Google Business 2022 Guide from MANEreviews
By ManeReviews
Salon Professionals DIY Marketing
Edited by Admin
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OPTIMAL SEO TO GROW MY HAIR SALON BUSINESS

 
Free Organic Listings Recommended
 

At MANEreviews we are constantly looking for effective ways of helping salons with the optimization of their web site and digital footprint. The goal in this DIY module is to show you free ways to have your salon web site appear on the first page of search results and in one of the top 10 results.  A very effective tactic to grow your hair salon business.

 

Surprisingly, these listing features are available from the search engines themselves and best of all, they are free.  It’s very simple for you or your salon marketing agency to set up and register.  This module will help you do that.

 

Google, Apple and Bing are 3 of the largest search engines. So, it makes sense that If you add your data points to their search services you are definitely improving your salon’s performance on their search features.   This is not the only way to optimize, but it definitely increases the chances your salon will be in the top search results. 

 

In this module, we have provided a salon with step-by-step guides to setting up free listings in Google Business Profile**, Apple Maps and Bing Places. So, let’s get started.

 

**as of April, 2022 Google notified that a new version for Google Business Profile is out, giving the user the option to use the cell phone(s) connected to the account to make changes. We will show below how to make changes to the Profile using a cell phone as well as from a desktop/laptop.

 
I. GOOGLE MY BUSINESS PROFILE 
 

What is Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business Page)?

 

Google Business allows for the largest amount of information about your salon to be placed for free.  Registering your salon details on Google Business Profile is ideal for a local business like a salon.  When a potential or existing client performs a search, they tend to do so within a certain proximity to their office or home location or if they are from out of town, in close proximity of their hotel.  This action is referred to as a “local search”.

 

When a local search is performed on Google such as with the keyword phrase “hair services near me”, Google knows where the searcher is located (through their IP address on their computer or their cell phone transmits the location). By completing a Google Business Profile of your salon, you are providing additional data points to Google giving you the most chance that your salon’s web site, map locations and other details will be served up and at the top of those search results each time a local search is performed.

If instead, you have not set up a Google Business Profile, Google Search algorithms will do its best to crawl local data to find your salon, but they definitely prioritize those with a Profile.

 

What does my Profile do for my business?

 

●      Increases your visibility across Google services, in this case, search, by aiding in the organic searching for your site.

●      Turns searchers who find your salon easily on ‘Google Search’ and ‘Google Maps’ into new clients.

●      Your Profile appear in ‘Google Maps’ in the local search results.

●      Your listing allows you to provide details such as your location, list of services, and products, exterior and interior shots of your business, up to a maximum of 25 photos.

●      Your Profile engages with potential and existing clients regularly when you post updates on your business or your seasonal promotions etc., or by regularly adding your photos.

●      The Profile also has an option to create paid ads.

●      Your Profile has analytics features so you can gain such insights as the number of users who viewed your business or the number who visited your website via the Profile Page.

 

How to find your profile:

 

●      Open Google Chrome.

●      Search ‘Google Business’.

●      Select the first website link ‘Google Business Profile - Get listed on Google’

●      Select ‘Manage now’.

●      Search your business name.

●      Once the name appears - select the tab that shows your business (the address will appear underneath).

●      Select ‘Manage now’.

●      If your business does not show up, you will then create a Google Business profile.

●      To verify you are the Owner, you must provide a contact name.

●      You cannot select a choice of the verification process; verification is only done by mail to the address that is added to the listing. Google will mail a postcard with a verification code which is inputted to the listing.  This is proof of ownership of the listing. It may take upwards to 5-7 business days for the postcard to arrive.

 

Once you have received your postcard containing the verification code, you can start.  Completion takes less than 60 minutes as long as you have the following prepared in advance:

  1. A Google account needs to have been set up in advance. 
  2. Create an ‘elevator speech’ about the business before proceeding further. This is a block of words that describes your business. About 600 is acceptable, but there is room for up to 750 characters (including spaces).

How to create your salon’s Profile in 12 Steps from a desktop or laptop**:

** As noted in the first section, recognizing that mobile is such an integral part of communication, Google has updated to a new version which includes the ability to make changes to the Profile using only the cell phones of file associated with the business.  Those steps are in this module.   For now, here are the steps when using a desktop or laptop.

 

Step 1 - Create profile:

-       Enter business name.

-       Enter business category (Ex: hair salon, restaurant, gym), categories are limited so try to find the best descriptors of your business.  Hair salon is readily available but other services you perform may not be so).

-       Select the blue box that says ‘Next’.

 

Step 2 - Location:

-       Here you have the option to make your salon location visible to clients on Google Maps.

-       You have the option to select ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.

-       This location is for people to be able to visit/find where your salon is located.

-       If ‘yes’ was selected, the next page will be requesting the address information.

