Due to the increasing competition in the digital marketing world, users' journey from online search to the final delivery is interlinked. They use search engines like Google to find local businesses and make purchase decisions. In this process, Google My Business (GMB) connects businesses with their potential clients or customers.
For businesses operating locally, GBM is an essential tool to increase their visibility and attract the target audience. It attracts foot traffic to a physical location and drives online traffic to the website. This way, it helps businesses convert their local searches into sales. This article will discuss the benefits of GBM, its features, and how to optimize it. But first, let’s understand what GBM is.
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business is a free tool, offered by Google, that helps local businesses manage their online presence and connect with potential customers or clients. It allows business listings to increase visibility in Google search results and Google Maps. GMB supports business owners in showcasing essential information about their businesses including name, address, website URL, phone number, categories, and business hours.
GMB allows business owners to upload images and videos of high-quality, and share promotions and updates. Additionally, it allows them to engage with users directly through messages, Q&A, and reviews. Not only that, it provides businesses with analytics and insights, helping them track performance metrics including clicks, direction requisitions, calls, and website visits these business owners can also measure the effectiveness of their online presence.
Benefits of Google My Business
Google My Business offers several benefits to local businesses that want to create a strong online presence and attract customers and clients locally.
- When they claim and optimize their GMB listing, their visibility increases in Google Search results and Google Maps. This ensures that their business is easily accessible to potential clients and customers who are looking for their products or services in the local areas.
- By maintaining a GMB profile with accurate and updated business information, high-quality media, and positive customer reviews, businesses can build trust and credibility with potential clients. This increases the chances of conversion, eventually increasing sales.
- Moreover, GBM provides valuable insights and analytical data to businesses about how customers and clients find and interact with their listings. This helps them make well-informed decisions to maximize the overall impact on their online presence.
Features of Google My Business
No matter what industry you want to compete in, the following features can help you in your success journey:
Technical SEO strategies are implemented with the aim of making it easier for search engines to crawl and index a website. Ultimately, the website becomes search engine friendly, attracts more traffic, and moves higher in the search engine result pages.
1- Categories and Descriptions
Whenever you try to place your business URL in an online directory, you must choose a category where your business fits the best. Similarly, you must write a clear description of your business, including the keywords that help you optimize your local business. Utilizing both features helps you improve the search engine optimization of your website.
2- Location
We understand that it is frustrating to spread the word about your local business, especially when you are not selling online. Google My Business helps you add the exact location of your business, which appears in the search results when users search for similar products or services. It also features a local map of where your business is located. This way, GMB helps you increase the overall visibility of your business, especially when you own a local business in an area of strong competition.
3- Photos and Videos
Google My Business also allows both business owners and clients/customers to share photos and videos of products or services. Business owners can upload high-quality images and videos of the location of their business, and the types of services and products they offer. Similarly, GMB listing allows clients and customers to share photos and videos they take of a business or its products/services. This is how you can change the way users view your business and leave a positive impression.
4- Reviews
Asking your customers to write honest reviews on GMB leaves a long-lasting impression on the users, specifically when they are looking for the products or services you offer. When they search for offerings similar to yours, your company’s reviews will appear. These reviews can play in your favor, or even against you. It all depends on how they feel about your business. A business with positive reviews is more likely to gain the attention of potential customers. On the other hand, a business with average or poor ratings will drive the traffic towards the alternative.
5- Attributes
Google My Business adds new features and components for more accuracy and accessibility for the users. These include pet-friendliness, donations, charitable activities, outdoor seating, etc of that physical location. This helps business owners specify more features of the physical location of their businesses on promotional campaigns or business listings. Eventually, this helps them attract a more relevant crowd and influence their buying decision in your favor.
Optimizing Google My Business
Now that you understand what GMB is, how it benefits, and what its features are, it is important to consider how valuable its optimization is. Simply creating a listing and choosing its features is not sufficient. You must optimize the listing to increase leads and maximize the conversions of searches into sales.
An unoptimized Google My Business listing might generate leads, but they are not very effective. Such GMB listings may lack important business information including exact hours, descriptions, contact details, etc. This results in frustration or confusion for your potential clients or customers. Similarly, a lack of attractive media, posts, and reviews leads to lower attention from your potential clients or customers, and your businesses will not be differentiated.
Optimization of GMB listing is mandatory to maximize the visibility of your business and attract potential customers while helping you stand out among the competitors. You must ensure a properly optimized GMB listing with high-quality images, positive reviews, and updated information. This builds confidence and trust in your business with your target audience, resulting in higher conversion rates.
Conclusion
If we summarize, Google My Business is a crucial player in helping businesses create and manage their online presence. It helps them be visible as compared to the competitors if properly optimized. This results in users being attracted to your business more than your competitors in the local region.