If you want your local business to be the first thing that pops up when someone searches for the services you offer on Google, it is time to pay attention to your Google My Business profile.
Google My Business is completely free and relatively easy-to-use allowing businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including search and maps.
In this article, we’ll cover soup to nuts everything you need to get the basics in place and scope out some advanced optimization techniques. If you know me, you’ll know I love to measure everything, so we’ll cover how you can measure the impact of your Google My Business optimization. By following these tips, you can ensure that your business stays at the top of mind for potential customers searching for your products or services.
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business is a no-cost platform that enables businesses to control their online identity on Google’s search engine and Maps. Properly configured it can help boost local search visibility, provides vital business details like address and phone number, welcomes reviews from clients, and allows firms to upload images of their products or services.
Google My Business
I recommend setting up a custom google email for your business. Use this email to log in at google.com/business, enter your address in the search bar and add your business. Alternatively, right click on the map, then click add your business. Finally, you can also add your business from the left menu.
For business that already show a presence on Google Maps, you need to claim the business, verify ownership before you can manage it.
Benefits of Google My Business for small businesses
Increase Visibility on Google – The Map Pack
When you search for a local business in Google, you’ve probably noticed the map and list of businesses that appear at the top of the search results. This is called the “local pack” or “map pack.”
Mobile searches including questions like “where to buy” or “near me” have increased over 200% recently. These type of searches mean that people are searching for a solution within a category. A well-optimized Google Business Profile increases the chances that your business will appear in these results. Of course, the profile alone doesn’t do all the work. Positive customer reviews play a significant role in whether your business profile will appear.
Build Trust With Prospective Customers
Reviews provide valuable feedback about your business. Replying to reviews – both good and bad – helps build trust with your customers and shows Google that you are responsive to your customers. A mix of positive and negative reviews is actually more trustworthy, although obviously, your business will perform better if your reviews skew positive. However, customers don’t expect 100% perfect reviews.
Provide Important Business Information
Your business profile should contain your business hours, contact information, and key services. You can update your customers about temporary changes. You can display holiday hours or mark your business as temporarily closed or fully reopened. Certain elements of your business information should be reflected on the footer of your website, and should be represented in the same language.
Conclusion
Google My Business is an essential tool for any business that wants to be top of mind when potential customers are searching online. Optimizing your GMB profile can help attract more customers to your business, improve your online visibility, and increase your local search ranking. By following the tips we’ve provided on how to set up and optimize your GMB profile, you’ll be able to create a strong presence online and drive more traffic to your website. Keep track of how well your GMB profile is doing with the insights provided by Google Analytics. Want to learn more about how you can optimize your online presence for success? Contact us for a free consultation today!
