Coming in HOT to talk about one of the most glorious, exciting and thrilling administrative tasks related to your Squarespace website…. setting up a Google My Business profile!

LOL ok so maybe it isn’t actually the most fun thing that you’ll do today but trust me, it’s a small task that will have undeniable results.

It has come to my attention that many/most people don’t even know about Google My Business (unsurprising, tbh), let alone understand how important it is to set up. Whether your business has a physical address or exists purely online, this is a digital feature that should always be set up along with any website and/or business.

So, as part of my role as your Squarespace SEO BFF, I’m here to educate you on this tech tip. I want to be sure that you are totally clear on how to set up a Google My Business profile to go with your Squarespace website and understand the value it has for online marketing, SEO and growing your digital presence.

It’s not hard to do and it’ll only take a few minutes to set up, but having a Google My Business profile can set you ahead of competitors. It can also seriously up-level how you show up in online search results, which is great for SEO and attracting more traffic to your website!

Remember that SEO is an art, not a science. There’s so much to learn about Squarespace SEO which is why I have written about it a lot - it’s the most popular topic on my blog by far. Check out my Squarespace SEO page for more resources, blog posts & video tutorials and get your copy of my Squarespace SEO Checklist below for free!

SQUARESPACE SEO SERIES

This article is part of my series on Squarespace SEO. I have so many tips to share on the subject that it would have been crazy to put it all in one article! There are many misconceptions about Squarespace SEO which is why I've dedicate so many posts to this topic. Enjoy!

Click to view all posts in the Squarespace SEO Series

Visit my Squarespace SEO page for lots more resources.

Ready to dive right in? Let’s take a look!

Setting up a Google My Business profile to go with your Squarespace website

Press play above to watch the video on Youtube

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business is a “free and easy-to-use tool for businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. By verifying and editing your business information, you can both help customers find you and tell them the story of your business”. (source)

One of the most important reasons to set up a Google My Business profile is that you can manage the information that Google users see when they search for your business, or the products and services that you offer. Having this element of control on your online search results is major!

Businesses that verify their information with Google My Business are twice as likely to be considered reputable by consumers.1 When people find your business in Google Searches or on Google Maps, you can ensure that they have access to key business information such as your website, hours, street address, phone number, etc.

Another benefit of setting up a Google My Business profile is that you can read and respond to customer reviews - always a good thing to interact with your audience/clients online. Also, you can post photos that show off what you do, products you sell, or your offerings. According to Google, businesses that add photos to their listings receive 42% more requests for driving directions on Google Maps and, perhaps more importantly, 35% more clicks through to their websites than businesses that don’t. So yeah, you definitely want to set up a profile and add photos to your listing if you want to attract more visitors to your website.

Again, Google My Business is a free tool. It’s another way for Google to verify your business and website, which is GREAT for SEO so you don’t want to skip this step!

Sign up & verify your business with Google My Business

Click here to sign up and verify your business with Google My Business.

For most businesses, Google My Business verification means requesting, receiving, and reading a verification postcard from Google. Sign up and verify your business here.

Just follow the steps in the guide, it’s a very simple process.

Google My Business and your Squarespace website

Many people ask me if they still need to set up a Google My Business profile if they already have a Squarespace website.

The answer is YES, always!

Your Google My Business profile should exist in tandem or alongside of your Squarespace website. One should always go with the other.

Google My Business complements your existing website by giving your business a public identity and presence with a Business Profile on Google. The information you provide about your business can appear on Google Search, Maps, and Google+.

So even if you have already verified your Squarespace website with Google Search Console, you should still take it a step further by setting up a Google My Business profile.

Can you still use Google My Business if you don’t have a physical location or storefront?

Yes, definitely.

Online businesses that don’t have a physical address, storefront, or bricks and mortar location can still use (and benefit from) a Google My Business profile. This is GREAT news for any services-based business, anyone brands with remote teams, home offices, or anyone that sells products (either digital or physical) on their websites!

Said another way, you can list your details to appear on Google with or without an address. A website is all you really need.

Benefits for SEO

There are several reasons why having a Google My Business profile is good for SEO but the stand out reason is that it adds an extra layer of verification to your website. When search engines like Google have verified your website across different platforms and directories (e.g., Google Search Console, Google My Business, Google Analytics, etc.), they take note of that and may rank you higher in search results. This is because your website and online business profile are considered more thorough and vetted, which is very helpful to Google.

Also, there’s the added bonus of improving user experience (UX) by setting up a Google My Business profile. You’re presenting the best information in search results and also in Google Map profiles, and users will take note of that and are more likely to click over to your website as a result.

Finally, setting up a Google My Business profile helps create additional high-value links back to your website, which will increase traffic and improve your rankings for certain targeted keywords.

See what I mean? SEO goodness galore.

Final Thoughts

If you haven’t already, take a few minutes to set up a Google My Business profile to go along with your Squarespace website. It’s totally free and quick & easy to do so really, there’s no reason NOT to do it.

Once you’ve got your profile set up and your business is verified, you’ll have extra control over how your website/business/brand appears in search results and can interact with your audience on this additional platform.

Now it’s your turn to tell me, have you set up a Google My Business account yet? Did you know it was something you should do alongside of your Squarespace website? Have you customized your business information on your profile? Added photos or answered reviews? Do you see the link between SEO and setting up your profile? I’d love to know so leave me a note in the comments below!

No matter what type of Squarespace website you have, you can start working on an SEO strategy today. There are no downsides, only benefits. I encourage you to start where you are and work on improving your Squarespace website’s SEO a little bit at a time, you’ve got this!

If you want more SEO goodness, be sure to check out my Squarespace SEO page for all resources on the topic.

You can also sign up for my newsletter (right here or below), where I often share Squarespace SEO tips, tricks and high-quality exclusive content. I send out emails to my list every week and while I don’t talk about SEO every time, I can guarantee that you’ll still find the newsletter topics interesting, entertaining and worth your time.

Finally, shameless plug : hit me up with any specific questions you have about Squarespace SEO and your website because I’m your girl. You can reach out to me directly if you’re interested in working together on your website and we can talk about whether or not you would be a good fit for my Squarespace SEO Audit & Consulting sessions and ongoing services. I can’t take on every request to do SEO consulting but I do pick a few websites and businesses to work with every month and I’d love for you to be one of them.