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When it comes to local search ranking factors, few things are as critical as a Google Business Profile (GBP). Naturally, claiming a GBP and local listing management are the first tasks most agencies complete when onboarding a new local SEO client. But how do you effectively communicate the significance of GBP ownership to your clients and what are the risks of not claiming a listing?
Why Claiming Ownership of a Google Business Profile Matters
There’s a good reason SEO experts stress the importance of an up-to-date Google Business Profile. Without claiming and optimizing a local business listing, the chances of a prominent local pack and Google Maps position are severely reduced. And when we talk about local businesses, this goes for every type of organization with an online presence – from brick-and-mortar retail stores to schools, libraries and community centers.
There are many reasons why every organization needs to claim ownership of a Google Business Profile.
- Manage Business Information – Claiming a GBP lets you update name, address and phone number (NAP) details, opening hours and a range of other elements.
- Prevent Bad Data – Unclaimed listings may feature incorrect or outdated information that misleads customers and damages SEO credibility.
- Engage With Customers – From responding to reviews to answering questions, a GBP is an ideal hub for customer interaction.
- Build a Brand Identity – GBPs let you add high-quality images and promote products and services to enhance a client’s brand identity.
- Prevent Data Manipulation – Unclaimed listings are at risk of incorrect updates from competitors and others that could damage reputations.
Guiding your business clients through claiming ownership adds real value and could be one of the most impactful steps for their online search presence. And with Advice Local’s tools, managing your clients’ profiles is a breeze, ensuring they meet Google’s prime local ranking elements of relevance, distance and prominence.
The Risks of Not Claiming a Google Business Profile
We’ve discussed why businesses need to monitor their Google Business Profile many times, and of course shared examples. There are real-world consequences of neglecting the management of a business’ Google Business Profile.
Bill Hartzer shared in a recent blog post that teenagers were changing the names of many schools around the country to “Hawk Tuah High School” (or something similar) using the Google Maps editing feature. Based on a trending viral video, these pranks managed to get past Google’s spam checks in many cases. Agencies must be vigilant about any changes to clients’ GBPs, as this could pose a significant risk to brand reputation.
The Importance of Monitoring a Google Business Profile
As you can see, claiming ownership and monitoring a GBP are essential for local search visibility and business trust. At Advice Local we are always looking for ways to streamline every aspect of business listing management. Naturally, we use a selection of tools to help us, including GBP Auto-Rejection (which automatically rejects public edits to a profile). Many people don’t realize this, but Google uses AI to check these edits and the results are, well, far from perfect. Using auto-rejection, GBP Sync and our comprehensive Enhanced GBP Tools, agencies have a simple solution to monitor profiles so they stay tightly optimized for long-term search success.
Try Our Google Business Profile Tools
Advice Local creates tools and services for digital agencies and local marketers alike. To access our range of business listing solutions, contact our team today. Call (214) 310-1356 or request a demo.