International Women’s Day: Preparing Your Google Business Profile

Every International Women’s Day, we want to give a shout out to all the women who have influenced our lives in more ways than one. But we also want to support women who choose to set up their own businesses – especially in a post-COVID world. So this month, we’re dedicating this post to every single woman entrepreneur who has changed the world for themselves, their families and their communities.

So let’s start with a bit of data.

Shining the light on Women Entrepreneurs

Australia seems to be a safe haven for women to stretch out their entrepreneurial wings and make their own businesses. Here are some stats to prove it:

• A study in 2015 found out that there was a “46% increase in the number of women business operators over the past two decades” (Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet)
• The same study reported that over a third of Australian business operators are women
• Australia came in 8th place in the 2019 Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs with over 30% of businesses belonging to women
• According to a 2017 study run by the Wade Institute, 29% of funded companies have at least one female co-founder
• The same study also revealed that “unconscious gender bias” and “underrepresentation in high-growth industries” as some of the barriers as to why we don’t have any more women-led businesses

With Canva Founder Melanie Perkins, Flamingo Executive Director Catriona Wallace and Bakers Delight Co-Founder Lesley Gillespie, we’re more than happy to see women succeed in their passion. We’re also happy and thankful to see women leaders within businesses making a difference in their respective teams, as well as seeing individual contributors stamping their own mark in their own way.

But it isn’t enough, especially now. The COVID-19 pandemic hit a majority of businesses hard, causing some to permanently close or scale back their operations and forcing them to adapt to caring for their families. Some found it hard to juggle their lives between managing their children’s schedules and running a business. Still, everyone is pressing forward – even women who have been champions at adapting through whatever challenge faces their way.

So in this small act during International Women’s Day, we hope to uplift women-led businesses by helping you optimise your Google Business Profiles.

1. Use the women-owned attribute

What is it: The “women-owned” identity attribute on Google Business Profiles is often displayed under their business information and becomes more prominent when you search using a related or the exact keyword. It used to be the female symbol but has since turned into a purple heart with a yellow dot at the lower centre of the icon.

How to add it: On your Google Business Profile manager, go to the Info section and scroll down to a label that says From the business. Select Identifies as women-owned and press Apply. Take note that it will take up to 3 days for changes to appear on your Profile.

If you’re signed in the DigitalMaas Platform, you can easily update your attributes there too. Just follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the DigitalMaas Platform.
2. Click Locations you will be presented with your Locations Overview. Click which location you’d like to edit.
3. On your location’s information, click the pencil icon in the Attribution section.
4. Search for the attributes relevant to your business or scroll through all the available options.
5. When you’re finished updating your attributes, click Apply.

Why it’s important: Aside from showing what sets your business apart from others in your community, attributes that identify your establishment as women-owned improve your brand reputation. This narrows down your target audience who have the intent of visiting and possibly purchasing from you. A rule of thumb is: the more complete your attributes are, the easier it is for your customers to find you.

2. Mention you’re a women-owned business in your business description

What is it: The business description is a short bio about your establishment – but instead of the “what” of your business, you talk about the “why”. You have 750 characters to talk about your mission and vision for your business, customers and colleagues, highlighting certain aspects that make you unique – such as being women-owned, for example.

How to add it: On the Google Business Profile manager, click Info on the left-hand-side panel, then scroll down all the way to a blue three-line icon. Click the pencil icon to the right of it and write in your business description. Please be reminded of Google’s community policies: no profanities, gibberish, misleading terms and phrases, marketing/sales keywords, etc.

On the DigitalMaas Platform, you can easily add a new or switch up your old description to add in the fact you are women-owned.

1. Sign in to the DigitalMaas Platform.
2. Click Locations you will be presented with your Locations Overview. Click which location you’d like to edit.
3. On your location’s information, click the pencil icon in the Business Description section. This is symbolised by the store icon.
4. Type in your intended description.
5. When you’re finished updating your description, click Apply.

Why it’s important: Business descriptions are “sticky” features on Google Business Profiles – meaning that they won’t change anytime soon. So it’s best to have a memorable and punchy description that defines your business and aligns with your audience’s values. Having something as impactful as “women-owned” or even a sentence saying that part of your proceeds helps a young girl become a woman in STEM, for example, can encourage people to support you even more.

3. Publish posts about themes of women empowerment (that are relevant to your business) even beyond International Women’s Day

What is it: If you have any updates about, events and offers related to International Women’s Day and other women empowerment-themed happenings in your location, you can announce it via Google Posts. This section in your Google Business Profile allows you to publish updates, events and offers to engage with an audience already looking for you.

How to do it: To publish Google Posts using the Google Business Profile Manager, you simply need to click Posts on the left-side panel. Click the blue Create Post button at the lower right side of your Post timeline. Identify what Post category you want to use, type in your caption, add a photo (not necessary but highly encouraged to add), set offer details if using the Offer post or event details if using the Event post, add a CTA that leads to your website, and click Publish.

On the DigitalMaas Platform, you can quickly create a Post either individually or by bulk. A huge plus of publishing through the Platform is that you can schedule posts!

Why it’s important: Google Posts serve as a way to improve brand awareness for your business and has the chance to convert views into customers. If a user searches with a keyword that you use on your Posts, it can come up as a Post Justification and can improve your visibility in Search and Maps results.

Posts help you get the message faster and more efficiently – so even if International Women’s Day is over, when this year’s Women’s History Month has concluded, you can continue pushing for equal rights for women, support girls who wish to pursue a career in science and technology, or simply celebrate the elegance and strength of our grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters and friends.

At DigitalMaas, women’s businesses matter. Even after International Women’s Day, we continue to support women-owned establishments to define and achieve their own successes through our Platform. We can help you get your business across your community and beyond by personalising the best local search practices to your needs. Sign up for an account today to see how your business can excel.

Happy International Women’s Day. May we know you, raise you and be you.