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Guide to Google My Business for Shed Builders

admin | Oct 11, 2019

See how you can use a Google My Business profile to get found by your local customers.

In This Article:

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business (GMB) is a free profile available to all local businesses. Once you verify your listing, you can correct business hours or contact info, add photos or videos, and post updates to your profile.

Your company’s GMB listing appears on the right-hand side when you search for your name on a laptop or desktop computer. On mobile searches of your brand, it shows up at the very top of the search results.

Benefits of a Google Business Profile

  • Shows up on Google Maps – When you perform a search on Google Maps or in your Maps mobile app, the listings that appear are GMB profiles. If you don’t have a profile like this, or if your profile is inaccurate, then your potential customers will not find you.
  • Free to claim and manage – Your Google My Business listing is free to create, maintain, and improve. If you have multiple locations, you can even create one for each!
  • Stand out from competition – People turn to GMB – especially the reviews section – to judge your company before they even get to your website.
  • Useful at converting leads – If someone has questions, wants to visit your location, or is ready to buy, they often turn to GMB for hours, driving directions, and contact info.

How to Claim & Verify Your GMB Listing

Before you can update your GMB listing, you need to first verify that you are allowed to own a listing and that your company really exists.

If you see a link on your profile that says “Own This Business?”, then your listing is unclaimed. You need to click on the link and follow the instructions to claim a listing.

To complete the verification process, you will receive a postcard in the mail with a specific code. This is done to make sure your company physically exists in the location you state, and that you work there. It can take 1-2 weeks to get this postcard and fully verify your listing.

unclaimed google business listing

5 Ways to Improve Your Google Business Profile

1. Update Profile

Once you have your GMB profile claimed, be sure that your information is up to date. This includes hours, website, phone number, and map pin location.

After this information is updated, you can continue optimizing your profile by regularly adding images and videos. If you have a physical location you want to drive traffic to, you can add attributes about your store, including handicap accessibility and parking.

photos for shed builders

2. Create Posts

Google Posts are a popular feature of Google Business listings. Similar to posts you can make on Facebook or Instagram, Google Posts can include a photo or video, a few hundred characters of content, and a link. Regular posts remain for 7 days on your GMB listing. You can also create posts for coupons or events, which can last a lot longer.

We recommend shed builders post at least once a week. Use beautiful lifestyle photos of your structures in place, or maybe behind the scenes photos of your manufacturing facility. If you have a display lot, you can highlight inventory that’s for sale. You can also use Google Posts to promote an open house or seasonal sale.

google post event for shed builder
google post for shed builder

3. Answer Questions

Released in 2017, Google Question & Answers allows your audience to post questions on your GMB profile. It also allows anyone – including your competition – to leave an answer.

Because of its design, most users believe they are messaging your business when they ask a question on your profile. And the vast majority of businesses are not taking advantage of this: according to one study, fewer than 20% of businesses are using this feature, and 91% of questions remain unanswered.

By monitoring your profiles questions and answering them promptly, you can stand out from your competition and be seen as a responsive, customer-focused company.

questions and answers in GMB

4. Add Product Lines

Google has recently released a beta version of product listings on GMB profiles. With this feature, you can highlight categories of products with an image, content, and link to your website. If you’d like, you can even include a price or price range for your product.

Like most other features on your Google profile, adding products may not directly increase traffic to your website. However, it does make your profile look fuller (especially on mobile). Plus, it gives you a chance to make a stronger impression with your potential customers before they even visit on your website.

shed product categories in GMB

5. Ask For & Respond to Reviews

One of the most important components of your GMB listing is your review profile. Google allows individuals to write reviews about your business and give you a rating on a scale of 1-5. The ratings are compiled into an average star rating, and individual reviews are able to be read by anyone viewing your profile.

As a business owner, you should view your Google reviews as a part of your online reputation and an important metric when potential customers are comparing you with other shed builders. Reviews can also be a great way to learn about how customers view your service, product, and prices.

Consider asking for reviews after you deliver a shed. If you are already asking for feedback from a customer, just ask them to leave the feedback on your Google listing.

Another great feature of your GMB listing is that you (the business owner/manager) can respond to reviews left on your profile. Use this to your advantage. Once someone leaves a review, it is crucial that you respond to the review – usually within 1 day.

Responding to positive reviews is simple: thank them for the review and the opportunity to give them a shed. Don’t make it sound canned; instead, make it personal and appreciative. If a review is negative, use this space to amend the situation, usually by giving them a phone number to contact. It may not make their experience better, but it shows to future customers that you are responsive and care about every single customer.

responding to reviews in GMB