Google My Business
Google My Business is a user-friendly free tool for businesses and organizations which helps them in managing their online presence across the search engine giant Google, including Search and Maps. It is a great way of gaining local exposure by helping your customers find your business. It ensures that whenever someone looks your company up on Google Search and Google Maps, they find it. Not only that, but they can also see where and how to visit your shop, whether you have a web or physical address.
Google My Business accounts also play an important role in improving your local SEO by placing you on page one so that when someone searches for you, you are not on page two or worse. The account also allows you to fine-tune your paid and organic advertising strategies by providing access to analytics. Read more.
Source: Pixel Global
Ways to Use Google My Business to Get More Customer
Optimizing your Google My Business listing is very important to make your Google My Business profile really work for you. It is a free marketing tool for small as well as for big businesses. So, why not take advantage of it for your business growth. Learn some easy ways to optimize your Google My Business listing.
Ways to Optimize your Google My Business listing:
1. Complete your profile
To match your business to customer search easily, give as much information as you can about your business. Fill out every piece of information in detail and accurately to improve your SEO ranking.
The local ranking of Google mainly focuses on three factors:
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Relevance: Accuracy of your listing matching a search
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Distance: Your business location from the search or searcher
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Prominence: How well-known your business is
According to Google, any business which provides complete and accurate information easily matches with the right searches. So, make sure your listing communicates what your business does, its location, and ways by which customers can get their hands on the goods or services your business is offering.
2. Add images
Images convey a strong message as compared to words, let people know what your business deals in. Post the pictures of the product and service your business offer.
For example: If you run a restaurant, you can post pictures of your meals, menus, the interior of the restaurant, and the dining room.
Must-read: 12 Types of Influencers You Should Work With
Source: Rising star Reviews
3. Update about working hours and special offers
Nowadays people are having a tight schedule, and they do not want to waste a single minute waiting for you to open. Remember you are not the only one offering a particular product or service, and people will move to other places if you are not on time. So, it’s important to put in your business hours, and keep updating it whenever it changes.
Also, create posts for your business to inform customers about any new products, offers, and events. These posts help you to drive sales and encourage visits to your physical or digital storefront.
4. Respond to customer reviews
Good and positive feedback always pushes you to improve your business. Not only that, but it also helps in finding ways to make your customers happier. Besides, people trust more in the reviews given by other people. So, after providing the service or product, ask them for their reviews regarding your business. You can either provide a card or e-receipt that asks for a review.
According to a survey done by Google and Ipsos Connect, those businesses which respond to reviews are considered 1.7 times more trustworthy. So, respond to the customers' reviews respectfully and professionally even if the reviews are negative. Do not ignore a negative review instead, listen and address the issues raised.
5. Add special attributes
Google My Business has introduced new features which allow black-owned or women-led businesses to be highlighted on their profile.
Source: Search Engine Land
It also has some special features like if a business is related to healthcare, additional attributes like informing customers whether your business offers online care, providing customers with a direct method to schedule and receive online care are available.
Visit the below links to know more about Google My Business:
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Creating a Google My Business profile
Benefits your business, especially small business gets by setting up Google My Business (GMB) profile is huge. So, why not create a profile and let locals know more about your business. Here are a few simple steps to follow to create a GMB profile.
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Verifying your business on google
Your job does not end by creating a GMB profile, you also need to get verified by google. Verification helps you to check if your business information is accurate or not. Also, it makes sure that you’re the only one who can access it. So, how to verify your business on Google? Click to know.
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Claiming your business
Claiming your business on google means that you are claiming the business name, location, and other information available on Google so that when local customers search for words associated with your business, they will see your business along with the information provided by you on the profile. Read more.
Benefits of Google My Business:
1. Manage your information
Google My Business helps in managing information related to the information that Google users will find when they search for the products and services you offer. Anyone who searches for your business on Google search will get all the information you have mentioned regarding your business like, your hours, website, and street address.
2. Interact with customers
The customers can share their feedback and experience they have got while working closely with you. You can also read and reply to their queries and comments. Images leave a bigger impact on the viewers, and google also believes in this. That is why it gives you the option of uploading the images of what business you are in. When compared, it was found that business profiles that add photos receive 42% more requests for directions on Google Maps, and 35% more clicks through to their websites than those who do not.
Source: Lead to Conversion
3. Understand & expand your presence
Google My Business provides you with analytics which further helps to find out how customers search for your business, and where they come from. You also get the opportunity to tell about what you offer by creating Smart campaigns and tracking their performance. Other information like the number of people calling your business directly from the phone number available on local search results in Search and Maps can be tracked.
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