Google Business Profile services that are pre-defined can impact local SEO

Recent tests by Sterling Sky (Disclosure – I am employed at Sterling Sky ) and Whitespark suggest that Google Business profile services may have a greater impact on local rankings than previously believed.

Addition of pre-defined GBP services appears to affect local search rankings.

Prior to this discovery, GBP could only be used for a few things, such as location, category, reviews, and keywords.

You can now add GBP service to your list of local SEO factors that you should prioritize.

When did GBP services become important?

When we first tested the GBP service in 2019, it didn’t have a major impact on local rankings.

Google began adding services in GBP categories slowly and quietly. tested the same thing in 2022 and found that the results were very different.

Whitespark’s Darren Shaw performed a similar test and received positive results.

Both tests revealed that adding predefined services to your GBP listings significantly improved local search rankings.

The local SEO community is the only one to be excited about this discovery. Many small businesses don’t even know where to begin when it comes to adding services to their listings.

This is because Google does not announce as many new features, and instead keeps them hidden behind a confusing new interface for editing search results that nobody likes.

Find services on the GBP Dashboard (NMX).

You can find services by going to the Services section in the GBP New Merchant Experience (NMX) menu.

You’ll then see your categories, and the services that correspond to each one.

Click add more services to bring up a new window with all the services that are available under this category. Some categories offer more services while others do not.

You must first accept or delete any service suggestions that are pending before you can continue to click on other services.

All categories can add services?

No. Not all categories allow you to add services. Google continues to add new services.

Check your GBP to see if there are new services relevant to your company.

I’ve seen businesses that have multiple listings, each with a different service predefined under their primary category.

If you run a multi-location business, make sure you check the services at all of your locations.

What impact does GBP have on local rankings?

According to a lot of testing, adding services in GBP improves both implicit and explicit keywords rankings.

It is a great achievement, especially considering the difficulty of ranking for keywords implicit far from your physical location with the Vicarity update.

These services can also improve the ranking of niche keywords based on service.

Google, for example, shows services such as “alarm installation” or “electric car charging” under the category “electrician”.

Search engine visibility will improve if you select the services that you would like to increase.

Source unique content ideas using GBP

It’s also a great way to get content ideas, particularly if you have multiple accounts and businesses.

These predefined services will give you topics and keywords that you wouldn’t think of on your own.

Google, to my understanding suggests these services on the basis of searches that users have made related to the category and industry in which the business operates.

Google tells you in a sense what people search for. It’s worthwhile to mention these on your site as long as you offer this service.

Search results for your location

Take screenshots of the results to keep track.

When adding new listings to your GBP listings, take screenshots before and after the SERP and local search.

Take screenshots of the top keywords and those that are related and make notes.

Take the same screenshots a few days after adding these services and compare them.

It seems that the ranking effect takes 24 to 72 hours before it becomes apparent. Mobile Moxie’s automatic SERP Tracker is a great tool to automate this process. You can also manually do it using GS Location changer or another location-changing extension. Use incognito while using the tool.

I recommend using geogrid tracking tools like Places Scout and Local Falcon to track local rankings.

These tools allow you to see your listing’s ranking across an entire service area. Pins are used to display rankings for specific markers in your city.

You will see an increase in local ranking for keywords that are related to the added services if you track local rankings both before and after you add services to your GBP.

Update your GBP Strategy

Local SEO is always evolving, thanks in large part to Google’s numerous changes to GBP. Keep up to date with product updates and monitor your GBP listing.

Google often releases features such as pre-defined services in a silent manner, so keep up to date with local SEO news.

The post Google Business Profile predefined services and local SEO first appeared on Search Engine Land.