Creating a Google Business Profile for your coworking space is an extremely important aspect of having an online presence, but now what? Just because your listing is up doesn’t mean you can wash your hands of this task. Much like you would continue to post content on Instagram or Facebook, your Google profile needs constant nurturing in order for it to work for you! Here are the top three essential (and easy) things coworking space operators can do to keep their Google profiles active and optimized.
Reviews, Reviews, Reviews
We can’t stress the importance of getting continuous customer reviews. Remember, Google wants to give users the most relevant search results. Regular reviews shows Google that your profile is active, and they are more likely to serve-up your listing in local search results if your coworking space is getting positive reviews at a regular rate. The more reviews you have also helps Google understand the services you provide and gives the impression that your overall rating is a true depiction of what your customers are experiencing. Keep in mind that overall star rating alone isn’t enough. For example, if a flex office space provider has a 5-star rating overall, but only 7 reviews, this is not a large enough number for Google users to know if your space is really providing great service, or perhaps that small sample size of reviews are just outliers or ‘one-off’ customer experiences.
Your goal is to show up on Google’s coveted 3-pack, or the top 3 listings in the local map section. Businesses with an accurate profile (including name, address, and phone number) that is consistent across all other listings and sources like Facebook and your own website, along with regular reviews with timely responses and a higher overall star rating, see up to a 35% higher click-through rate within these local search results. Check out more Google Local Pack stats here. Simply put: Anything outside the top 3 of the map listings isn’t going to get a lot of traffic.
Add Photos Regularly
Uploading photos of your coworking space community is a great way to keep your Google profile active and optimized. According to Google, users are 42% more likely to request for directions on Google Maps and 35% are more likely to click through to websites for businesses that add photos to their listing. It’s easy to upload new photos through your Business Profile Manager. You can add new images using the “+” button on the top right corner. This is a great time to double-check that your listing has a cover and your flex office space logo as these will appear first on search results. Pro tip: If you have any construction done in your space, or get new furniture, etc., make sure to upload these new images so users are viewing the most recent pictures of what your space actually looks like. As for deleting old images, this can be tricky because you don’t necessarily want to remove images with a lot of views, but old images that have little to no views, or images of poor quality, should definitely get the boot. Get more tips on how to add photos to your listing here.
Another thing to be aware of is that users/customers can also add photos to your listing. In one sense this is good news as Google sees users engaging with your business profile which can be helpful for others to get a genuine look at your coworking space. The flipside is that users don’t always upload relevant or good quality images, so make sure to flag these for removal to keep your photos relevant and crisp looking.
Google Business Profile Services & Products
Did you know that there’s an area on your listing to highlight your services? This area is often overlooked because it’s only viewable on mobile. Although this section isn’t linked to your website, it’s a great way to immediately show a user the different membership plans you offer. When listing your services or membership plans, use words that are descriptive and compelling. You can even add prices to each service you list. Utilizing services and keeping them up-to-date is also another way to add content to your profile that can help your listing rank for relevant searches.
Pro tip: Google is continually scraping content and we’ve seen instances of them adding things into the services section, so monitor your services regularly and delete any changes that Google has made if they’re not accurate.
Our sister company Pacific Workplaces has recently started using Google Business Profile Products which is a way to showcase specific products and services and drive customer interactions. The nice thing about Products is that it offers great visibility on both desktop and mobile. Users can click on a product to ‘view,’ or they can ‘view all’ to see a catalogue of all your different offerings. As a flexible office space provider, this is another way to highlight your coworking memberships, virtual office plans, full-time office space, and live answering service options. You can add images, pricing, descriptions, and a call-to-action button that leads to your website.
There are several other aspects to your Google Business Profile such as Google Posts that you also may want to try, but it all can seem so overwhelming – we know! Hopefully this resource can help streamline things so you can at least make a go of it. It’s well worth it.
Get more tips and resources like this when you join our global network of nearly 1,000 flexible office space providers. Visit us at CloudVO to list your location for free.
