Visibility is one of the most important factors when it comes to online success as a local business. One of the best ways to achieve this is to have a Google My Business account. Not only do you need to own a profile, but it needs to be optimised and updated regularly for the best results.
What is a Google My Business profile?
A Google Business Profile is a free business listing from Google. It allows you to provide details and photos of your business, including your location, services and products.
Creating a free profile is a great way to increase your visibility across Google. Information from your business profile might appear in Google Search, Google Maps or Google Shopping.
One thing to take note of is that a GMB profile is only available to businesses that have actual contact with their customers, a physical location or a business that provides services by meeting with clients in other locations (like plumbers or other tradesmen).
If you have a business that is only present online, you will have to make use of other Google tools such as Google Ads or Google Analytics.
Why do you need a Google My Business account?
If you’re just getting started with local SEO, your Google My Business listing is a great place to focus your efforts. After all, when people search for a product or service near them, they’re usually very close to making a purchase – one in two people who conduct a local search (think “restaurant near me”) visit somewhere that day. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of having a Google My Business profile.
Interact with your customers online
With Google My Business, you can do so much more than simply post and update information about your business. You can directly interact with your customers by monitoring and responding to Google Reviews.
93% of customers say that online reviews influenced their purchasing decisions, so reviews play a crucial role in having a successful profile. It’s not enough to just wait for reviews to be left, you really need to push for reviews via other channels such as social media, and respond accordingly when one is written.
If you own a Google My Business profile, you can also use it as a social media network and publish posts to your profile. These posts disappear within seven days and can be used to promote upcoming sales and events or give customers a behind-the-scenes look at your business.
Create campaigns and track traffic
Understanding how your customers are finding your business gives you a better idea of where they’re coming from and how to handle those leads once they make contact with you.
GMB allows customers to track insights. From your Google My Business dashboard, you can learn things like how many times your listing has been viewed, how customers find your listing, and what actions customers take after finding it.
This can help you learn what kinds of things potential customers were searching for when they found your business, whether they visited your website or called the number on your listing’s contact info, and whether they clicked on the driving directions to find their way to your business.
Don’t miss out on the benefits of Google My Business
It’s important to make sure that your business has an up to date and detailed Google My Business page. If you have not taken the time to create and optimise one then you’re missing out on one of the best free ways of appearing in Google search results!
If you would like to know more about GMB and local SEO, please speak to a member of the team here at Ame Social, we will happily guide you in the right direction and help you climb the Google ranks. Give us an email ash@electrondigital.co.uk.
