Google My Business
If you’re a business owner, then you know how important it is to be visible online. And one of the best ways to do this is through Google My Business…
GMB is a free platform that allows businesses to manage their online presence and appear in search results. In other words, it’s essential for any business that wants to be found online.
But what exactly is Google My Business? And how can you use it to improve your online visibility? We’ll answer those questions and more in this blog post. So keep reading to learn everything you need to know about Google My Business!
WHO QUALIFIES FOR A GOOGLE MY BUSINESS LISTING?
A member of staff must be present to engage with clients during the business hours you specify in your listing to qualify for a Google business listing.
A physical place isn’t required in one situation. This is true for service-area businesses (SABs) like plumbers, pest control companies, cleaners, or any other type of service provider that visits and works at its clients’ sites. Customers can define the area in which service-area firms serve them. A plumber, for example, might provide services within a 5-mile radius.
Online-only enterprises and eCommerce operations without a physical location that greets clients are not eligible for Google My Business listings as they do not match Google’s requirements.
HOW TO SET UP A GOOGLE MY BUSINESS LISTING
A Google My Business listing is free and, in principle, simple to set up. It only takes a few steps and can be done fast by going to www.google.com/business/.
Remember that some procedures may differ depending on your industry while creating your listing. Restaurants, for example, will be required to provide images of their menus, while hotels will be encouraged to submit photos of their guest rooms and/or facilities.
If you’re a service-area company, pay special attention to Step 4 of the advice I linked to above, where you’ll need to specify your business area.
WHY IS GOOGLE MY BUSINESS IMPORTANT?
- Making it easy for people looking for crucial information to find it
Consumers will find it much easier to find information such as a business’s phone number, address, or health and safety rules if they have a GMB profile.
With all of this information readily available on a business’s GMB listing, searchers can focus on the key tasks at hand, including determining whether a company is truly fit for their needs.
- You can compare local businesses quickly and easily in one location
For searchers, finding and navigating between various businesses’ websites can be a genuine pain. It’s simple to compare and contrast businesses’ offers using Google My Business by swiping through their listings.
This makes the searcher’s journey a lot easier, and they may make a decision much faster as a result.
So, if you have high local rankings, provide relevant services, and provide enough information to the searcher, you may be able to swiftly gain a new customer.
- Nearby businesses’ photos, reviews, and offers are easily accessible to searchers
Businesses can use photos and posts to show off their products, their brand, and even their personalities.
In saturated markets where consumers are often overwhelmed by choice, features like this can make or break a product. Your potential clients will be glad that you have saved them time and effort by giving them all of the information they require to make an informed decision.
It may also save time for your company. After all, searchers no longer need to phone you to ask these questions because the answers are right there on your Google My Business profile.
All of this means that when a searcher contacts your company or visits you in person, they’ll be even more willing to invest in your product or service.
- Bookings and appointments are simple to make in Google My Business.
Google My Business’s Book an Appointment tool makes it easy for customers to receive what they need from your listing. This can be a very beneficial feature for beauty salons, spas, dentists, and other appointment-taking businesses, as it saves both the searcher and the business time.
Simplifying the customer journey with technologies like these will only result in happier customers, which should lead to happier businesses.
- Users of Google Maps can keep track of and create lists of their favorite local businesses.
Users can establish a list of their favorite businesses by following them. This makes it easier for users to keep up with and support their favorite local businesses.
When a Maps user chooses to follow a business, they will receive notifications about Offers, Events, Posts, and changes to the business’s hours of operation. Again, this saves time and facilitates the user’s journey.
Furthermore, this feature of Google My Business helps customers to feel even closer to enterprises, which is critical in the age of eCommerce behemoths such as Amazon.
- It allows customers to contribute feedback and help local companies improve
Google My Business allows Google Maps users to submit their own feedback on businesses and validate the thoughts of others, resulting in a more realistic portrayal of the company.
Google guarantees that any information discovered on GMB profiles is as up-to-date as possible using user-focused tools like ‘Suggest an Edit’ and ‘Provide Feedback.’
Q&A, reviews, and even images contributed by the public assist to offer a balanced picture of businesses on GMB.
All of this helps to make the process of finding and locating the most relevant local business for a user’s search easier.
Appear In Search Results
We are Google experts and can help your business grow using Google My Business. Click here to schedule a call for a free marketing strategy for your business
