Episode 003: Google My Business

Don: Yeah, Janet. So, Google My Business is something we’ve all experienced. I’m going to use an example that’s not in the contracting world because it helps people wrap their heads around it. Let’s say you’re looking for pizza. Everyone loves pizza. You get on your phone and search for “pizza restaurants near me” or a friend has recommended a specific pizza place. When you Google the name of that place, the result you see is probably not going to be the website of the pizza restaurant. It’s going to be the Google My Business listing. You’ve likely seen that. You can see the name of the company, a button to click for directions, a phone number, their hours, reviews—all of those elements are part of the Google My Business listing. 

Janet: Exactly. And what’s funny is that Don and I were just talking about this right before we started recording. We’re calling it Google My Business, but change is the only constant in our world. Google’s not calling it Google My Business anymore. Remind me again, Don, what are they calling it now?

Don: They are slowly but actively changing it to Google Business Profile.

Janet: Okay. So, whatever it’s called when you’re listening to this, it’s Google My Business, or Google Business Profile. It is the property on Google that a business has to claim and then populate with information—like hours, phone number, products you sell, your address. This is what shows up first on phones and on desktops during a search. At the time we recorded this, it is the little box that floats on the right-hand side of the search that usually has a thumbnail picture of the front of the business, hours, and all that stuff. That’s what the Google My Business or Google Business Profile is.

Don: Yeah. As a consumer, I look at that and think, “This is super helpful.” I find all the information I want right there. As soon as I search for something, it’s readily available. Using your example about pizza, if I know what I want, I just hit the call button or go to the website or even order straight from that profile listing. It makes it really easy to get what I want.

Janet: Exactly, Don. As a consumer, you can click to call or get directions with just one click, and all that’s really convenient. Or you might go to their website. It’s important for us to talk about this a little more because your Google My Business listing is not the same thing as your website. It can drive traffic to your website, but the consumer has to actually take an extra step to click the button to go to your website. From a consumer’s perspective, this is simple—it makes our lives easier. We get a phone number, directions, and hours without having to dig for it. But from a business owner’s perspective, and that’s who you guys are listening, you’ve spent money, time, energy, and effort building a website that you’re proud of and want people to visit.

Don: Yes, Google is kind of thwarting that a bit. They’re doing it to help all of us who use Google to get phone numbers and directions, but what happens is someone looking for pizza gets all the information they need without actually going to the pizza restaurant’s website. That’s what’s called a zero-click search. As a contractor, when you’re thinking about optimizing your business so local homeowners can find you, now you have two things to worry about: your website and your Google My Business listing. The tasks and efforts required for both are a little different.

Janet: Exactly. We’re going to talk a little bit later about how as a contractor, you need to own your stuff. But it’s important to realize that when it comes to your website, you own it. That’s your content, your platform. But with Google My Business, you don’t own it. Google technically owns it, and you’re just playing on their platform. It’s still valuable to use, but data shows that over 60% of searchers will use your Google My Business before your website. It’s vital to make sure it’s up to date and accurate, but remember, at the end of the day, it isn’t yours. It’s Google’s, and they want to keep eyeballs on their content just as you do. They’re likely to make that 60% number go up over time by keeping people on their platform rather than sending them to yours.

Don: Exactly. It’s a give and take. It’s great for consumers and good for your leads because you’re providing information that helps them choose your business. But you’re doing it through another platform, which isn’t always easy to navigate. So, let’s talk about the best way to take advantage of these tools. If you’re listening and you don’t have a Google My Business listing, or you’ve just left your former employer and are setting up shop, how does one go about claiming their Google Business Profile?

Janet: One of the great things about using Google is that they try to make it as easy as possible for you. One of the simplest ways is to search for your business name in Google. If there’s not a profile already created, Google may create a dummy one for you. You can look there in the section—on a desktop, it’s on the right; on a phone, it should be one of the first things that pops up. If you haven’t already created it, there will be a little prompt in that profile that says “Claim this business” or “Do you own this business?” Click on it to start the process of claiming and verifying your business.

Don: And I want to be able to own this profile. If you don’t see anything there, you can also go to business.google.com and just start the process of creating, claiming, and verifying your profile right there. Again, over time, Google changes all of these things, so as we’re talking about it here at the beginning of 2023, if you’re listening much later than that, take it with a grain of salt. You should be able to search for Google My Business or Google Business Profile and figure out the steps to get started. The easiest and most basic things to do once you’ve done that are to take care of the things you would think of as a consumer. If you’re trying to find remodeling services for your windows, you’re looking for ‘Windows replaced.’ Think about your profile from that perspective. 

Janet: Right. You need to know your business name, have your business logo, and provide contact information—your website, phone number, address, and hours of operation. Potential customers also want to know what kind of work you do and what services you offer. Those are the basics and the easiest things to update on a Google My Business profile. You want to make sure you have all of this information in front of your potential customers.

