If you want for your business to be successful and to gain more satisfied customers, you’ll need to appear online. The good old spreading the word strategy now has the strongest agent ever- the internet. When your local business appears on one of the popular citation sites, you’re on a good way to get to the top. Modern men live fast, and everyone prefers getting information effectively and quickly. With only a single click, if possible. Thus, there’s no room for wasting time. Help your business become visible online and begin developing your strategy the right way. For the start we offer you a simple guide for setting up your GMB listing, a nice step forward in introducing you to the world of online marketing.
What is Google My Business, and why it’s good for you?
As you already know, Google My Business is a kind of online directory. The Yellow Pages of the modern age. Since Google is the most popular search engine among all, it is completely natural that its citation site can offer the top prominence for businesses. It increases your online visibility and makes it easy for your potential customers to find you. With simple access to all the basic information, such as your name, address, phone number, and working hours, people who want your products or services will have no trouble contacting you or finding your location.
What’s more, having a GMB listing allows your local business to appear on Google Maps and among the local pack. People like using Google Maps since it doesn’t offer directions only, but also helps to discover nearby businesses. On the other hand, being a part of the local pack means appearing among the first three listing results that are shown below the map.
Some more reasons why you should think about setting up your GMB listing
Since the reviews are of great importance nowadays, it’s good to know that Google My Business gives you the opportunity to collect your customers’ reviews. People care about what others say and think, thus collecting positive reviews and high rates from your customers helps your business become more popular.
On the other hand, GMB is important for your local business because with it you have a chance to communicate with both your current and future customers. You can answer all the important questions directly and thus show your professionalism and gain their trust. Finally, there is one more great benefit. By it, you will have a complete insight into the business’s profile performance. You will know the exact number of views you receive, the personality profile of your customers, and the analysis of the made contacts. And the best thing is- it’s completely free of charge.
Steps to setting up your GMB listing
1. Visiting the website and entering the business’s name
Well, first things first. Before you start creating your business profile, it’s good to check whether or not you are already present on GMB. When you make sure that no listings of your business appear among the search results, it’s time to create an account. Click the lowest option ‘add your business to Google’, and type the exact and full name of your business.
2. Choosing the category
Now, it’s time to choose the category of your activity. Here it is important to find the one that will show your business’s work area the best. The good thing is you won’t have to bother with the formulation issues. The moment you start typing, numerous options will appear, and you just need to choose one of them. Later on, it will be possible to add more categories to your profile.
3. Adding your location and address
After typing your business’s name in the profile, you’ll need to set the location. Before that, you would be asked whether or not you want to add the location at all. If you click ‘yes’ you’ll be able to set a physical location where your customers can find you. By doing this, you’ll get a chance to appear on Google Maps, and, as you know, having citations on Google Maps is more than useful. Then, you just need to type your address precisely and accurately.
At this point of setting up your GMB profile, you will be able to point out whether or not you serve your customers outside the given location. That refers to the delivery or visit services. If your answer is affirmative, that leads you to yet another step. You will be able to choose all the areas that you serve. This is especially helpful since Google will be able to display your business in search results for these precise areas.
4. Providing contact information
In this step, you will be asked to provide your phone number and the URL of your business’s website. Of course, this step is optional, not obligatory. However, as you may guess, it’d be more than desirable to add this information to your profile. Every customer appreciates the opportunity to make some personal contact. On the other hand, having a well-designed webpage can also increase the customers’ interest in your services.
5. Verifying your business
Before you can really use GMB to increase the number of your customers, you need to complete one more, final step. That is the verification of your listing. This can be done immediately if you verify it via a phone call. However, this option is not available to all businesses. Alternatively, you can receive a postcard verification to your address. Although this type of verification is available to everyone, it’s not instant and will take several days.
Now it’s all up to you. Turn on your laptop, and follow these simple steps for setting up your GMB listing. This is the time of the internet and modern technologies. So think about that and give your business some new chances. Go one step forward and become a successful local business owner.
