If you run a local media company (city / regional magazine, newspaper, regional business journal, etc.) your advertisers already know the value of a Google Business Profile (GBP). But many publishers haven’t yet claimed or optimized their own profile.
A Google Business Profile is the centralized hub for all the information Google knows about your company tied to a specific geographic location. This information is displayed across Google Maps, standard search results, and even AI interfaces like Google Gemini.
For local media companies, an optimized GBP is strong signal of local authority and trust to Google. By claiming, optimizing, and maintaining your profile, you confirm to Google that you are a legitimate entity serving a specific region. This can help boost your visibility in search results.
IMPORTANT NOTE – This strategy is only for local, city, and regional publishers and is not intended for national or international titles. If your publication doesn’t have a specific geographic focus, a Google Business Profile could actually have a negative impact on your search visibility.
How to claim and optimize your profile
Most local media companies already have a profile created by Google, especially if you have a physical office. You can start the process by visiting business.google.com to claim an existing listing or create a new one.
Once you’ve claimed or have access to your listing, the first thing you should do is validate and complete your core business information. This includes the business name, categories, description, phone number, website, social media links, address or service area, business hours, and more.
Next, upload key photos and / or videos to be seen on your profile. The most important images are a cover photo and squared off logo, similar to other social media profiles. But it’s good to also upload photos of events, your office, staff, etc. The more you can do here, the higher the trust signals.
Finally, be sure to take a look at any existing customer reviews and Q&A that might already exist on your profile. You’ll want to respond to them in a positive and professional manner.
Integrate your Google Business Profile with your website
To get the most value from your GBP, you need to create clear connection between your profile and your website. There are three ways you should connect them:
- Add your website URL and social media links directly into your Google Business Profile. This is the most direct and important way to show Google that all of these entities are connected and represent the same business.
- Embed your actual Google Business Profile on your website’s About or Contact page. Don’t just embed a basic map. Go to maps.google.com, look up your profile, click the “Share” button, copy the “Embed a map” code, and paste it into your About or Contact page. This reinforces the connection between your website and your Google Business Profile.
- If your site uses WordPress, use a tool like Yoast or Rankmath, and include your GBP link in your site schema “sameas” data. (HINT – You should do this for your social media profiles too.) This tells search engines and other entities that your website and GBP represent the same business entity.
Maintain your listing
A Google Business Listing isn’t just “set it and forget it”. Regular maintenance is required to get the most benefit from it.
- Daily – Post content to your profile just as you would any other social media. Most good social media management tools have integrations with Google Business Profile posts.
- Weekly – Read and respond to any new reviews or Q&A. Be professional and positive and do NOT argue. Also, be proactive and ask your best customers to leave you a review. Use the direct review link found in your profile.
- Monthly – Check the accuracy of your listing to ensure it’s still current and Google hasn’t overwritten information with third-party data. Upload a few new photos from recent events, internal staff, etc., and create a promotional post with a subscription offer, upcoming event, reader contest, etc.
It’s all about creating trust
It’s important to note that you will not get a lot of traffic to your website directly from your Google Business Profile. But an optimized and active GBP is strong signal to Google of local authority and trust. That, in turn, helps boost your content in search results, and thus your overall Google search traffic.