Local SEO is the most important part of digital marketing for your bar pub.
According to Ahrefs, 54% of searches on Google are local & 76% of people who search for something “nearby” on their smartphones visit a business within a day. That’s huge when you’re a bar or pub.
It’s likely the #1 source of new patrons for your business.
If that’s true, shouldn’t you take some time to optimize your info there – and maybe even try to show up for more searches?
What is a Google Business Profile – aka GBP?
A Google Business Profile (until recently known as Google My Business or GMB), is the most important aspect of Local SEO. So much so that people often use the terms interchangeably. There’s a lot more to Local SEO though, including Bing Places and Yelp profiles too – but those are for another article..
Your GPB, however, is the absolutely the lowest hanging fruit for a bar or pub in digital marketing. There is no better ROI than investing a few hours on optimizing your GBP for your target customers.
Potential customers can quickly find you, get directions, see your photos, read and leave reviews – all of which enhances the chance of them choosing your bar.
Keep your GBP updated with new promotions, events, or menu changes to engage your audience. Plus, Google can rank your business higher in searches when your profile is complete and frequently updated.
What is the Snack Pack | Map Pack | Google 3-pack | Local Pack?
Yes, they’re all the same thing. And research says they get 30% – 45% of clicks for local searches. That is huge considering only 3 businesses are displayed when there could be dozens or even hundreds.
They all refer to the box at the top of a Google search results page when you conduct a local search.
This box typically contains the top three relevant local businesses along with their basic information.
The key is to make it into the top three or four results because they receive X percent of the clicks on the page.
Now another big part of local SEO is your website too. Don’t ignore your website because a large part of getting to the top of the local search results is having a website that Google trusts.
How Do You Create a Google Business Profile for a Bar or Pub?
Step 1: Prepare Keywords for Your Tavern
We have a whole separate article on this, so please check out “How to Do Keyword Research for Bars & Pubs”.
Step 2: Prepare your 750-character Description.
Take all your keywords and smash them into 750 characters.
Try to use phrases that people will search for like “a [type of bar] in [location]” frequently.
Make every word count. If people wouldn’t search for the words in the description, then dump them if at all possible.
AI tools like HuggingChat can be helpful here, especially if you can get it to stick to the word count. Feed it the keywords and have it give you the description with all the keywords used frequently.
Step 3: Search for your business in Google to see if it’s already there.
Anyone can add a business to Google Maps, so a customer who visited your pub or bar may have already added your business to Google Maps.
Just input your location and the name of your business and you should see it if it exists. If it does, take ownership.
Step 4: Sign up for a Business Profile & Complete as Instructed
Before you start, one of the ways Google will verify your business is by phone call. An automated system will call the phone number you have for your place of business and give you a code to verify it’s you.
Wait until you’re able to answer the verification phone call or have a staff member answer and text the number to you before you take the following steps so you can get it all done at once.
- Visit https://www.google.com/business/
- Sign in to your Google Account or create one using your business email domain.
- Enter the name of your business.
- Enter your business address & position the marker on the map to make sure that Google has the right location for you.
- Define the service area of your business based on the cities, postal codes all around your location.
- Enter the individual phone number or store page for each location, rather than a remote call center.
- Select a verification option. You can choose to verify immediately or wait to do so until later. But don’t wait. Get your verification done ASAP.
- Add “Users” to who can help you manage the GPB.
- Add a location group to manage multiple GPB if you have several locations.
- Update your business information, adjust your hours, or add a website.
Step 5: Download the Google Maps App on Android or Apple
- Regularly add photos or updates to stand out.
- Respond to reviews and questions to connect with your customers.
Your Website is Crucial to Ranking in the Local Pack
Google is looking for other information to verify the existence of your business. It’s crawling your social media and going to your website to confirm your address and phone number are correct.
If you want to show up at the top make sure you have a quality website with your address located in the header or footer if possible so that it’s easily accessible on every single page.
If you need any help with that click on the Test Drive to take our website for a spin.
Absolutely free, no strings attached. (We just know you’re going to love it.)
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