Do-It-Yourself Digital Agency Services
Here’s One of The Digital Agency Services That You Can Do Yourself
First off, there is a bit of confusion regarding the Google Business Profile (GBP) because it was formerly called Google My Business (GMB). In 2014, Google changed what had been called Google+ Local to Google My Business (GMB). In 2021 they changed Google My Business (GMB) to Google Business Profile (GBP). Many people still refer to it as Google My Business (GMB) today, therein lies the confusion.
We will refer to it as Google Business Profile (GBP) which is the official name of the product as that is how Google officially refers to it now.
So, what is Google Business Profile and what does it do?
According to Google:
“With a Business Profile on Google, you can manage how your local business shows up across Google products, like Maps and Search. If you run a business that serves customers at a particular location, or you serve customers within a designated service area, your Business Profile can help people find you. Verified businesses on Google are twice as likely to be considered reputable.
With a Business Profile, you can:
“Maintain accurate information about your business online
Tell Google your hours, website, phone number, and location (a street address, service area, or place marker, depending on your business).
Use Google Maps and Search to stay up-to-date with your online presence wherever you are.
Interact with customers
Post photos of your business and its products and services.
Collect and respond to reviews from customers.
Attract new customers
Improve how your business appears online so new customers can find you.
Point customers to your website.
When you’re ready, consider using location-based ads with Smart campaigns in Google Ads to reach an even larger audience.”
Here is a link to an article by Google entitled, “Welcome to a Business Profile on Google.”
Essentially, GBP is your way of telling Google who you are and what you do so that Google can then share that intel with the world on your behalf and for their potential financial benefit through paid ads.
A large component of GBP is to facilitate a convenient way for you to run paid ads on Google. Paid ads can most certainly be an effective strategy in bringing more traffic to your Google listing online. However, this strategy should only be employed once you have completely optimized your GBP listing and have put in place a procedure to maintain that level of optimization indefinitely.
Too often, we witness businesses running paid ads without optimized listings. This makes no sense. This is like running TV commercials of the rough draft of your commercial before it is even finished. No one would do that if they knew any better. (We’ll show you an example of this later.) But, for now, let’s just get started in showing you how to create and optimize your GBP listing yourself.
First of all, what does a Google Business Profile look like and where can I find one?
On your phone, do a Google search for a product or service you are looking for, in this example we will use, “Best CPA New Braunfels,” and here is what Google offers. Google provides a map of nearby CPA’s, the top three CPA’s it recommends at this moment in time and a button that says “More Businesses.” I you click on that you will get all results for your query in pages of twenty Google Business Profile listings.
If you were to click on the first CPA listed, “Martin Randy CPA,” you will get his Google Business Profile listing:
This GBP listing is not nearly fully optimized but it does have a couple a photo, address, phone, website and eleven, 5 star reviews. So, what makes it, “not nearly fully optimized.” The list is long but we’ll mention a few things here.
He only has one photo and it is not excellent. He should have a lot more high quality photos as well as, even better, high quality videos. “High quality” not meaning professional quality production but rather just, real videos of pertinent content. Just taken on the cell phone associated with his GBP account.
Also, notice that his GBP listing has no “Services” listed as opposed to a listing like the third one offered by Google in that query, Elton M. Reneau & Company, PC. This listing is far from optimized as well but it does have “Services” listed. This helps Google know what this business is and does. If you don’t tell Google what you do it has to try to guess. “Services” is your chance to tell Google exactly what services your business provides and what services you do not offer. Note the services category offered on this GBP as well as a partial list of services that he provides:
If you were to click on the “Services” tab, this is what you would see:
It is a list of the services that he is telling Google that he offers for Google to in turn tell the world that he provides them. The full list of services offered are the following thirty-eight:
Certified Public Accountant
Business consulting
Business tax planning
Business tax return preparation
Financial advising
General bookkeeping
Individual income tax return preparation
Individual tax planning
Payroll accounting
1099 Preparation
Accounting Consulting
Accounting Services
Bookkeeping
Business Planning
Business Tax
Business Tax Services
Comprehensive Accounting
Financial Planning
Management Consulting
Non Profit Tax Services
Outsourced Cfo Services
Personal Financial Statements
Personal Tax
Personal Tax Services
Quarterly Reports
Quick Books Pro Advisor
Quickbooks Set Up And Training
Real Estate Investing Services
Sales Tax Service
Tax & Bookkeeping Services
Tax Accounting
Tax Center
Tax Laws
Tax Planning Advice
Tax Planning And Preparation
Tax Planning Services
Tax Return Preparation
Tax Returns
Tax Strategies
Listing these thirty-eight services is far better than listing none. So, why didn’t this listing rank higher on Google than the one with no listings? Well, there could be numerous reasons for this as this listing is not fully optimized either as it just has two photos, no videos and other shortcomings. The first clue as to why he is not ranked higher is that he has two 5 star reviews and the top ranked search result has eleven 5 star reviews. But, there is more to it than that as evidenced by the fact that the second ranked result, Carol Stevens CPA LLC has two 5 star reviews and no services listed as well.
Google does not always place the best optimized listing in the #1 position because if it did none of the other listings would ever get that coveted position. So, it rotates businesses up and down the rankings in an attempt to make things more fair for all businesses to compete for placement in Google search results.