-       If ‘no’ was selected, the next page will be requesting a general area of where you serve your customers.

-       You may select as many options as you’d like (Ex: Canada, Ontario, Toronto).

-       Enter ‘region’ that your business is based in (Ex: United States).

-       Select the blue box that says ‘Next’.

 

Step 3 - Contact:

-       Add the best contact information for your business (avoid personal info if applicable).

-       Add business phone number and/or cell.

-       Add your current website URL (if you don't have one, select the box underneath that says ‘I don't have a website’).

-       Select the blue box that says ‘Next’.

 

Step 4 - Notifications:

-       This is optional, but do you want updates and recommendations for your business on Google?

-       Select ‘yes or ‘no’.

-       Select the blue box that says ‘Next’.

 

Step 5 - Verify account:

-       Here you will verify your account by entering your mailing address.

-       The information will be hidden from the public, and post office boxes are not eligible.

-       Enter info (Ex: Country, Address, Postal code etc.).

-       If you wish to verify this information at a later date - select ‘Verify later’ located at the bottom of the screen.

-       Select the blue box that says ‘Next’.

 

Step 6 - Services available:

-       Select the services your business provides and get matched with the right customers.

-       Add your services (Ex: Haircut, Style).

-       Don’t see a service you offer? Create your own.

-       Add as many keywords related to your services as possible (Ex: Balayage, treatment, nails, etc.).

-       If you’d like to do this later, though that is not recommended, you may select the ‘Skip’ option located at the bottom of the screen.

-       Select the blue box that says ‘Next’.

 

Step 7 - Hours of operation:

-       Add business hours (Ex: when it opens and closes, what days you are open).

-       If you’d like to do this later, though that is not recommended, you may select the ‘Skip’ option located at the bottom of the screen.

-       Select the blue box that says ‘Next’.

 

Step 8 – Messages:

-       Let customers message your business on Google for free.

-       Add messaging, this option allows current or potential customers to send messages, set up automated welcome messages when someone sends a message, share photos in the chat, etc.

-       If you’re not interested in this option, tap on the blue checkmark located in the middle of the screen where it says ‘accept messages’

-       If you’d like to do this later, you may select the ‘Skip’ option located at the bottom of the screen.

-       Select the blue box that says ‘Next’.

-      There is also a feature allowing a salon to post updates and promotions/offers at any time similar to writing a Facebook post.  The more frequently you post helps the analytic results i.e., more views and more visitors.

 

Step 9 - Business Description:

-       Let customers learn more about your salon by adding a description to your Business Profile on Search, Maps, and other Google services. Fill in the box below.

-       Max 750 characters = between 110 -190 words This is the “elevator speech” suggested earlier to prepare in advance.

-       Make sure also to do a grammar check when writing text.

-       Select the blue box that says ‘Next’.

 

Step 10 - Photos:

-       Show off your products or services and let customers peek inside your salon.

-       Your photos may appear on Search, Maps, and other Google services.

-       Suggested: Minimum photos 10 - max photos 25. note every photo uploaded includes an option to describe the photo.  So if it is a shot of a promotional gift basket there is space to write/tag what is being offered.

-       If you’d like to upload photos later, though that is not recommended, you may select the ‘Skip’ option located at the bottom of the screen.

-       Select the blue box that says ‘Next’.

Note:  Google reserves the right to display the photos you have uploaded as they wish and in the location they wish.  Although there is space for cover shots, you have no control over your cover shot’s placement.  This has been our experience.  When uploading a shot, you will be prompted as to choose a cover shot but does not necessarily place that specified photo there.  Google explains this way: 

 

 If Google or other Google sources decides the photo is of low quality and/or not the best (even if user generated), another shot is selected at their discretion.  If you want your logo or the front of your salon displayed as a cover, upload higher resolutions photos of these and hope they are selected for the cover.  The higher the resolution, the more chance the system will display as the cover shot.  The highest resolution is 720 X 720 dpi, JPG or PNG between 10KB and 5 MB, horizontal rather than vertical is best, or crop the vertical to achieve the most optimum use of space.  Secondly, the map location will always be part of the cover space.  It is the interface of the Google Business Profile and therefore a photo will be sharing the space with the map.  If you have not added an address, the map displayed will be North America, you are unable to bypass this map feature.  

 

Step 11 - Free AD credit:

-      Start advertising your business with Google Ads.

-      If you’d like to do this later, you may select the ‘Skip’ option located at the bottom of the screen.

-      Or choose ‘Claim your credit’ and proceed in creating and uploading your ad(s). Google only gives you this $500 in ad credits once you’ve spent $500 in ad spend.  You must claim your $500 free advertising credit within 60 days of the $500 ad spend. There is also a limit on the amount of time to accumulate the paid $500 of ads. Although there is a feature to “skip” and not start advertising, there is no guarantee the ad credit offer would still be available.  

