Don’t Neglect Google My Business—Here’s Why
If you own and operate a small locally-focused business, you want to take advantage of every tool at your disposal when it comes to digital marketing. Many small business owners overlook the importance of digital marketing, assuming the local crowd will naturally find their way to the store. However, modern consumers are increasingly reliant on Google Search to find the best places to shop, both locally and through digital ecommerce outlets.
Google My Business (GMB) is an intuitive and versatile tool that allows you to claim your business within Google’s listings and create a locally-focused Search page listing that will appear in relevant searches. Google regularly updates the GMB toolset with additional functionalities and features.
Google My Business Enhances Your Local SEO Strategy
If you want to dominate your niche when it comes to local search traffic, the GMB tool allows you to tailor your content and your Search page listing to your local market. With Google My Business, you can see the physical range of the web traffic coming to your site, allowing you to determine the geographical locations where your customers reside. If you have multiple locations, GMB makes it easy to tailor your location-specific landing pages to each location, further increasing the precision of your Google listings.
GMB Puts Your Important Info at the Top of Search Results
The GMB toolset offers an incredible degree of customization when it comes to your Search listings. When you appear in search results for relevant keywords and search queries, it is essential to have your most important business information included in the on-page listing. This provides a better user experience, allowing a user to learn the most important details about your operation directly from the Google Search window, including address, hours of operation, products and services offered, and reviews.
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GMB Provides Reports on Your Searchers
Another wonderful feature of GMB is the ability to see how users find your website and get in touch with your business. Google Insights allows you to hone your digital marketing strategy by focusing your efforts on the channels your customers use the most to connect with you.
Branded search reporting is a useful analytical tool that shows you how many of your site’s visitors find your site directly by searching your business name and location, how many find your listings while searching for specific products or services, and how many find your site by searching for brands related to your business. Search reporting can inform your Google marketing strategy, showing you exactly how users are finding your business when using local search.
46% of all Google searches have a local intent. [Source: HubSpot]
93% of local searches now feature Google My Business listings. [Source: STAT Analytics]
68% of people contact a business directly from search results. [Source: Search Engine Land]
GMB Allows You to Post Directly to Your Profile
In time, you’ll need to adjust your marketing strategy to account for things like seasonal inventory changes, limited-time promotional offers, and much more. GMB makes it easy to adjust your profile and post to it directly from the GMB dashboard. Add more information or correct outdated information easily, and you can post directly to Google to engage with your customers, share photos, or respond to reviews.
Your Checklist for Updating Your GMB Strategy
To ensure your Google My Business strategy is up-to-date, follow this checklist and look for any details that require attention:
- Go to Google and search for your business. Try several different keyword strings as well as the name and location of your business to ensure your site shows up in relevant searches.
- Claim your business. If you haven’t claimed your business yet, it is possible for another user to do so and potentially harm your SEO strategy. You may need to use the Request Access tool to recover ownership from the current owner.
- Verify your listing. Google strives to ensure all business listings are accurate, and the verification process is an important step in this process.
- Update your basic information. Make sure every detail of your business listing is correct, including your location’s address, hours of operation, services and products, as well as tags so you appear in all the right search results.
- Add attributes. You can set many different attributes to help consumers make more informed decisions. A few examples include “Veteran Owned,” “Wheelchair Accessible,” and “Outdoor Seating.”
- Respond to reviews. Replying to a customer who left a poor review and getting in touch with that customer could create a positive experience that becomes a good review. Similarly, thanking customers for their good reviews will further boost your reputation.
Leverage the power of GMB to cultivate a larger local customer base, create positive interactions with your customers, and dominate local search traffic. Contact us today to learn more about how we can enhance your Google presence and local search success using GMB.
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