As a business owner, you’ve probably heard about Google My Business. However, when you first encounter it, managing and fiddling with it might seem overwhelming, especially if you are not too tech-savvy. Thankfully, Google has ensured that this tool is accessible to all business owners, but even then, you might want to learn how to optimize your Google My Business Listing. We hope that this guide will help you with GMB and that the knowledge you are about to receive is going to boost your business’s online presence, ultimately helping your business grow.
Get familiar with Google My Business basics
First of all, GMB is easy to set up, and more importantly – it’s free! Businesses usually have to spend a lot of money and resources just to make themselves visible and promote to their chosen niches. Google My Business is thankfully a free tool any business owner can use.
The second concern many business owners have with GMB is that it is going to replace their website. No, it is not going to that.
This tool complements your already existing website. It does that by giving it a public identity and presence with a listing on Google. And that is just the beginning.
Also, the information you provide to Google My Business will appear on different Google services and tools like Google Maps and of course – Google Search. And today everybody uses Google to find different services and businesses.
Also, if you already have used Google’s tools like Google+, chances are that your business is already on Google My Business. Many tools that were previously made for boosting online presence have been upgraded to a universal platform – Google My Business.
How to begin using Google My Business?
First, do a quick Google search to check if your business is already on Goole My Business. If you are having trouble with that, you can also use the My Business search feature to find yours on GMB.
However, if your business already is on GMB, chances are that you have to claim it. Once you claim it you will be able to manage information on it if you need to. And you probably do. If you are having trouble with requesting your ownership, you can also do a few Google searches to find out how to do that.
If your business isn’t already present online, it is time to set up your listing.
- Start with your business’s official name before you fill in other info. Make sure that you use a full name.
- After that, make sure to input your business category. You need to find the most relevant category for your business.
- When you are finished with that, you’ll be asked if you would like to add a location your customers could visit. This is very valuable information if your business has a place like that.
- If customers don’t have a place to come, or if it’s irrelevant where your business is, still input that information. Google will not show your exact location, and you will be prompted to choose an area of your service. Only choose an area you are sure that you can operate in.
- After that click “finish” and verify it to make it official and visible.
Verifying your Google My Business listing
Verifying your Google My Business can take up a couple of business days. This is done via Postcard by mail. This will prove to Google that you can actually manage and that you are an actual owner of the business. We know that this can be a hassle, but we have to be grateful this exists. If that was not the case, anyone from anywhere can pretend to be a business they’re not.
Finally, what can you do to completely optimize your Google My Business listing?
Today, many businesses have Google My Business. Businesses use everything that is at their disposal to increase the number of customers, and to grow and develop, otherwise, they are eaten by the competition.
Good Google my business optimization can mean a difference between dominating a market or being dominated.
First of all, make sure to include all relevant data
Statistics show us that businesses with complete data are listed higher on different Google services. Your goal is to be as visible as you can, and when customers can see all the relevant data, they have a higher chance of trusting the business and choosing yours over the competition.
Of course, you can have multiple GMB accounts for different businesses you own! With them too is important to include all relevant data.
Keywords, keywords, keywords!
Exactly like traditional business SEO, Google uses a wide variety of signals for search results.
Use keywords as Google intended them to be used. If you go too far with keywords, Google will consider your GMB listing to be suspicious, and your GMB won’t be as efficient as it can be.
Make sure that your business hours are accurate
There is nothing more frustrating than going to some business’s location only to find out that they are closed. By not having up-to-date business hours on your GMB listing, you will cause some distrust among your customers. And we guess that this isn’t your goal. Make sure that your business hours are true.
Add photos if you want to really optimize your Google My Business listing
Let’s have a mental experiment. Would you rather buy a house that has photos online, or would you choose one that doesn’t have them?
According to AZ Citation Services specialists, people are greatly reliant on their visual perception. Moreover, photos assure customers that they have chosen the right location for their needs. Add photos to your GMB listing to help your business strengthen its online presence.
Good communication is essential
You have to let your customers message you. Of course, you’ll receive a lot of stupid questions, junk mail, and similar things, but you have to be able to communicate with your customers directly.
Also, make sure to use local posts to tell your customers about your offers, decisions, and sales. Only by doing that, you can completely optimize your Google My Business listing.
