Introduction
Google My Business or Google Business Profile is a critical localised marketing strategy that allows you to appear in Google search results. The most popular search engine globally is Google, where billions of searches happen daily. As such, Google is the best place to establish an online presence in today’s market. This article will discuss everything about Google My Business and why it is essential for your business.
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that lets you list your business location on Google Maps and local search results. The tool lets you display vital business information, including contact details, opening and closing times, location, and a link to your website. Google has also released a new feature that lets you post a link to articles or upcoming events. A Google Business Profile is essential for all businesses looking to increase their revenue. GMB allows you to control your local visibility and SEO in Adelaide. As such, you can increase traffic to your business if you become active on GMB.
How to Use Google My Business
Now you know that Google My Business is a tool that will help you boost your business’s visibility. But how do you use it to achieve this goal? Here is how to use GMB to make your Google listing a better local marketing tool.
1. Engage customers
Google My Business offers various ways to interact with your customers. You can answer questions, respond to reviews, create associated alerts, and enable direct messaging. You can also use GMB to publish posts to your business profile. The Google My Business dashboard is where you can engage your clients. Talking to your customers regularly and promptly will help you build trust, increasing traffic to your business.
2. Highlight your business
Creating a Google Business Profile alone will help you boost sales. You must highlight your business by utilising the Google My Business dashboard. Ensure you provide working hours, a link to your website, products, prices, and other details that make your business stand out. Google My Business allows you to edit and update your profile frequently. A complete Google My Business profile provides a snapshot of your business in the SERP, allowing customers to find and buy from you.
3. Gain insights
Google My Business is a perfect place to gain insights into your audience and local search performance. The analytics tap of GMB lets you see the queries customers use to find your business profile, a breakdown of actions taken on your listing, and whether a customer found you on Google Maps or Google Search. You will also know how your photos perform compared to other profiles in your category.
4. Perform local SEO
Google has algorithms for ranking business profiles on GMB. As such, you can use your GMB dashboard to incorporate keywords and perform other optimisations to help you rank high in local results and become part of Google’s 3-pack.
Why Does My Business Need a Google My Business Profile?
Most businesses are still missing out on the advantages of Google My Business. So, let us look at why your business needs Google My Business.
1. Show up on Google maps searches
While a Google search is an effective way to narrow options, many people use Google Maps to locate nearby businesses. Making it easy for people to come to your business when they find you close by makes it more likely for them to buy from you. Creating a Google Business listing allows your store location to pop up for local searches in Google Maps when someone types a relevant keyword in the search bar.
2. Become part of Google’s 3-pack
Have you used Google’s local search results before? If so, you have noticed a 3-pack format above the organic results in a first-page preview. Most business owners do not know that appearing in this 3-pack format can boost your sales. Creating a free GMB listing will boost your local rankings and the chances of Google including you in its local 3-pack. Appearing on this 3-pack shows users your business location and increases your visibility since you will appear high on the search results page.
3. Build trust with customers
Most business owners struggle to build trust with their customers. One of the simplest things you can do to build trust is to provide customers with your location on Google My Business. This tells customers that you are a legit and reputable business.
4. Increased traffic
Getting a quality website and in-store traffic is a common problem local businesses face. While enterprises have their pick and downtime throughout the year, having a Google My Business listing will help boost your traffic. Having a listing and showing up in local searches will attract potential customers to visit your physical store and pull more clicks to your website.
Conclusion
Creating a Google My Business account is free and requires minimal maintenance. The benefits to having your GMB business profile set up are endless, and the consequences for not doing so can be negative for your business.
