Your Google listing helps a lot with your business speed. The instant exposure, highly-detailed information, direct links to contact, visit website, or physically. But, have you ever wondered if it’s safe or not?
This week we spoke with a business owner we often partner with on projects. They’re highly regarded in marketing circles, but a couple of months ago their Google account was hacked. The fallout was brutal.
Google shut down their Google Ads campaigns and closed their Google Business Profile (the old “Google My Business”). Months later, it’s still not resolved. Their business is no longer showing in searches, enquiries have dried up, and the hard-earned ranking they built will take a very long time to reclaim.
Consider this as a warning case.
Your existence on Google is very fragile. What we can do is learn from the mistakes they made to keep our business profile intact. Your local SEO services provider can also help you with this. Read-on to protect your business from all the possibilities of getting disappeared.
The Real-World Impact of Losing Your Google Business Profile
- No local search presence – Customers can’t find you when they Google your service.
- Leads drop off – Enquiries that once came daily simply stop.
- Loss of trust – Customers wonder if your business is still operating.
- Ranking damage – Even once reinstated, Google doesn’t hand back top spots overnight.
The damage is real. And you can’t build that height overnight. But, SEO marketing services offered by a reputed agency protects your website before such a thing could happen. They know the ups and downs of GMB profiles. If you are already down, they get you on track faster than you can alone.
Tips to Protect and Maintain Your Profile
- Add photos of your workplace – Include your team, signage, and workspace. Even if you don’t have a fancy sign, print a laminated poster at Officeworks, stick it to a wall, and snap a photo. It proves legitimacy.
- Check your login security – Turn on two-factor authentication for your Google account. And timely password changes keeps you at arms length from any harm.
- Keep your details current – Update business hours, phone numbers, and services regularly. You don’t want a visitor’s call getting cancelled because your working hours changed but it wasn’t updated on the profile.
- Respond to reviews – Show Google (and customers) that the page is active. An active profile is safe from automatic shut down, or getting buried in search pages.
- Post updates – Share news, promotions, and blogs to keep your listing fresh.
- Back up ownership – Make sure more than one trusted person has manager access. This means that when you’re locked out, there is another trusted person who can access the profile and make necessary changes.
Your Google Business Profile is often the first (and sometimes only) way people find you online. Don’t wait until it’s hacked or shut down to realise how valuable it is. Protect it, update it, and keep it working for your business.
At SalesGrow, we help businesses stay visible online, if you need help safeguarding your visibility, let’s talk.