Don: Exactly. So, let’s take an example of a company doing window replacements. Likely, you’re also doing windows, siding, roofing, and maybe gutters. Once you claim your profile and log in, you can click the button to edit and manage the profile. As Janet said, Google changes the interface, so it might be called products or services. What you want to do is load up your profile with the products and services you offer. In this example, you would add windows, gutters, and roofing. In times past, there was a place to link specific products to a specific page on your website. Google keeps changing the edit interface, so we’ll see how long that feature lasts. But think about it from the perspective of the homeowner looking for window replacement contractors near me. You want your company name to come up, showing your address, hours, and the products you install. They can click a button to get directions or call you.

Janet: That’s what you’re trying to achieve. Let me ask you this, Don. We’ve come across this with some clients: So I’ve got this Google My Business profile set up, but I don’t know what it’s doing for me. I understand it’s important from a consumer’s end, so I set it up. Do I need to do anything with it? Is this just the 21st-century version of a Yellow Pages ad that I run once a year and forget about?

Don: There is a world where you can set it and forget it. But if you’re aggressively pursuing lead generation and trying to optimize your business to be easily found by homeowners in your service area, we do not recommend setting it and forgetting it. Take that login information and periodically add photos, answer questions, and add content, just as you would to your personal Facebook profile. When Google first created the Google My Business feature, they treated it like a social media platform. No one really uses it like that, but you can post content to it. I don’t think users are scrolling through and reading the content businesses are posting, but we’ve found that posting consistently feeds Google’s algorithm information about the products and services you install.

Janet: Exactly. Let’s dive into a deeper example. Let’s say you’re a James Hardie siding contractor. You’ve got your Google My Business profile set up with services listed as siding, roofing, and windows. But your profile doesn’t have the words “James Hardie siding” or other specific details about products you install like CertainTeed or Marvin Windows. You can use the post content feature on your Google My Business profile to post a paragraph or two and link to something on your site. That way, you’re associating the words “James Hardie,” “CertainTeed,” and “Marvin Windows” with your business listing. If a homeowner searches for “James Hardie siding installers near me,” your Google My Business profile is more likely to show up because you posted that content.

Don: Yes, what you have in your Google My Business profile and the posts can help your search results in Google when people search for those terms. It’s sending signals to the algorithms. You’re playing on Google’s platform, so playing by their rules increases the likelihood of your profile showing up in front of more people. It’s a game we’re learning to play, and the rules change sometimes. We want to help you understand the best ways to utilize this profile and get it in front of potential customers. Aside from making regular posts and adding content, what else should contractors do to keep their profiles updated?

Janet: Great question, Don. The most important part of Google My Business for home improvement contractors is that it’s where your reviews will be. Homeowners look for reviews to validate and decide if they can trust you and want to get a quote from you. When you ask homeowners to review you, they do so through your Google My Business listing. For example, if you search for “best pizza near me” and see 175 reviews at 4.5 stars, those reviews are associated with the Google My Business listing. If you don’t claim your profile, you won’t have those reviews, and reviews are critical to lead generation success.

Don: Absolutely. We recommend responding and engaging with those reviews, even if it’s just to say “thanks” for a five-star review. It shows customers that you appreciate their feedback and are active and engaged. It also communicates to potential customers that you pay attention to these things, which speaks volumes about your customer service. It’s a silent vote of confidence that can help build trust with people looking at your business online.

Janet: Look, here are some examples of the fact that they pay attention to their customers. They’re responding to their reviews. They’re on top of these kinds of things. And all of that goes a long way toward building that trustworthiness factor that helps a potential new customer say, “Yeah, this is a contractor I would choose to work with.” The only way to do that is through your Google My Business profile. So, when people talk about having Google reviews, or you see that on someone else’s site and they’ve got 4.9 stars out of five, this is where all of that lives. This is the only place where you have the opportunity to interact with, engage, and respond to those reviews.

Don: One of the things I’m passionate about is trying to help contractors navigate the confusing world of the internet. Let’s talk about some things we’ve seen with our clients, where challenges have come up with Google My Business—and boy, have they come up! The number one takeaway if you’re listening to this podcast: if you own a business and have a Google My Business profile, pull the truck over right now and ask yourself, “Do I know how to log into this thing?” Because if you don’t know how to log into it, or you don’t have a username and password that you can access as an administrator, I strongly encourage you to address that. 

Janet: What we’ve seen is we’ll start to work with a new customer—let’s say they’re a roofing contractor and have been in business for five years. One of the things we do during onboarding is try to get access as your agency so we can help you take care of your Google My Business profile. We say, “Hey, add us as an authorized user,” and the customer will go, “I don’t even know how to log into it.” Right. “My office manager set that up four years ago. She left, moved to another state, and I don’t even know how to log into it.” And then the fun begins.

Don: Fun is a nice word for it, but yes, that is definitely some of the headaches we’ve experienced. It’s really important to say, number one, it’s okay to have someone else help you with this. This doesn’t have to be a task that necessarily sits on your plate as a contractor owner. It is totally fine to have some help with doing this, but you need to know that those things are done through your business and not through some personal account. So, if your office manager is the one who manages your Google My Business profile for you, that’s totally fine.

