First Impressions Matter
Whilst many believe first impressions occur when prospective families visit your website or tour your childcare centre, did you realise it could in fact occur when they view your Google Business Profile (formerly your Google My Business listing)?
With 93% of consumers using Google Maps to find a local business, this profile is like your online business card, providing prospective families with a visual snapshot of your centre – and is often used to quickly compare your childcare centre with other local competitors.
So how can you take charge of your first impression? That’s easy – use our free Childcare Google Business Profile checklist to optimise your listing for conversion success.
This FREE checklist will provide you with a clear set of actionable tasks to complete to take your listing from basic to brilliant in just a few hours.
So, what are you waiting for? Download our checklist now and get started!
What is a Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile (previously known as a Google My Business listing) is a free business listing offered by Google that appears when potential customers are searching for your business name or a service you offer – like ‘childcare around me’.
This profile (which is owned and operated by your childcare business) provides details about your childcare centre, including your location, contact details, range of services, opening hours as well as a gallery of images and all-important family reviews.
A Google Business Profile often looks like this:
Why a Google Business Profile is Important
Modern families are digital natives. More often than not, the first impression they’ll receive of your centre is not when they walk through your centre door – but rather from your Google Business Profile.
This profile provides families with a quick glimpse into your centre and is an essential way to increase your visibility across Google services – as information from your Google Business Profile can appear in Google Search results, Google Maps, Google’s local pack and a range of other sites (such as Care 4 Kids).
How a Google Business Profile Helps
Using and optimising your Google Business Profile (once known as a Google My Business listing) is a great way to attract new customers, spread the word about your childcare centre, or find your way into highly saturated and competitive markets.
It can support your marketing strategy by helping you to:
1.Maintain a higher ranking
One major benefit of using a Google Business Profile is the ability to keep your centre’s overall ranking steady and climbing – rather than forgotten. With an active Google Business account, you can boost your URL positioning effortlessly within Google search engine results.
For instance, when a prospective family searches for the services your centre offers, they’ll use specific keywords. When Google provides them with appropriate results, first, they’ll see Google ads, then Google’s local 3 pack, and after that, the organic results. With an optimised Google Business Profile, you’ll have a better chance of making the top 3 local results, Google Maps, and local finder, which will, in turn, give your centre more exposure and potential leads.
2.Stand out from competitors
Having a well-optimised, complete, and visually appealing Google Business Profile can help to position your centre apart from your local competitors. It also increases the likelihood of appearing at the top of search results, giving you another competitive edge over local centres that have not optimised their profiles. In fact, 51% of Google Business Profiles remain unclaimed.
3.Increase overall engagement opportunities
Google Business Profiles allow your families and suppliers to leave reviews and ratings, ask questions, and message you directly. This creates more opportunities for you to engage with your prospective families and build those all-important relationships.
4.Stay in control
Once you have claimed/created your profile, you can update your listing at any time. This ensures your prospective families always have access to accurate and up-to-date information about your centre. Google Business Profiles have strong local SEO, so the information you share will rank above third-party sites that might have out-of-date details.
5.Data, data, data
Google and Google Business provide incredibly valuable data and insights from online users and customers. You can use Google Business to learn more about how families find your centre and whether they’re doing so via search engines or via Google Maps themselves. You can then feed this information back into your marketing strategy.
How to make your Google Business Profile Shine
Before you get started, make sure you have created a Google Business Account and undertaken some competitor keyword research. A big part of optimising your profile for SEO success is incorporating keywords into your listing and copy.
Don’t be overwhelmed by your Google Business Profile – or by the breadth of the Google machine. By following our simple Childcare Google Business Profile Checklist, you’ll have it mastered and optimised in no time.
If you need a little helping hand, or just want someone to speak with to wrap your head around it – our Marketing Team are here to help. Working with our Marketing Team, Enrolment Hub can work with you to create a tailored marketing and SEO strategy that will elevate your centre from your local competitors.
Enrolment Hub would love the opportunity to discuss how we can partner with you to deliver industry insights and fantastic results for your Childcare Centre. So don’t be afraid to reach out to our Marketing team at marketing@enrolmenthub.com or give them a call on (02) 8123 2300.
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