Is Your Google Business Profile Working Hard Enough?
There are many ways people can find you online. You have invested effort in your website and relevant platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Houzz. Likely you also have a Google Business Profile (GBP) set up. (If not, check this out as soon as you are done with this post!)
If we rank your digital property by importance to your landscape business, your website is clearly #1. But what is #2? GBP, by a wide margin.
Why is your GBP so important?
When someone local searches for a landscape designer they will see, starting at the top of the results": adds, Maps results, and then organic results. If you don’t want to pay to advertise on Google, then those Maps results are extremely important. And guess what? Your GBP is what shows up in those Maps results.
What I see when I search “Portland Landscape Design”
How can you make sure your GBP is getting as many eyeballs and clicks as possible? Start with these 5 things:
Make sure your GBP is completely filled out completely and accurately. Go through your entire profile and add as much information as you can. Pay special attention to “Business category”. Your primary category should be “landscape designer”, not “landscaper”. However, if you also offer some landscaping services, like fine pruning or patio installation, then be sure to include any categories that relate to those services. Should you include “landscape architect” as a category if you are not a LA? I have it as one of my categories, since most people don’t know the difference between and LA and a landscape designer.
Add video and pictures. Video catches the eye and holds the attention. Upload a few short videos that show some of your best work, you doing your thing as you take measurements on site, or anything else a potential client might enjoy. Then add pictures. How many? I currently have over 100. Start with at least 10 and then add more as you have more completed projects to showcase.
Get some reviews. The importance of getting reviews can not be overstated. As you start to get good (hopefully 5-star) reviews, your GBP will be shown more frequently and prominently. And when it is shown it will get clicked more frequently. I’ll write a post soon that details all the ways to get reviews, but in the meantime, email as many past clients as you can and ask them to review you on Google- using the link you can create within your GBP (here is how to find that).
Utilize the “Questions and answers” feature. Google allows you to both ask and answer questions on your GBP. Compile a FAQ list (perhaps you already have one on your website) and then use it on your GBP. For example, I added the question: “What are your favorite styles to work with?”
Regularly post updates to your GBP, complete with pictures or video. Keep your GBP fresh and active by utilizing the Google Posts feature. I try to add a post at least once a month, though weekly would be even better. Here is everything you need to know about Google Posts.
Does this sound like a lot? It will take a few hours to initially make sure your GBP is bursting with good information about your landscape design business. But after that you can spend less than an hour a month keeping it fresh and up-to-date. If that time needs to come from social media, that is probably ok. In the long run, your efforts spent on your GBP will be well worth it. More visibility, more potential clients, more actual clients, and more profit- that’s the payoff.
