How To Set Up & Optimise Your Google My Business
Every day, billions of people use Google to search for a variety of information. In fact, Google is said to process over 3.5 billion searches per day. In order to remain top of mind in today’s competitive business environment, it’s important to have a strong online presence, and having a Google My Business listing is a great place to start.
What Is Google My Business?
Google My Business is a free, internet-based service designed to help promote a business’s online presence. Your Google My Business listing is a centralised point for all your business contact information on Google. Without one, you would be missing out on reaching a large number of potential customers. If you’re just getting started with local SEO, that is, an SEO strategy that helps your business be more visible in local search results on Google, then your Google My Business listing is a great place to start.
The Importance of having a Google My Business Listing
If you don’t have a Google My Business account, you are missing out on an opportunity to generate more traffic and business. Google has reported a staggering 45% of all searches to have local intent. Yet, despite knowing this information, many businesses fail to take advantage of the free platform.
3 Benefits of having a Google My Business Listing
1. Show up in Google’s Local 3-Pack
The more Google can tell customers about your business, the more it will like you. You can achieve this by providing quality, consistent & accurate information. Google’s Local 3-pack is a prominent map listing that presents to consumers the three businesses Google considers most relevant to the query, searcher’s location & highest quality. While a quick Google search is most definitely an effective way to narrow your options, most consumers use Google Maps to locate businesses nearby. By simply creating a Google My Business Listing, you can greatly increase your chances of making it onto this list.
2. Increase Traffic and Sales
Another challenge local businesses often face is maintaining an increase in quality website traffic. While there are no ways to completely avoid this, having a Google My Business listing can help you boost your numbers across the board.
3. Understand and Expand your presence.
According to Google, you can find insights to learn how consumers search for your business and where they come from. You can also find information like how many people call your business directly from the phone number displayed on local search results in Search and Maps and use this insight to inform new decisions.
How to set up your Google My Business Listing
Step 1. Login into the Google Account you want to associate with your business (or create a Google Account if you don’t already have one).
Step 2. Go to google.com/business and select “start now” in the top-right hand corner.
Step 3: Enter your business name.
Step 4. Enter your business address.
Step 5: Choose your business category.
Step 6: Add your business phone number or website.
Step 7: Choose a verification option. If you’re not ready to verify your business, click “Try a different method” → “Later”.
Learn more about how to verify your Google My Business Listing here.
3 Tips to Optimise your Google My Business Listing
Once you have verified your business, it’s time to optimise your business profile. Google’s algorithm for ranking Business profiles doesn’t just consider proximity and relevance, but also activity and quality of information.
Here are 3 tips to optimise your Google My Business Profile:
1. Complete all the information Google asks for
According to Google, local results favour the most relevant results for each search. Businesses with complete and accurate information are easier to match with the right searches. Therefore, it’s important to keep your information up-to-date as your business changes.
2. Post relevant content on your Google Posts Section
Publish offers, events, products and services directly to Google Search and Maps through posts on Google My Business. Posts enable you to engage with your audience and keep your presence fresh on Google.
3. Manage & Respond to Customer Reviews
Interacting with customers by responding to reviews shows your business values its customers and their feedback. According to BigCommerce, 84% of users trust online reviews as much as they would a personal recommendation. Positive reviews provide credibility to your business and will also increase your business’ visibility in search results.
If you haven’t already, we’d recommend you start building your Google My Business listing today. Utilising the full range of Google My Business’ comprehensive and beneficial features to create and optimise your listing can take your business to the next level of growth with new leads, strong customer relationships and a well managed online reputation.