Janet: But are they doing that using an email address associated with your business or their personal email address? It needs to be something associated with your business because, just like you said, Don, if that person moves on at some point, your business still needs to have access to this profile. If they move on and have been managing it through their personal email address, guess who that profile stays with? It doesn’t stay with your business; it stays with that person’s personal email address. So, you have to make sure that the primary owner of your Google My Business profile is an address associated with your business.

Don: We typically recommend if you have an email like admin@ or info@, or something that will always be associated with your business, use that account as the primary owner for your Google My Business profile. Make sure you have that password logged somewhere accessible, and update it whenever you change it, so you don’t lose ownership of your profile.

Janet: I’m going to translate what Don said into a little story. Let’s say you’re a roofing contractor in Alabama, and you had an office manager named Stacy.Janet: And when you first set up the shop, you said, “Hey, Stacy, somebody told me we need to get registered on Google.” You might have used words like “registered,” which isn’t really correct, but whatever, you’re busy, you’re a roofer. You don’t really care about this stuff. Stacy seemed smart and capable, and she was. You could assign her things, and Stacy would just do them. You came back to the office and asked, “Hey, Stacy, did you get us registered on Google?” And Stacy said, “Yep, sure did.” Okay. Well, what she did was claim your business listing using her personal address—stacyrocks@gmail.com. Then Stacy leaves and moves to Texas two years later. That little episode where she initially claimed your business listing several years ago does not stand out in your mind because it wasn’t the most important thing that day.

Don: Now you’ve got 135 reviews, your business hours, and a lot invested in that Google My Business profile. But Stacy is long gone, and you cannot log into her stacyrocks@gmail.com because she’s got a bunch of personal stuff in there. And that is the only email address associated with your business listing. This is what we’re talking about. So, guess what you can’t do? You can’t update your profile, respond to reviews, change your hours, change your address or phone number if any of that changes, or add services. Let’s say you started in roofing and now you’re installing Pella windows. You can’t add that because your profile is associated with a former employee. 

Janet: Exactly. There’s nothing wrong with having your office manager have access to it because you can have multiple users associated with that profile. What we’re telling you is you need to be one of those users. You or your business partner need to know the email address associated with the profile. Let’s break it down further: when you log into it, the username is an email address. So, it’s got to be an email address you know how to access. 

Don: We’ve seen multiple contractors who are up and running, employ people, and serve jobs, but have been locked out of their Google My Business listing. It’s kind of a big deal and not easy to fix. 

Janet: Right. That’s what’s at stake. If you don’t have access, your profile either becomes out of date or irrelevant. Customers looking for your type of business online will see that and may not choose you because you can’t keep your profile up to date. It literally costs you leads and potential sales because you don’t have the right username and password associated with your account. It seems like a small thing, but it turns into a big deal—a really big deal affecting the success of your business.

Don: I’ll share another story relevant to what we’re talking about. One thing we try to help contractors understand is that they don’t have to get gimmicky with their Google My Business profile. Just stick to the basics and don’t try to use it in ways that might seem creative but violate Google’s rules. For example, if your business is ABC Siding Company based in Nevada, and you decide to change your Google My Business profile to “Superific Siding of Central Nevada” because that’s the latest trend, you’re making a mistake. 

Janet: Google will find out through their automation that something about your profile name doesn’t match their records, and they’ll disable your profile. It just turns off and goes away. If you search for ABC Siding, you’re no longer listed because they’ve disabled it. You then have to figure out why Google disabled you and what you need to do. They won’t tell you they disabled it. No one will call you and say, “Hey, you’re in violation of our terms of service.” You just notice one day that it’s gone. 

Don: And they don’t provide easy customer service for their free products. Try finding a phone number to call—you won’t be able to. You’ll have to submit a support ticket online and hope your understanding of the problem matches theirs. It’s not easily solved and can take weeks or even months without your Google My Business profile, costing your business tremendously.

Janet: So, don’t try to break the rules. Just stick to the basics, follow Google’s guidelines, and you should be safe, getting maximum exposure and leads out of this tool. If you try to get cute, you’ll get into trouble. 

Don: Exactly. Google verifies your business listing by mailing a postcard to your physical address to ensure it’s legitimate. They don’t want competitors or random people claiming your business and posting nonsense. Follow the rules, understand them, and play by them. It’s a free listing, so don’t get cute because if something goes sideways, it’s hard to unwind it. 

Janet: Yes. We’ve walked through significant challenges, almost scare-tactics, but we’ve seen the pain it can cause a contractor when things go sideways. We want to educate you on how to do things well so you can use this tool effectively. When used correctly, Google My Business can be a fantastic source of leads and customer engagement. 

Don: Right. If you’re listening to this episode when it first goes live in early 2022, we’re offering a digital course for contractors called the Contractor Marketing Game Plan. This course will cover how to set up and use your Google My Business profile accurately and maximize your leads. Check out fatcatstrategies.com/course to see if the Contractor Marketing Game Plan course is right for you and learn how to succeed with your Google My Business profile.

Janet: So, go check that out at fatcatstrategies.com/course. We look forward to talking to you again next time on Digital Marketing for Contractors. 

Don: Thanks, Janet. Digital Marketing for Contractors is created by Fat Cat Strategies. For more information, visit fatcatstrategies.com.