Google My Business (GMB) is a way to gain more visibility on Google. It is a tool that helps you manage and optimise your business profile on Google. Your Business Profile is the term used for your Google business listing and these profiles appear in Google Maps and in the local results of a Google Search.
Once a Business Profile has been created it is then open to consumers to leave reviews, ask questions and add photos. The business Profile alone does not give you the ability to manage the information it displays or the reviews it collects. This is when it is important to make sure you have a Google My Business account, then you can access, customise, enhance and manage your Business Profile all for free.
So Google My Business is the tool in which you can enhance your Business Profile to boost visibility and effectiveness. Here are a few ways in which using Google My Business can help your profile and make it a better local marketing tool.
1 Highlight your business
The standard Business Profile only contains a limited amount of information about your business. Having the Google My Business account you can access the dashboard and add your hours, a link to the website, add products, pricing, attributes and other details to help make your business unique. You can also edit and update as necessary as your business evolves.
A complete Business Profile offers a complete snapshot of your business
2 Help rank local SEO results
We all know Google has algorithms for ranking its ads and websites but it’s also able to rank Business Profiles. In the GMB dashboard you can add keywords onto your Business Profile and additional optimisation to help rank better in local SEO results.
Google My Business can help you optimize your Business Profile to show up in the local search
3 Consumer engagement
There are many ways for consumers to interact with your Business Profile. Using the GMB account you are able to engage back with those consumers. Responding to reviews, answering questions, setting up alerts and even enabling direct messaging. You can even publish post to your Business Profile much like we do with Facebook and other social platforms.
4 Gain key insights
Google My Business also allows you to gain key insights on your audience and local search performance through the dashboard. Here an analytics tab allows you to see queries customers are using to file your Business Profile; whether it be via Google Maps or Google Search, a breakdown of actions taken on your listing and how your photos are performing compared to other profiles in your category.
There are also ways to track clicks from a Business Profile via UTM parameters and Google Analytics.
Using Google My Business for SEO
Google’s Business profiles are dynamic, so they change form based on the platform they are being viewed on. They also prioritise sections of your profile depending on the search terms used. Just as we use a CMS in WordPress to optimise your website for search engines, Google My Business can be used in a similar way to help expand your reach.
Target your information
Make sure you are naturally incorporating relevant keywords into your Business profile. This will help Google determine what you want to rank for. Use then in your description, your responses to reviews, when answering questions and in the posts you publish.
Maintain quality of information
Your Business Profile rank is also impacted by its completeness and accuracy. Provide information for all requested sections within the dashboard.
Build Trust
Keeping your information up-to-date and accurate as your business evolves, build a steady stream of reviews and responding to them, adding new photos and publishing post to your Business Profile signals to Google that you are active.
If you don’t yet have an account go to google.com/business and click ‘manage now’ which will take you through the necessary steps to create your account.
If you need any help optimising your Business Profile call us on 01536 560435 or email [email protected]
Source: WordStream