 

Step 12 - Final step and note:

-       Hit continue to finalize your profile.

-       You can make changes to any information at a later time/date.

 

Google Business Profile access on a Desktop/Laptop:

 

-      Open Google Chrome on your desktop/laptop.

-      Sign in to the Google Account you use to manage your Business Profile.

-      To find your Business Profile, search on Google for your business name (you can also search for “my business.”)

**Using a Google email account, you can access Google Business Profile by going to the upper right of your gmail screen on your desktop/laptop – see a waffle icon (series of 9 dots in a square), hover over/click and a list of apps will appear, click on “Business” and you are in. 

-      To manage your Business Profile, select ‘View profile’.

 
Google Business Profile access via a Cell Phone:

Having access to make changes is very important to keep your business information up to date in real time. This new Google Business Profile version does just that using your cell phone.

·       Ease of adding photos, services, hours open, promotions, etc. directly on your Business Profile

·       Promote your business with updates, offers and ads immediately

·       Access tools to reach more customers on the spot

·       Cell phones are always with you, so, now you can quickly respond to messages and reviews via the cell phone without delay to get to a laptop/desktop.

 
How to access or make changes via cell phone in 6 steps:

Step 1 - Use the cell phone associated with the Business Profile Administrator(s).

There can be more than one person who is the Administrator such as the Owner of the business and an authorized social media Administrator.  The decisions as to who would be Administrators of the Google Business Profile were made at the time the Profile was set up.

 

Step 2 – On your cell phone, go to or download Google Maps (this only works with the Google Maps app, no other ‘map’ app)

 

Step 3 - Locate your Google Maps profile pic at upper right corner and click.  Access is not available in any other location where your Google profile pic is located, only the Google Maps pic is active for this access.

 

Step 4 - The screen that pops up should look like this:

Unauthorized Administrators, their screen would not have the “Your Business Profiles” option and would look like this:

Step 5 – Click My Business Profiles

The screen lists the Business Profiles associated with the phone you are using.  In our case, my phone lists MANEreviews.com Profile.  We would click this Profile. 

Step 6 – Click on the Profile you wish to access and make changes

Dashboard opens where you will see different tabs in which to access, review and make changes to every feature Google Business Profile offers:

Overview – Updates – Services – Photos - About

Your business views this month

Edits profile – Promote - Customers

 
Performance Reports:

Final note after the static information is put into the Profile, it is very important to continue posting messages and uploading photos and making other fresh changes in order to achieve the maximum number of views monthly.  When Google sees activity and fresh information, they ae prioritizing your salon on the local results page, so the Profile must be actively and frequently “fed” for best analytic results.

 

These Performance Reports come up monthly with occasional emails through the month to let you know how you are doing and a recommendation of what to tweak. 

 
II. REGISTER WITH APPLE MAPS
 

As mentioned earlier, we cannot forget that mobile devices are used more frequently than desktops and therefore that means search is one of the highest performing actions a user does with their phones and the iPhones, an Apple product, is still the most popular cell phone available. 

 

As such when a user does a search on an iPhone, unless a new default is set up for a different browser, the search is made using Apple’s browser, Safari. In addition, remember the iPhone also has a built-in app, Apple Maps. So, you want to be sure your salon is shown when a search of hair salons in the area is done or Maps is accessed, your salon’s listing should be on their 'Maps'.

 

Registering may take about 10 minutes to set up.  It does not request as much detail as Google Business Profile Page.

 

You will need to have your salon’s Apple UN and PW credentials available. Register by going to: register.apple.com/placesonmaps. 

 
III. ACCESS ON BING PLACES
 

Bing, although not top of mind to use as a search engine, a salon must not forget that searches do happen on Bing.  And if there is any chance your salon will come up in search results, you want to be there. 

 

The set up may take about 15 – 20 minutes.  It would be longer, but the details from Google Business Profile Page, if it is done first, will be uploaded by Bing from Google.  You will see a prompt.

 

You will need your Salon’s Microsoft/Bing UN and PW credentials.  Register by going to: bingplaces.com

 

 

We hope we have provided some insight into why search engine free listings are so important for finding your business.  Sometimes “free” does not mean useful, but in the case of these SEO features, they are worth your time and effort to register with them and regularly participate. It’s just another way to be available for someone to make hair appointments or calls to the salon.

 
 

Disclaimer: Details related to search, site features, channel features, analytics, programs, processes etc. in the online world, have a knack of changing at a moment’s notice.  Although MANEreviews attempts to keep current with our DIY Marketing material so it continues to be relevant to you, we are not held responsible for discrepancies that may result from unexpected changes by the browsers or the social channels.  We encourage you to help us help others in sending us a note to support@manerviews.com and flag the discrepancy.

 
 

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