The digital landscape constantly evolves, making the fight for visibility in local search more competitive. Regarding local SEO, your Google Business Profile is an invaluable asset. This guide will delve into optimizing your Google Business Profile, focusing on two key ranking factors—additional business categories and suggested services—that are often overlooked. Following this guide could give you the edge, especially if you're looking for SEO Services in Hamilton or any other locality.

The Power of Additional Business Categories

The first thing you do when setting up a Google Business Profile is choose a primary business category. According to the 2023 local ranking factors survey, the primary category you select is the most critical factor in how Google ranks your business profile. But here's the thing—Google allows you to add up to nine additional business categories.

Why Are Additional Categories Important?

Additional categories broaden the scope of keywords your business can rank for. For instance, if you run a beauty salon offering manicures and waxing treatments, adding these as secondary categories will help your listing rank higher for related keyword searches like"eyebrow waxing near me" or"manicure near me."

How to Choose Additional Categories

Naturally, you might wonder how to choose the correct additional categories among the thousands available. To simplify this, download a Chrome extension called GMB Everywhere. This tool enables you to audit your own listing and spy on your competitors. It's beneficial when you are looking to position yourself favourably for SEO Services in Hamilton or other specialized services.

While analyzing competitors' categories is a strategy, be cautious. Your competitors may have made poor choices themselves. To find categories that best fit your business, use the category finder tool provided by Google. This tool offers category suggestions based on existing ones, making your life easier.

Leverage Suggested Services for Higher Ranking

The second factor to consider is the"Suggested Services" section. While the services you list only show up on mobile devices, they strongly influence your listing's ranking on both desktop and mobile.

Why Are Suggested Services Important?

The importance of suggested services in Google's ranking algorithm has recently increased. Industry experts have conducted tests confirming that listings with relevant suggested services experience a significant rise in rankings for related keywords.

How to Add Suggested Services

If you can access the"Services" option in your Google Business Profile, adding these suggested services is straightforward. After logging in, navigate to"Edit Services," where a pop-up window will offer additional benefits you can include. This task can be accomplished within minutes, and you should start seeing improved ranking performance within 24 to 72 hours.

The Next Steps

If you're keen to make your business more visible on Google Maps and climb the ranks of the Google Map Pack, spending a few minutes on these two tasks is a small investment for a potentially high return. For those seeking to become highly competitive, particularly in areas like SEO Services in Hamilton, these overlooked factors could be the game-changers you've been waiting for. Optimize your Google Business Profile today and see the difference it makes! Need help from the pros? Contact Convex Studio.

Local SEO for Your Google Business Profile