But, it does give a weighted advantage to better optimized listings.
So, getting back to your GBP listing.
As a basic digital agency service strategy to begin to optimize your GBP listing you could build a spreadsheet of all your competitors’ “Services.” These services are “keywords” that people search for on Google (search terms) to find what they are looking for. For the purpose of this discussion, Services = Keywords = Search Terms. They are all essentially the same thing.
Ok, so this is what that spreadsheet would look like for CPA’s in New Braunfels:
As you can see, of the top twenty ranked CPA’s in New Braunfels, six have no services listed on their GBP. What you cannot see in this screenshot is that of the ones who do have services listed, the range of services they list is from a few as six to as many as ninety-one.
So, a basic digital agency services strategy would be to combine all the services offered by your competitors into a single column. Delete the duplicates. Now, go through this list and eliminate any and all of the services that your business does not provide. List those services remaining as your services on your GBP.
But then you are just competing against your competitors for traffic to your ‘Services,” which is certainly preferable to the alternative. To take this strategy to the next level you would take this list and use it to find what we call, “Premium Keywords.”
What are Premium Keywords? They are Keywords/Services/Search Terms (same thing) that have traffic to them on Google and few or none of your competitors are competing for ranking on Google.
How do you find these keywords?
Google has a tool that they provide to help you find search terms (keywords) that you can use to find keywords to run paid ads to to drive traffic to your business. It is called Keyword Planner. Click here.
Before you pay to run ads to your business, and without cost, make sure you have incorporated these keywords into your GBP, website, blogs, social media posts, etc.
Simply run each of those “Services” your competitors list on their GBP, through the Google Keyword Planner tool, and put them into a spreadsheet along with the Google monthly traffic volume for each.
Just so you know, there are paid apps that do this and much more. Some of them offer a very basic free version with which you can get started. New Braunfels Data Haus uses several of these (as some are better than others at particular functions). As an example one of these is Semrush.
Getting back to the free Keyword Planner tool by Google, you can use this to find Premium Keywords. As you enter your competitors services into the tool it will auto generate suggestions with the monthly search search volume, degree of competitiveness, PPC, etc. Don’t worry about any of that, until you are ready to start running paid ads, except keyword and monthly search volume.
Most likely this exercise will have Google generate relevant keywords that have search traffic to them that your competitors are not listing as services nor using anywhere else online. These are “Premium Keywords.” This is your Google gold. This is what we do for our clients as a part of our digital agency services strategy.
This is what we do at New Braunfels Data Haus. We mine for gold. Here is a link to our blog on this subject.
Another one of the digital agency services we utilize is the way we mine for gold using our proprietary algorithm to identify and analyze thirty-two relevant metrics for each of our clients and their competitors. Here is an example:
Once you identify and analyze enough data, trends emerge. These trends help us identify why certain businesses rank better than others for particular keywords.
In the realm of digital presence and search engine rankings, the process of data identification and analysis plays a pivotal role in unraveling the intricate dynamics of various industries. By delving into this meticulous process, businesses can unearth valuable trends that shed light on the factors influencing their online success, particularly in the context of keyword rankings.
1. Data Harvesting:
At the outset, the collection of pertinent data takes center stage. This encompasses a broad spectrum, ranging from website analytics and user interactions to social media metrics, forming the foundation for the subsequent analytical journey.
2. Analytical Exploration:
Once the data reservoir is amassed, a phase of thorough analysis ensues. Employing statistical methods, machine learning algorithms, or other analytical tools, this step seeks to distill intricate datasets into actionable insights.
3. Emergence of Trends:
Through the systematic analysis of data over time, discernible trends start to surface. These trends encapsulate consistent patterns or shifts in user behavior, market dynamics, and other pertinent factors.
4. Keyword Scrutiny:
The focal point shifts to understanding why certain businesses excel in ranking for specific keywords. This involves a meticulous examination of factors such as search volume, competition levels, and the underlying intent of users.
5. Competitive Insight:
Unraveling the mystery of why certain businesses outshine others in keyword rankings requires a comprehensive competitive analysis. This involves dissecting the strategies and tactics employed by successful counterparts in the same industry.
6. Algorithmic Decoding:
As search engines rely on sophisticated algorithms, a profound understanding of these algorithms becomes imperative. This knowledge aids in deciphering the rationale behind the ranking disparities among businesses.
7. User-Centric Focus and Content Excellence:
Beyond keywords, the crux of successful rankings lies in delivering a positive user experience and high-quality content. Metrics gauging user engagement and the relevance of content become pivotal in understanding the superior performance of select businesses.
8. Dynamic Adaptation and Optimization:
Recognizing that trends are not static, businesses must continually adapt their strategies. This may involve optimizing website content, enhancing user experiences, or recalibrating marketing approaches to stay abreast of evolving trends.
In essence, the meticulous journey of data identification and analysis empowers businesses to glean insights into the trends shaping their online performance. Armed with an understanding of why certain businesses excel in keyword rankings, organizations can fine-tune their strategies, fortifying their online visibility and competitive edge.
Why is that?
Because “it” is always in the data!
If we can be of service to you in anyway, please feel free to reach out to us at: NewBraunfelsDataHaus@gmail.com
We offer our digital marketing services as well as raw data for you to do with what you want.
Good luck and Happy Mining!