Growing Your Home Building Business with Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile is the page on Google where your prospects can call, visit your website, ask for directions, see pictures of your work, and leave reviews.
And if you home building business shows up in the top 3 results on Google, you’re almost guaranteed to see a high increase in qualified leads.
But how do we make sure your Google Business Profile is optimized to capture all the right people looking for a home builder?
Let’s dive in…
What is Google Business Profile (GBP)
Google Business Profile (GPB) is the old Google My Business (GMB).
This is a tool that helps you manage how your business shows up on Google Maps and in the search results. It’s where prospects can find your showroom’s address, phone number, read reviews, see photos, and more.
And if you want to make the most out of your GBP, you’ll want to focus on 3 factors that will put your home building business at the top of the results.
1. Relevance
Google will do its best to always return the most relevant results for whatever you search for.
For example, if you type in ‘home builders in Nebraska’, you’ll get exactly that, and not kitchen remodelers.
Because of that, you need to make sure your business info is complete and current, including address, phone numbers, business hours, and category, so Google understands that you’re a home builder.
2. Distance
Google understands relevence is tied to distance, especially when a user searches for a local business on Google.
This is why if you type in ‘home building contractors’ you’ll first see results from your proximity, and not from several states away.
3. Prominence
Prominence is the 3rd major ranking factor for your Google Business Profile, and it refers to how well-known is your business in both online and offline world.
Prominence is given by the number of reviews, the number of citations, the number of backlinks, and the number of mentions online.
By far, the reviews will make the biggest difference. The more reviews you have, the higher Google will show your business.
Want to increase your business profile prominence on Google Maps? Read our comprehensive guide on how to get more 5-star reviews from your business.
How to Optimize Your Home Building Listing on Google Maps
Setting up your Google Business Profile is not rocket science. What’s rocket science is making it show up as the top result on Google.
To set it up, you need to either 1. claim the business from Google Maps if it’s already existing, or 2. create the business profile from scratch. Then, you’ll want to add the name, set the primary category, the secondary categories, a business description, the address, the working hours, images, and more.
Let’s break it down for you…
Step 1: Set Up Your Google Business profile
After you claim or create the profile, the most important step is choosing its main category.
For a home building company, the right category would be exactly that: home builder.
You’ll want to add a business description, and here’s how you write a great business description that make people click on your profile.
Step 2: Continue Optimizing the Profile
After the description is ready, move on to adding the working hours, the location, the secondary categories, add some Frequently Asked Questions, your phone number and your website.
Adding photos will also make a huge difference. Usually, businesses with more photos will receive a lot more clicks on their profiles, increasing the rankings.
There are 3 types of photos:
- Logo
- Cover photo
- Business photos
Make sure photos are 720 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall and in JPG or PNG format.
Step 3: Keep your business Profile Updated
Understandably, things about your business change. Maybe you’ll want to have different working hours, a different logo, or you’re changing your business location.
These things are important and need to be updated across all platforms, especially your Google Business Profile.
You don’t want your prospects to call your old number, or to visit your old location, or click on a website that’s not even working anymore.
Step 4: Verify your business
Verifying your business profile means showing Google that you’re the legit owner of the business, and not just some random guy who claimed the business as their own (because yes, you can do that).
To verify, Google usually requires:
- A video of your headquarters where you'll need to show a permanent door sign with your business name and logo
- A phone call or message with a code that you'll need to verify
- Or in some cases, you'd receive an envelope with a code at your address that you need to type into Google.
- Go to your Google Business profile.
- Click Get Verified and choose your preferred verification method.
- Follow the steps to complete verification.
Play the video below to see how to verify your Google Business profile.
Step 5: Finish It Up
When everyone does what’s mandatory, no one actually has an edge. And that’s where you need to do better.
To finish up the Google Business Profile, there are some other details that you need to take care of, such as:
- Adding a Frequently Asked Questions section
- Answering reviews
- And creating posts that people can read
3 Common mistakes People Make With Their Google Business profile
Knowing what not to do is just as important a knowing what to do.
So let’s see the 3 most common mistakes when managing or optimizing a business profile on Google.
1. Using The Wrong Business Name
If your business name is ‘John’s Local Pros’, don’t use ‘John’s Home Builders In California’.
The worst thing that can happen si your Google Business Profile could get suspended and then you won’t be able to update anything any longer.
Always use your legal business name, or the same name you have displayed everywhere on your website.
2. Adding too many keywords
The correct term for this is ‘keyword stuffing’ and it’s when you’re adding a lot of keywords in your description and business name.
Although having an important keyword in your name is very important, that name needs to be the real one.
If your business is ‘John’s Builders’, that’s great. If you name the business ‘Home Building – Home Construction – Custom Homes In California’, that’s a big no-no.
3. Not Answering Reviews
Answering reviews won’t do much to your rankings, but it will greatly increase the trust among your potential clients.
A simple ‘Thank you for doing business with us’ is enough to show that you’re present and that you’re acknowledging your clients.
But what’s even better is sprinkling keywords in your response.
Like ‘Thank you for trusting John’s Home Builders with your new home construction. We’re extremely happy you loved the home design’.
Closing Thoughts
Your Google Business Profile is the most important citation you can have online. Read more about citations on business directories for contractors here.
What makes it so crucial is that it’s on Google where millions of people search for services every single day.
And if your business will show up first when they look for a ‘home builder near me’, you’ll most likely be the first contractor they call.
We’ve optimized hundreds of Google Business Profile listings, and we’re taking things a step further as well with building backlinks, citations, and more. We want you to win, and you can’t do it without a complete local SEO strategy.
If you’re interested in a one-time Google Business Profile optimization for your home building company, let’s talk!