This article will go over the basics of Google My Business, including what it is, why it is important for local SEO, and how businesses can optimize their Google My Business listing to increase their online visibility.
Introduction
If you own a local business, you’re probably well aware of how important it is to be found online by potential customers in your area. Local search engine optimization (SEO) is critical for ensuring that your company appears in search results when people look for local products or services.
What exactly is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a type of search engine optimization that assists small, brick-and-mortar businesses in becoming visible in local search results. Businesses, for example, can leverage people searching for “coffee shops near me” or “coffee shops in London” by taking a more localized approach to their SEO strategy.
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business is one tool that can be especially useful for local SEO (GMB). GMB is a free and simple-to-use Google tool that allows businesses to manage their online presence on Google, including search results and Google Maps.
If you enter “Cafe Kyiv” or “Barbershop nearby” in the search bar, a separate block with GMB profiles of the respective companies will appear immediately after the ads. In addition, when searching in Google Maps with a query in the search bar or geolocation, profiles from Google My Business are displayed directly.
What does the company profile look like in Google My Business
In this article, we’ll look at the significance of Google My Business for local SEO, as well as tips and best practices for optimizing your GMB listing to boost your online visibility and attract more customers.
Benefits of Google My Business for local SEO
Here are some of the most important:
Increased online visibility in local search results:
By creating and optimizing your Google My Business listing, you can increase your chances of appearing in local search results when people search for businesses similar to yours in your area. This can assist you in reaching out to potential customers who are actively looking for what you have to offer.
Increased credibility and trustworthiness:
Having a complete and accurate Google My Business listing can help establish the credibility and trustworthiness of your business in the eyes of potential customers. People are more likely to choose your business over competitors who have less complete or inaccurate listings if they see that your business information is up to date, that you have positive reviews, and that you’re active on Google.
Improved customer experience and convenience:
Google My Business also improves the user experience and convenience for customers looking for local businesses. They can view your company’s information, hours, reviews, and photos in one location rather than having to navigate to multiple websites or social media pages. This can make it easier for them to select your company and find the information they require.
Improved insights and analytics:
Google My Business provides valuable insights and analytics that can assist you in understanding how people find and interact with your business on Google. You can see data on how many people are viewing your listing, where they’re coming from, what actions they’re taking (like calling your business or visiting your website), and more. This information can help you make data-driven decisions about your local SEO strategy and improve your overall online presence.
Overall, using Google My Business is essential for any local business looking to increase its online visibility, credibility, and user experience. You can attract more customers, stand out from the competition, and grow your business by taking the time to create and optimize your GMB listing.
Creating a Google My Business listing is a simple process that only requires a few steps.
Here’s a step-by-step tutorial for making a GMB listing:
- Sign in to your Google account and visit the Google My Business website. If you don’t already have a Google account, you’ll need to set one up.
- Enter your company name and address. If your company does not have a physical location where customers can visit (for example, an online store), you can still create a GMB listing, but you must select the “service area” option instead.
- Select a business category. This will assist Google in understanding your business and will also help your listing appear in relevant search results.
- Include your company’s phone number and website. This will make it easier for customers to contact you and learn more about your business.
- Check the legitimacy of your company. This is a critical step that ensures your business information is correct and prevents others from claiming your listing. There are several verification methods available, including by mail, phone, email, or instant verification (if you’ve already verified your business with Google Search Console).
Once you’ve created and verified your Google My Business listing, you can use the following tips to optimize it for local SEO.
Among these suggestions are:
- Including complete and accurate business information, such as your business hours, address, phone number, and website URL
- Selecting the most relevant business categories for your company
- Including high-quality photos and videos that highlight your company and its products/services
- Encourage customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business listing.
- Making posts and updates to keep your listing current and interesting
It’s also worth noting that verifying your Google My Business listing is critical for ensuring its accuracy and legitimacy. You won’t be able to make changes to your listing, respond to reviews, or access important data and analytics without verification. So be sure to carefully and promptly follow the verification process.
How to create and verify a Google My Business listing
Creating a Google My Business listing is relatively easy, and it only takes a few steps. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a GMB listing:
- Go to the Google My Business website and sign in to your Google account. If you don’t have a Google account, you’ll need to create one.
