April 9, 2025
This paid part is sponsored by Click Rain Inc.
The way consumers are looking for products and services are changing. Research becomes more and more fragmented, covering search engines, AI platforms, social media and beyond. And it is no longer just a question of typing in research requests – people use vocal research, search for images and more conversational sentences.
For companies, staying aware of these changes may seem overwhelming. While the search landscape continues to change, search engines always play a crucial role in the customer journey, 72% of people turning to Google to find local businesses.
By following the best key practices, companies can improve their visibility – especially in local research results – they therefore appear when consumers are looking for their products or services.
The importance of local research
When we talk about local research, think of research requests like:
- “The plumber opened on a Saturday.”
- “Best Italian restaurant near me.”
- “Mortgage offices for new buyers.”
This research indicates a high intention, and if your business does not appear, you lack potential customers.
Google’s search results page is constantly evolving and organic research results are now competing with paid advertisements and IA previews. This makes the strong presence of local research – in particular by optimizing your Google corporate profile – more important than ever.
Best practices for the Google corporate profile
If you manage your Google corporate profile, here are some best practices to improve your visibility in local research and IA previews.
- Keep your information specific
Make sure your company name, telephone number, address and operating hours are correct and up to date.
- Optimize commercial categories
Define at least one main commercial category – for example, “dentist” – to appear in relevant research. The addition of several related categories can improve visibility for wider research.
- Encourage and manage opinions
Online criticisms reinforce not only credibility, but also help AI understand your business. Google AI’s overviews can highlight the current feelings of customers, as “customers say they have a useful and competent team”.
- Present your business with photos
Add photos of your location, your team, your products and services. These images may appear in results generated by AI, improving commitment and visibility.
- Liest your social channels
Synchronize your social media profiles under the “Contact” tab in your Google corporate profile. This creates a transparent customer journey.
New Google corporate profile features to watch
Google continues to improve its Google corporate profile tools. Here are some of the latest updates:
- Integration WhatsApp – Companies can add a WhatsApp contact option for direct messaging.
- Menu generation fueled by AI – Restaurants can download a menu photo and AI will generate a digital version.
- QR codes for opinions – easily generate a QR code to help customers leave an opinion without having to go and get your list themselves.
- View of stories for photos and criticisms – criticism and photos can be displayed in a vertical history format to increase overall engagement.
- IMA-generated image backgrounds-You can use AI to create personalized backgrounds for Google publications, advertisements and product images for your Google corporate profile.
Need help? Start with stratus
If local research management seems overwhelming, Stratus can help you. The local registration and revisions management platform – built by marketing specialists, for marketing specialists – facilitates ad management, responds to opinions and will follow local research performance.
If you need help to optimize your Google corporate profile, the Click Rain team is there to guide you – the complaint of your list to maximize its impact.