Increase sales by understanding the difference between Google Business Profile Manager and Google Ads and connecting the two.
As a small business owner, making the most of your online presence is essential to drive online and offline traffic to your business. Two critical tools offered by Google can help you achieve this: Google Business Profile Manager (formerly known as Google My Business) and Google Ads. These platforms seem similar initially, but they serve different purposes and offer unique benefits.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss the differences between these tools and explain how to integrate both to maximize your online visibility and reach.
What is Google Business Profile Manager?
Google Business Profile Manager is a free, easy-to-use tool that helps small businesses create and manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. With a Google Business Profile, you can provide essential information about your business, such as its name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation, and more. This information helps potential customers find your business and learn about what you offer.
Some key features of Google Business Profile Manager
- Local search visibility: Claiming your business and verifying its information improves your chances of appearing in local search results and Google Maps. Doing so will help drive foot traffic to your brick-and-mortar location.
- Customer reviews and ratings: Google Business Profile allows customers to leave reviews and ratings for your business, which can help you build trust with potential customers and improve your online reputation.
- Photos and videos: You can upload photos and videos to showcase your products or services, giving potential customers a better idea of what to expect when they visit your business.
- Insights and analytics: The platform provides insights and analytics to help you understand how customers interact with your Business Profile and identify areas for improvement.
What is Google Ads?
Google Ads is a paid advertising platform that allows businesses to create and run targeted online ads across the Google network, including Search, Display, YouTube, and more. With Google Ads, you can reach potential customers when they’re actively searching for products or services like yours, driving more qualified leads and sales.
Some key features of Google Ads include
- Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising: You only pay when someone clicks on your ad, making Google Ads a cost-effective way to drive paid traffic to your website or store.
- Keyword targeting: You can target specific keywords relevant to your business, ensuring that your ads appear when potential customers search for products or services like yours.
- Ad formats and placements: Google Ads offers various ad formats (text, image, video) and placements (search results, websites, apps) to help you reach your target audience effectively.
- Conversion tracking: Google Ads allows you to track conversions, such as website visits, phone calls, or online sales, enabling you to optimize your campaigns for better results.
Integration of Google Business Profile Manager and Google Ads
Integrating Google Business Profile Manager and Google Ads can help you maximize your online visibility, drive more foot traffic to your physical location, and increase the effectiveness of your ad campaigns.
Here are some ways to integrate these two platforms
- Location extensions: Link your Google Business Profile to your Google Ads account and enable location extensions for your ads. With location extensions, your business address, phone number, and directions are displayed alongside your ad, making it easier for potential customers to find and visit your store. Doing so can also help improve your ad’s click-through rate (CTR) and drive more foot traffic to your brick-and-mortar location.
- Local search ads: Use Google Ads to create local search ads that target specific geographic areas where your potential customers are. By combining this targeted advertising approach with the information from your Google Business Profile, you can ensure that your ads appear to users within your target market, resulting in more relevant leads and increased foot traffic.
- Call extensions: You can enable call extensions by integrating your Google Business Profile phone number with your Google Ads. These extensions display your phone number alongside your ad, allowing potential customers to call your business directly from the search results. Often, this approach leads to increased phone inquiries and conversions.
- Local inventory ads: If you have a retail store and use Google Merchant Center, you can integrate your local inventory information with your Google Ads. Local inventory ads allow you to show potential customers the products you have available in-store, driving more foot traffic to your brick-and-mortar location.
- Conversion tracking: Use Google Ads conversion tracking in conjunction with your Google Business Profile to measure the effectiveness of your ad campaigns. You can optimize your campaigns and allocate your ad budget by tracking actions like phone calls, store visits, and online sales.
Understanding the Difference Between Google Business Profile Manager and Google Ads
By integrating Google Business Profile Manager and Google Ads in these ways, you can create more effective and targeted marketing campaigns that help drive foot traffic to your physical location, increase online visibility, and ultimately grow your business.