- Enter your business name and address. If your business doesn’t have a physical location that customers can visit (like an online store), you can still create a GMB listing, but you’ll need to choose the “service area” option instead.
- Choose your business category. This will help Google understand what your business is about and will also help your listing appear in relevant search results.
- Add your business phone number and website. This will make it easier for customers to contact you and learn more about your business.
- Verify your business. This is an important step that ensures that your business information is accurate and prevents others from claiming your business listing. There are several verification methods available, including by mail, phone, email, or instant verification (if you’ve already verified your business with Google Search Console).
Once you’ve created and verified your Google My Business listing, there are several tips you can follow to optimize it for local SEO. Some of these tips include:
- Adding accurate and complete business information, including your business hours, address, phone number, and website URL
- Choosing the most relevant business categories for your business
- Adding high-quality photos and videos that showcase your business and products/services
- Encouraging customers to leave reviews on your GMB listing
- Creating posts and updates to keep your listing fresh and engaging
It’s also important to note that verifying your Google My Business listing is crucial for ensuring the accuracy and legitimacy of your listing. Without verification, you won’t be able to make changes to your listing, respond to reviews, or access important data and analytics. So be sure to follow the verification process carefully and promptly.
8 Tips for optimizing Google My Business for local SEO
Optimizing your Google My Business listing is crucial for improving your online visibility, credibility, and user experience. Here are some tips for optimizing your GMB listing for local SEO:
Improve the “About” text. Improve the “About” text. Don’t neglect the opportunity to saturate the short information about the company with keywords in proportion to the size of the text. Google My Business has advantages over the standard search system, but there is competition within the local block, and even with a location of your company as close to the customer as possible, your business may end up in hidden results.
Don’t skimp on photography. According to a 2019 study conducted by Search Engine Land, businesses with more than 100 photos on their profile received 960% (!) more views than those without. Companies increased the number of views by 62% when they included more than one photo in the card.
Fill out the “Questions/Answers” section on your own. Fill out the “Questions/Answers” section on your own. Make a FAQ, consider what questions potential customers might have, and answer them ahead of time. This will prevent misunderstandings in the block, which may later affect user behavior.
Keep track of the data in the card’s relevance. Assume your coffee shop has changed its hours and is now open two hours later on weekends. Customers who believed the old information and arrived at the closed establishment for morning coffee will be disappointed and angry if changes are not made to Google My Business.
Make use of Google Posts. This is another GMB feature – a post-creation tool. You can create a news post, an article, a video, a poll, or an event announcement. Within a week, the publication will be available.
Review the responses. Be grateful for the good and work with the bad. This demonstrates that the company values its customers. Furthermore, the discussion sparked by your responses will have a positive impact on your ranking. Google monitors activity in this block, and if there is a lot of it (even if it is negative), it concludes that the location is interesting. The main thing is to keep your tone of voice consistent.
In Google My Business, enter the date of establishment. For some users, the company’s longevity is critical. If you are new to the market, you will appeal to those who are looking for new experiences. Companies that have been in operation for a long time instill trust.
Fill out all of the account’s fields. Customers will appreciate it if you provide them with as much information as possible. GMB qualitatively structures all received data, ensuring that the user does not become lost in a sea of information. And the company will stand out against competitors who did not complete all of the fields in the profile.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Google My Business is a powerful tool for improving your local SEO and online presence. By creating and optimizing your GMB listing, you can improve your visibility in local search results, increase your credibility and trustworthiness, and provide a better user experience for your customers.
Like a website, a Google My Business profile can be optimized for relevant key queries. Fill in all available fields about the company, update information on a regular basis, communicate with users, and post business news.
By following these best practices and regularly monitoring and optimizing your GMB listing, you can improve your overall online presence and attract more customers to your business. Remember to keep your information up-to-date, encourage customer engagement, and always strive to provide the best possible user experience for your customers.
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Reviews
This course is so nice. The teacher explains clearly and understandably well. (Lock Larsen A.)
Great course but i think accessibility is needed for we that can’t hear very well, the words can be written below as the tutor is talking or downloadable. Aside that, every area of GMB was covered (Uche D.)
Google My Business is a great marketing tool. I am very glad that I took the new course. I learned a lot of new things and I will definitely apply them in my work. Thanks a lot for the knowledge! (Serg S.)
