Even in a world where Google has become a verb for most people, there are still many business owners who have yet to harness the power of Google My Business (GMB) to help their business reach more potential customers and clients.
If you haven’t optimized your GMB page yet, you’re leaving potential customers out in the cold and hurting your own Google search results. How can this be?
Google Cares About GMB
Google is in the business of delivering relevant search results to its users. The search engine giant does most of the heavy lifting itself but if you’re hoping to gain more web visitors from organic search, you’re leaving a lot to chance if you haven’t optimized your Google My Business page.
The reason is simple, Google uses GMB to help it understand more about your business. The more information you feed GMB about your location, your offerings, your business history, reviews, and etc., the more of a chance you have in securing additional web traffic.
Think of how you use Google search. If you’re looking for a home improvement company, do you choose one that doesn’t display photos of its work, cultivates reviews or offers you both email and phone contact information? The answer for most is a simple, no. If these criteria aren’t met for your business, most people simple won’t click on your business’ link. The fewer the clicks, the less relevant your site is to Google, which directly affects your ranking.
Leverage GMB for Your Business
By optimizing your GMB listing, you can address many of the areas that potential customers and clients are looking for when they perform a new search. Claiming your listing and keeping your information up to date is imperative.
Beyond that, however, adding as many relevant photos as possible can make a tremendous difference in how your Google Knowledge Panel looks. Showing your customers the quality of work your company performs, displaying photos of your storefront and showing them the team that they’ll talk to creates more value for all of your customers.
Cultivating reviews in a proactive method that can lead to more positive reviews on your GMB listing and greater confidence for online searchers. Reviews are an important part of business marketing online in 2019. Having perfect, five-star reviews isn’t the goal. Instead, getting satisfied customers to talk about what made their experience special is important. The more genuine the review is, the more valuable it will be for your potential customers and clients.
Taking Advantage of Google Posts
Google rolled out Google Posts in June 2017. The advantage of Google Posts is how it allows you to promote your content, events and offers directly in Google. Each post offers the option for a call-to-action button that can lead online searchers directly to your website (don’t forget the url tracking!) and lead to better conversions for your business.
Google Posts typically expire after a week so it’s important to have a content plan in place. The good news is you can post many different things:
- Blogs
- News
- Offers
- Events
- Specific web pages
- Products
So, is all of this extra work worth it? Absolutely. But don’t take our word for it, read what Google has to say about Google Posts:
Seventy percent of people look at multiple businesses before making a final choice.2 With Posts, you can share timely, relevant updates right on Google Search and Maps to help your business stand out to potential customers. And by including custom calls-to-action directly on your business listing, you can choose how to connect with your customers.
Putting It All Together
Becoming a proactive user of Google My Business is a great way to help influence how Google presents your business in search results. It’s also a great avenue to show the world and your customers that your reputation matters to you. And at the end of the day, customers choose businesses that have great reputations. Google My Business puts you on the road to creating that success.
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