Google is by far the most used search engine in the world. According to Statista, Google holds more than 92.5% of the global search volume, meaning that Google’s search engine results pages are where you want your business to be featured. A super simple way to get your business ranking at the top of the search results is by creating a Google My Business listing. Continue reading to find out more about Google My Business and its benefits.
According to Google, Google My Business (GMB) is a free online tool that allows you to take charge of the way your business appears on Google Search and Maps. A Google My Business profile allows you to showcase your opening hours, list products and services, post business updates, and so much more. It is free to use, and the account is easy to set up; take a look at this quick guide on how to set up a GMB account.
An optimised GMB account establishes a great first impression of your business and ensures that the first time your potential customer interacts with your business is positive. When completing your company’s GMB profile, don’t forget to add your address, phone number, opening hours and other relevant information because according to a Forbes article, your Google My Business listing is often the first thing your customers notice when they search for your business. For more information on how to optimise your GMB listing to ensure your potential customers are satisfied with your profile, check out this ultimate guide from Search Engine Journal.
Top tip: As specified by Google, GMB profiles and listings with pictures receive ‘42% more requests for directions on Google Maps, and 35% more clicks through to their websites than businesses that don’t’.
Your Google My Business listing can help to bring your business closer to your target audience as a complete & optimised GMB profile increases your visibility in local search results by having your business in a prime location within local search results.
Furthermore, according to Google, generally, local search results are ranked based on various ranking signals, however, there are a few main ones that can directly impact your business’s position in local pages, including relevance, distance and prominence. In these circumstances, a Google My Business account can benefit your business by allowing you to take control of how your business appears on Search & Maps.
Remember, Google My Business listings are not limited to companies with physical shopfronts; if you are a business with a virtual office providing service in a set geographic area, you can create a GMB listing to establish your presence in the area. For more information on service areas, check out this article by Google Business.
Free, credible and targeted advertising – every marketer’s and business owner’s dream. Take full advantage of Google My Business functionality and benefit from a free advert for your business. Use your GMB listing to showcase your company’s products and/or services. In order to do so, you will need to complete the ‘Business Description & Service Field Descriptions’ as accurately as possible; check out this blog article on how to write effective product and service descriptions.
In addition to communicating your business’s working hours and contact information, GMB can also be used to post news and special offers. According to Hootsuite, you can effectively achieve various marketing and sales goals by creating posts on GMB to share offers, new products & services and much more.
Many companies pay thousands or even millions of pounds for customer data – don’t miss out on invaluable customer insights on your GMB profile. Regularly review and respond to customer reviews to monitor that your product or service is up to the mark as well as take note of any development opportunities that might arise from customer reviews.
Moreover, your business can also benefit from Google My Business insights data. For instance, within your GMB profile, you can access information about how people find your business listing on the web. You can then use this information to make informed marketing decisions by investing in specific channels that are the highest drivers of valuable traffic.
Another reason why you should use Google My Business is the instant messaging functionality. It allows you to communicate with Google Search & Maps customers easily. Not only it makes it easier for potential customers to reach you, but it also enables you to engage with your target audience and even take orders via messages at no extra cost. Take a look at this Google Business article on how to add messaging functionality to your GMB profile to take full advantage of this service.
Google My Business is not the only fantastic, free tool from Google that your business could benefit from – check out Google Marketing Kit for free promotional materials and Google Garage for educational videos on digital marketing, coding and much more.
Francesca's knowledge of the industry and business support is second to none. She's personally handpicked each one of our virtual office locations.
