to add their own custom services. We are finding that these seem to be ranking factors for specific local searches. We highly recommend creating them, upon profile setup.
7. Scope your competition. Search visibility in local is a footrace between your business and your local competitors. The requirements to rank are determined by how much work your competitors have done. Check to see how many reviews those businesses who have ranked have, what their aggregate rating is, and how complete their profiles are. This intel gives you a sense of the magnitude of your challenge.

Drilling Deeper

Nailing all the basics of your listing is a necessary start to show up in a local pack and be prominent in local SEO. Beyond this point, though, what other factors determine the appearance of a profile in local search results?

To answer that question, let’s go to the source: the Google Business Profile support section, which says:

Local results are based primarily on relevance, distance, and prominence. These factors are combined to help find the best match for your search.

Google states that it uses three principal factors to determine local ranking: relevance, distance and prominence. The first two criteria are pretty straightforward. If you’re searching for a criminal defense attorney, Google will not show results for accounting firms and, probably, won’t even show results for law firms which don’t specialize in criminal defense.

Distance is likewise straightforward. The example SERP shown above, for instance, is showing us three firms very close to our office’s location.

The last criteria listed, ‘prominence’ is the one factor of the three which can be influenced by digital marketing efforts. Google defines prominence as a combination of a variety of factors but, of those the business can control, Google writes:

‘Prominence is also based on information that Google has about a business, from across the web, like links, articles, and directories. Google review count and review score factor into local search ranking. More reviews and positive ratings can improve your businesses local ranking. Your position in web results is also a factor, so search engine optimization (SEO) best practices apply.’

Let’s Review the Important Points Here:

1. Links, articles and directory listings are important. Another way to think of ‘prominence’ in the sense that Google means it is "credibility." Google wants to be sure that it understands precisely what your business does, and has a very strong level of confidence that it knows where it is located. It derives this understanding from your business’s presence in local business listings and directories, the most important of which is Google’s own business profile directory. Besides just Google, it’s also a good idea to ensure that your firm is listed in as many online directories as possible. Industry-specific directories are great ideas, as are others such as Google, Yelp, Facebook, etc.
2. Reviews and ratings. As previously mentioned, reviews of your business are important. Not only does Google care about reviews from its own Google Business Profile pages, but it also pulls data from other social review sites, such as Yelp. Most local consultants urge their clients to actively solicit reviews from satisfied customers, especially if they’re coming from the business’s own Google Profile page.?
3. On-website SEO ranking factors. As an additional prominence check, Google refers to a potential search result’s website. This means that your website should be built with SEO in mind. And, especially - wherever office addresses are shown - Google will want to see exactly the same addresses it is seeing within your business Google Business Profile listing, as well as its Yelp, Bing, Yahoo and other business listings.?
4. One final point, which the Google support section above does not explicitly recognize – but which is known to influence local SEO results – is the regular use of the posting function within your Google Business Profile. This functionality is relatively new to Google and is intended to give business owners the opportunity to communicate topically relevant information to their customers. In a retail environment, these could be used to announce time-sensitive sales or promotions. Professional service firms can use them to acknowledge holidays, events, or even birthdays. You can also just treat them as an opportunity to write regular mini-blog posts.

Wrapping Things Up

Local SEO is one of those tasks which isn’t rocket science but is time-consuming and ever-changing. Still though, it is worth the investment and offers unique opportunities to gain visibility in search engine results.