Introduction
As a shop owner, you spend a lot of time thinking about your business. Managing employees, taking care of your customers, and keeping a handle on day-to-day operations that keep the wheels turning.
Marketing your business can feel like a challenge. With so many different ways to promote your shop, it can be hard to know where to start. While outsourcing your marketing is always an option, there are some things you can do yourself to bolster your shop’s visibility. One of these is optimizing and managing your Google Business Profile.
Why Does the Google Business Profile Matter for Auto Repair Shops?
Local search visibility is an auto repair shop’s best friend, and the Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is your #1 tool for getting seen. Optimizing the GBP for your business is essential for local SEO. We’re not just saying that either. Look at the stats:
- 46% of all Google searches performed are looking for local businesses*
- 50% of those searchers interact with Map Pack listing**
- 72% of people who search locally visit a brick and mortar location within five miles of where they searched from*
- 92% of people choose a business on the first page of the local search results*
*data courtesy of SEO Tribunal
**data courtesy of Haley Marketing
Local SEO and more specifically, GBP optimization, improves your shop’s chances of getting seen. With so many potential customers searching locally, GBP optimization should be on the top of your marketing to-do list.
There’s a good chance you already have a profile set up. You may have done it yourself, had a friend or employee do it for you, or hired an agency. Regardless, we’re going to go through best-practice optimization strategies that can help drive results whether you are brand new to this or a seasoned pro.
Google Business Profile: The Basics
If you don’t have a profile set up yet, head over to Google’s guide on getting started and come back here when you’ve finished.
If you already have a profile set up, make sure your shop’s name, address, and phone number are all correct. Consistency in these three categories is crucial for all local SEO efforts.
Optimizing your shop’s GBP isn’t rocket science. It’s about providing correct information about your business to your potential customers and to Google. There’s no one who knows your business better than you.
Before starting, here are some things to think about:
- What services does my repair shop offer?
- Where exactly is my repair shop located?
- How would I describe my business to a potential customer in one paragraph?
Now that your profile is set up, let’s get started with optimizing.
Location and Address
We touched on the importance of the address in the previous section, but we want to reiterate how essential it is to get this right.
Google places priority on how close the searcher is to you. It may seem obvious, but only use the actual address for your business. You will only rank locally if you have a physical address in the city where your business is located.
If you have more than one location in multiple cities or towns, make sure to set up a GBP for each store and optimize each one.
Profile Images
Adding images to your repair shop’s Google Business Profile makes your business appear more legitimate and lets you show off your brand.
When adding photos to your GBP, focus on:
- Quality interior and exterior shop photos
- Your shop’s lobby or waiting area
- Clean presentation of your shop space
- Photos of your team
- Branding, events, and more
Pick Your Business Categories
Your Google Business Profile has one primary category and up to nine subcategories.
Pick the category that best describes your business. General auto repair? Pick “auto repair shop”. Are you a high-volume tire store? Pick “tire shop”. Do you focus on diesel? “Diesel engine repair” might be best.
Remember, you still have subcategories to fill, so don’t stress too much about your primary. Just pick the one that best describes what you do.
While you have nine subcategory spaces, you don’t have to and shouldn’t fill them all if they don’t fit your business. It’s okay to leave some blank and provide a better description of your services than to cram in as many categories as possible.
GBP Categories Recap:
- You have one primary category and nine subcategories
- Pick a primary category that best describes what your shop does
- Fill out your subcategories naturally and don’t overstuff
List Your Services
If you felt a bit restricted by the categories you selected above, now is the time to expand on what you offer. Services are sometimes overlooked when setting up a Google Business Profile, but this is an opportunity to provide a more detailed list of what your shop provides, and add valuable keywords in your listing.
In this section, list every service your shop offers. This is your chance to get granular. Do you offer performance tuning? Put it here. Do you specialize in European vehicles? Add it.
The more relevant keywords you add the more likely your shop is to show up for niche searches, helping you cast a wider net and get seen by more potential customers.
Optimize Your Description
You have 750 characters to work with, so keep your description short and sweet. Remember when we asked you to describe your business to a potential customer in one paragraph? Now’s the time to check back on those notes.
Focus on:
- Who and why (what is the goal of your business, what drives your shop)
- What services you offer (look back at your categories for this part)
- Where you are located (pretty straightforward)
Naturally include relevant keywords, but this isn’t a time to stuff in as many as you can.
Here’s a good repair shop GBP description:
“Butler’s Auto & Transmission has provided transmission repair, service, and replacement as well as full-service auto care to the community of Springfield since 1995. With over three decades of experience, our team is committed to keeping your car running like it should. We stand by our work with a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty. From oil changes and brakes to suspension repair and transmission rebuilds, our expert technicians and friendly staff are here to help.”
Just like with categories, you don’t need to use every last character. If you write a strong, natural sounding description in under 750 characters, it’s totally fine to use it.
Streamline Scheduling
The Google Business Profile offers a place to include a scheduling link, which can go to your website or a widget like HiBeam’s Appointment Booking Tool.
One-click appointments streamline the conversion process, making it easy for potential customers to book an appointment as soon as they see your listing.
Ongoing Optimization
The majority of GBP optimization is done once, and periodically updated or checked from time to time. The next few tasks should be performed at a minimum quarterly, but ideally once a month.
GBP Posting
Google Business Profile posts provide an opportunity to share information about:
- Updates
- Promotions
- Job listings
- Tire rebates
- Events
You can use them to complement an on-website content strategy or tie them in with your social media strategy.
Frequency of posting comes down to how much time you have to devote to it. You can post weekly, monthly, or quarterly, but what really matters is consistency. Regular GBP posting indicates active engagement with the profile, which can improve your repair shop’s rankings.
Request & Respond to Reviews
Reviews carry a lot of weight in local search. Beyond boosting your reputation, they offer an opportunity to rank for more keywords. Asking for reviews should be part of your post-appointment follow-up.
Responding to reviews, both positive and negative, shows you’re engaged with your customers and gives you more opportunity to include relevant keywords in your Google Business Profile. If a customer leaves a review about an oil service, mention that service in your response.
Track Your Progress
Like any marketing effort, keeping an eye on the data is the best way to know if something is working. You can keep track of phone calls, bookings, website clicks, directions, and more directly from your Google Business Profile. Make a note to check your profile’s results at least once a month.
Conclusion
GBP optimization doesn’t need to be done in one sitting. You can do each step individually and work to complete your profile over time. Once you complete the bulk of what was covered in this article, your monthly recurring work to keep the profile optimized is minimal.
Taking the time to optimize your auto repair shop’s GBP listing is essential to your shop’s online visibility. It’s a way for you, as the shop owner, to take control of your local online presence and work toward driving more business to your shop.
Interested in learning how HiBeam CRM’s appointment booking and reputation management tools can help your business? You can Contact Us or schedule a demo.
