Mastering Your Google Business Profile for Local Reach

Will, EnableUs Community

Alright, let's dive in—mastering your Google Business Profile is seriously one of the best moves you can make if you wanna reach more local NDIS participants. First up, claiming and then verifying your profile, that’s not just paperwork. It’s like, kinda essential for actually showing up in those local searches people do when looking for support services. And honestly, if you skip this, your info might either look incomplete or crack open that can of worms where Google’s just guessing at your details.

Winter, EnableUs Community

Yeah, absolutely. And once you’ve claimed and verified it, you can really take control. There’s this provider I was working with, and before they claimed their profile, participants kept showing up at the wrong address or ringing an out-of-date number. It was confusion central. But, soon as they got verified and filled in all the proper details, participant calls just jumped, and those mix-ups? Pretty much gone.

Will, EnableUs Community

That’s classic. And filling out every section—yeah, it actually makes a difference. There’s those key fields like your business name, categories, your services, opening hours… And folks skip the business description, but don’t! Write something that tells people exactly what makes you stand out. Like, don’t get too clever with it—plain language, just honest about what you offer.

Winter, EnableUs Community

And don’t forget categories, either. I always say, if you’re, you know, providing support coordination, make sure it’s in your list! That’s what helps you to get found by the right participants, not just anyone scrolling by on Google Maps. Making it thorough is all about building trust right from that first search.

Will, EnableUs Community

Which brings us to, like, probably my favourite part—photos. It sounds basic but, uploading real, good photos of your team, your office or facilities even, and your logo, it boosts how many people actually click on your profile. I mean, people want to see who they’re contacting, right?

Winter, EnableUs Community

Exactly. Authentic photos give participants a sense of your environment and level of professionalism, even before they pick up the phone. I think a lot of providers, especially smaller ones, kinda forget what a difference those images make.

Will, EnableUs Community

And then there’s reviews. This is one that makes people a bit nervous. Like, “What if someone leaves something negative?” But, getting those positive reviews and, uh, actually responding to them—good or bad—it’s massive for reputation. There was an EnableUs provider that got off to a rough start. One participant left a pretty frustrated review about a scheduling hiccup, and the provider, to their credit, just responded right away—apologised, explained, and sorted the issue. The participant even updated their review to five stars after. That whole little conversation was right there for everyone to see, and I reckon people trust you more when you own your mistakes and fix ‘em.

Winter, EnableUs Community

Yeah, you can actually encourage happy participants to leave a review, too! Just send a quick note after a great outcome. And when you do get constructive criticism, responding quickly and professionally turns, you know, a potentially negative impression into something way more positive and trustworthy.

Winter, EnableUs Community

So after you’ve nailed the basics, the next thing is not letting your profile just… sit there and collect dust. Regular posts—updates about new services, little wins, maybe community events—these Google Posts show you’re active, and they give participants one more reason to engage. Search engines love recent activity, too.

Will, EnableUs Community

And this bit is less exciting but super important—consistency with your NAP. That’s name, address, phone. Make sure it matches everywhere—on your website, socials, directories. Otherwise, Google gets suspicious and, yeah, it can mess with your local ranking. Plus, it confuses participants and no one wants that.

Winter, EnableUs Community

Absolutely. And don’t forget about Google Insights for your profile. You can see which keywords are bringing people in, or which posts are getting them to click or call. There was this provider I worked with, and they realised that updating certain keywords, or posting about transport support, actually brought in more participant inquiries. So, it’s about tweaking as you go, rather than guessing what works. If it’s not getting any traction, change it up.

Will, EnableUs Community

Right—just keep an eye on what’s working, what’s not. That’s how you keep growing your reach without wasting effort. Well, I reckon that’s probably plenty for today’s episode. Winter, any last words before we wrap up?

Winter, EnableUs Community

Just that consistency is key, and every small improvement adds up. Don’t be afraid to try out new ideas with your profile. Thanks so much for joining us on this one, Will. And thanks to everyone for tuning in—can’t wait to dig into more ways to connect with participants next time. See you soon!

Will, EnableUs Community

Yeah, cheers Winter! Thanks for listening everyone, and we’ll catch you in the next episode. Bye!