Did you know, as per a study conducted by Think with Google,
- 83% of U.S. shoppers conduct online research before visiting the store.
- Mobile searches for location-intent phrases like ‘restaurant open near me’ and ‘grocery store open near me’ have increased by over 250% over the past few years.
- Search queries containing ‘repair near me’ have also grown by over 110% during the same time frame.
All these findings point to one thing―a solid online presence is crucial for the growth of a local business. Having a properly optimized Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) can be very useful in this regard. Although the platform is relatively easy to use, businesses sometimes encounter glitches―some of the most obvious ones are discussed in today’s blog post.
Google Business Profile (GBP): Why You Need It?
Claiming and optimizing a listing on Google can benefit your local business in the following ways;
- Dramatic increase in online visibility: When presenting businesses on maps and local search results for location-intent search queries, Google takes signals from GBP very seriously. Claim your Business Profile on Google and see how your online visibility improves.
- Facilitates customer engagement: You won’t find any online platform as efficient as GBP for engaging with your customers. You can share important information about your business on the platform. Call-to-action features like “Call Now,” “Get Directions,” and “Visit Website” not only streamline customer interactions but also drive engagement.
- Insights and analytics: Despite being a completely free platform, GBP provides clear insights into how customers find and interact with your business. This data can be used to track your business’s performance and identify ways to boost overall productivity.
Common Issues With The Profile
Google Business Profile is excellent, but no one is arguing about it. However, the problem with such free third-party platforms is that you can’t have 100% control over them. It is a Google product―hosted on Google servers and managed by the Google team. No matter how compliant your Business Profile is with Google’s guidelines, it can still get suspended or removed altogether. Want to know about other similar issues? Read through!
#1- Trouble claiming Google Business Profile
Establishing the ownership of a Business Profile on Google can be challenging at times. Below are a few scenarios you might have to deal with when trying to gain control of a business listing on Google.
- Someone else has claimed the profile: If the listing representing your business on Google has already been claimed, the profile won’t display a ‘Claim this Business’ or ‘Own this Business’ link. Although there are various channels through which you can request ownership from the current profile owner, the process will test your patience. The link shared below might help you in this regard.https://support.google.com/business/answer/4566671
- Duplicate listings: Duplicate Google listings can negatively impact your business’s ranking in the map pack and local search results for location-specific search terms. A ranking drop can diminish your business’s online visibility, which could severely harm your revenue generation. Suppose you don’t want to eliminate duplicate listings as soon as possible. Want to know more about Google duplicate listing removal or reporting policies? Go through the following article.https://support.google.com/business/answer/4669139
#2- Issues verifying Google Business Profile
Verified Google Business Profiles appear legitimate and trustworthy. Businesses that seem credible to search engines will likely outperform others in the map pack and local search results for specific location-specific search queries. Besides, managing and updating verified business profile information is easy. But guess what? Getting a business profile verified on Google can sometimes be a difficult task.
- Issues from the business end: If your business profile doesn’t adhere to Google’s guidelines, the verification process will fail. Submitting incorrect business details, providing misleading information, and adding prohibited content are some leading reasons for disapproving Google business profile verification requests. NAP data inconsistency across different online platforms can also result in the rejection of your verification request.
- Issues from Google’s end: Verification of a Business Profile might get delayed because of temporary glitches or bugs in Google’s systems. Maintenance work on Google’s servers, a high volume of requests, manual review bottlenecks, and issues with the verification method are reasons why your verification request might take time to get approved. You can use the tool we have listed below to check the verification status of your business profile.
#3- Unable to upload photos on Business Profile
Uploading high-quality photos to your Business Profile can make your listing stand out in search results. Not only do photos make your listing more appealing to search engines, but they also encourage users to choose your business over competitors. However, Google Business Profile is not a social media platform where you can post any image.
- Issues from the business end: If the photos you’ve uploaded to your Business Profile don’t adhere to Google’s photos and videos policy, the algorithm will swiftly reject them. Blurry, pixelated, and poorly lit photos may also suffer a similar fate. Posting pictures that don’t comply with local laws and cultural norms might also face rejection. We have also found that not uploading photos under relevant categories and tags can result in rejection. Duplicate and copyrighted images may be rejected as soon as they are published.
- Issues from Google’s end: Bugs in the algorithm may initially tag photos as rejected, but they might get published after 24 to 48 hours.
#4- Posts on Business Profile getting rejected
Google posts are a crucial feature of Google Business Profile that allows users to share important information directly with their customers. It could be anything from updates to promotions. In short, you can use the feature to keep your customers informed about critical business elements. But just like photos, your Google posts might also get rejected.
- Issues from the business end: If your Google post doesn’t adhere to Google’s guidelines, it will be promptly rejected. Not posting relevant information, sharing misinformation, attempting to manipulate search results, and sharing duplicate content are among the leading reasons for disapproval of Google posts on business profiles. Including the phone number and business address in the post also results in its removal. Google may even block users from using this feature.
- Issues from Google’s end: Bugs in the algorithm can contribute to Google Post rejection.
#5- Suspension of Google Business Profile
A suspended Google Business Profile won’t appear on Google Maps and search results. There can be many reasons why Google may take such a drastic step. According to a study conducted by BrightLocal, the suspension of Google Business Profile can result in a 90% drop in calls to the affected business. This can devastate the industry.
- Issues from the business end: Adding keywords to the business name/ description to deceive the search engine, inconsistent NAP data (Name, Address, Phone number), posting fake reviews, engaging in spammy activities, having multiple listings for the exact business location, and adding prohibited content are some of the prominent reasons why Google may decide to suspend a Business Listing. Additionally, if you’re an online-only business, it is at risk of suspension.
In Conclusion
A properly optimized Google Business Profile can significantly improve a business’s online visibility. However, it is not without its challenges. You might have to deal with issues such as photo rejection, post disapproval, lengthy review moderation periods, unexpected profile suspension, etc. If you’re struggling with one of the above-mentioned issues, hire an experienced GBP manager.