Undoubtedly Google is the king of search engines, and for millions of professionals, this is the first stop when hunting down local businesses. That’s the reason why having a higher rank on Google’s search results is like winning a golden ticket, opening doors to countless new customers.
In simple words, if your business has a physical store like, a grocery store, supershop, clinic, or any restaurant and you wish to make it visible in Google’s local search results, Google My Business Profile (GMB) is your one-stop solution.
Therefore, creating a Google Business Profile will surely enhance your business’s online visibility and increase customer engagement. It is like putting your brand in the limelight in this crowded marketplace. Moreover, in this blog, I’ll show you how to connect Google Business Profile to WordPress website in the simplest way. And I’ll be integrating this using the super handy and affordable social media automation tool Bit Social. Lastly, I’ll discuss how you can expand your reach by integrating Google Business Profile to WordPress website.
So, let’s get started.
It’s totally understandable how many businesses fail to connect Google Business Profile to WordPress, they often get confused while choosing the right plugin or dealing with technical hiccups. However, don’t give up just yet, we’ve brought an excellent social media management tool for WordPress users, Bit Social with which you can connect your Google My Business Profile within a few minutes. Moreover, using the plugin you can easily connect your WordPress site to other popular social networking sites including LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and more.
For connection, first, you need to have a verified Google My Business account and for that, you can follow the instructions given in Google Business Profile’s help center. According to statistics, it is seen that about 24% of businesses with verified Google Business Profiles get more than 50 calls per month which is a great deal.
After getting verified, the next step is to establish a connection between your business account and the WordPress website. Before that, install and activate Bit Social from the WordPress directory.
This method is quite simple, if you already have a verified Google My Business Profile you just need to log in to your account. Yes, you read it right! Wait, let me show you how.
Step 1: Open Bit Social’s dashboard > Navigate to the “Accounts” section > Select the “Connect” option under the Google Business Profile platform
Step 2: Give your Login credentials and save your account.
Note
One more thing, you can add multiple Google Business Profiles.
Look your Google My Business profile is connected successfully.
The next method is the Custom App method. In this method, you need to create a custom Google My Business app through which you can easily connect your profile with the Bit Social WordPress plugin. You’ll be able to create a Google My Business Application in just a few easy steps, which I’ll be showing now so keep reading.
Step 1: From the “Accounts” section, select the “Custom App” option under the Google Business Profile platform.
Here, you need the App key & App Secret of your custom app for that, you first have to create one.
Step 2: To create a custom app, click on “Google Business Profile Developer”, you’ll move to Google’s Cloud Console > Click on the “Select a Project” dropdown button on the left side.
Here you can see the New Project, just click on it.
Step 3: Create a project by giving the Project Name and Location.
Step 4: Next, you need to enable all these eight necessary APIs from Google API Console that are needed for Google Business Profile. For a better understanding, you may visit Basic Setup documentation on Google Developers.
Here, you’ll not find “Google My Business API” as it is a private API. So to enable that you first need to request it by filling out a form.
Step 5: In the Basic setup documentation page of Google developers, you’ll notice a Note, where they have given a link to Request API access, click on it.
Step 6: Scroll down the page until you find the Request access to the APIs section > there you’ll see the access request form option, click on it to submit your request form. So that Google developers can approve the “Google My Business API” for your project.
After submitting the request form, if everything goes right you’ll get a reply mail from the Google Business Profile community. That might look like this:
And now that your project has been approved to access Business Profile API. Next, you need to enable the “Google My Business API.”
After enabling Google My Business API, follow the steps below to configure the OAuth Consent Screen:
Step 1: From Google Cloud Console choose APIs & Services > Select OAuth Consent Screen > Select “External” option as the user type and click on “Create.”
Step 2: Now give essential app information including App name, support mail, domain, and developer’s contact mail > Then click “Save & Continue”.
Step 3: Then move to the Scope section, here “Add or Remove Scopes” and select all the scopes > click on Update > Continue to click “Save & Continue” to complete the app registration process until you reach the dashboard.
Step 4: Next you, need to publish your app and confirm the action.
Great job on successfully configuring the OAuth Consent Screen! Now, it’s time to move on and generate your Client ID and Client Secret. Don’t worry, just follow the steps I’m about to show you, and you’ll get your required Client ID and Client Secret!
Step 1: Go to the “Credentials” section and select “Create credentials”. Then from the dropdown, choose “OAuth Client ID” to proceed.
Step 2: Next, choose “Web Application” as the Application type, then give it an appropriate name. Under “Authorized JavaScript origins” give your website’s Homepage URL.
Step 3: For “Authorized redirect URIs” navigate to Bit Social Home page > Go to Accounts > Click on “Connect Account” > Select Custom option under Google Business Profile > You’ll get your Redirect URI, copy and paste it > Click on create.
Step 4: Get the Client ID and Client Secret generated and paste them in suitable fields.
Step 5: Now, click on Connect to connect the app, and then a pop-up will appear from Bit Social to save your account, simply click on save and you’re good to go.
Congratulations! You’ve successfully connected your Custom Google Business Profile App. Now you’re all set to start managing your Business profile seamlessly!
Lastly, let’s see how integrating Google My Business Profile with your WordPress site supercharge the online presence of your local business and help you reach new heights of success.
Connecting your Google My Business profile to WordPress makes your WordPress website visible to a wider audience through Google searches and Maps. While searching for products or services customers across the world will notice your business and reach out, giving you an edge in attracting visitors from the areas you target.
Additionally, if you integrate Google Business Profile, with Google Ads you will be able to run highly focused campaigns. You’ll be able to target specific regions and demographics so that your advertisement money is best spent on reaching the right people at the right time.
Customer reviews help establish a level of trust and even authenticity with your brand. Embedding Google reviews on your WordPress website ensures positive feedback is right front and center. That alone can help boost your credibility and stretch you further ahead of your competition. Encourage any already-satisfied customers to leave a review and build your online reputation even more.
Take your visitors to the next level of digital experience by connecting Google Business Profile to WordPress. With all the features Google has on chat, pictures, and even a 3D view of where exactly your business is located, a potential customer can take the time to interact with your brand in real-time. In the process, this seamless experience leads to great engagement and bridges a greater connection with your target audience.
Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is a tool that allows businesses with local locations to appear in Google’s local search results and on Google Maps. By connecting it to your WordPress site, you can enhance your online visibility, attract local customers, and improve customer engagement.
You can connect your Google Business Profile to WordPress using Bit Social, a simple-to-use and affordable plugin. You can either use the one-click connect method or create a custom app through Google Cloud API to complete the integration.
Integrating Google Business Profile with your WordPress site enhances visibility in search results, improves customer engagement through Google Reviews, Maps, and Photos, and provides accurate business information to potential customers.
Yes, with the help of Bit Social, you can manage multiple Google Business Profiles from your WordPress dashboard, making it easy to update and interact with customers across different locations.
The one-click connect method is simpler and faster, and here you complete the connection through Bit Social WordPress plugin. This process is ideal for users with a verified Google Business Profile. The custom app method requires creating an app through Google Cloud Console using your own credentials, which gives you more control over the connection and is best for advanced users.
Yes, creating and connecting a Google Business Profile to WordPress is free. However, using additional tools or plugins like Bit Social may involve costs depending on the features you choose.