Google My Business is an invaluable tool for businesses looking to expand their reach and get more customers. With its easy-to-use platform and wide range of features, it’s one of the best tools businesses can use to grow their customer base in the years to come.
In this blog post, we will discuss how businesses can leverage the power of Google My Business to increase their visibility, engage with potential customers, and ultimately get more customers in the coming year. Read on to learn more about how to get the most out of Google My Business.
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business (GMB) is a powerful tool created by Google to help businesses reach more customers online. With GMB, businesses can create an optimized listing of their services and products on Google Search and Maps, making it easier for customers to find them.
GMB also offers analytics insights and reviews, helping businesses understand what works and what doesn’t. In short, Google My Business helps businesses grow by allowing them to better connect with their customers.
How to set up a Google Business Profile
Step 1: Sign in to your Google account
Before you can create a Google My Business listing, you need to have a Google account. If you don’t already have one, go ahead and create one. Once you have logged in to your Google account, you can begin setting up your Google My Business profile.
Step 2: Search for your business
Using the search bar at the top of the page, enter the name of your business or the type of business you are creating a listing for. Google will try to match what you have typed to existing listings. If there is an exact match, you can claim the existing listing.
Step 3: Enter your business information
If your business doesn’t exist yet, you will be prompted to enter more information about your business. This includes things like your business name, address, phone number, website, and hours of operation. If your business has multiple locations, you can add those as well.
Step 4: Verify your business
In order to ensure that the information is correct, Google will send a verification postcard to the physical address you entered. It may take up to two weeks for the card to arrive. Once it arrives, follow the instructions on the card and enter the code in your GMB dashboard.
Step 5: Add additional information
Once your business is verified, you can add additional information about your business, such as services offered, special offers, and pictures. You can also choose whether you want your address to be visible or hidden from the public.
Once you have completed all of these steps, your Google My Business listing will be live. Now you will be able to start optimizing it for better visibility in search engine results.
Optimizing your GMB profile
There are three key ranking factors in the google search algorithm.
- Relevance: Google looks at how closely your business matches what people are searching for. This includes both the words they use in their query and their location.
- Distance: Google takes into account the physical distance between the user and the business when determining search rankings. If two businesses have similar relevance scores, the one closer to the user will rank higher.
- Prominence: Prominence is based on how well-known or popular your business is. Factors that can affect your prominence score include reviews, online mentions, and even links from other websites. A prominent business will rank higher than a lesser-known one, even if it is further away from the user.
By understanding these three factors and optimizing your Google My Business listing accordingly, you can improve your local search rankings and get more customers in 2023. So how to do that? here some steps you can take to optimize your GMB.
Adding photos and videos
Using photos and videos on your Google My Business (GMB) profile is a great way to engage customers and get them interested in your business. Photos and videos can help draw people in and make them more likely to click through to your website or contact you for more information.
Adding photos:
Adding photos to your GMB listing is easy. You can upload photos from your computer, or you can use Google Street View to add photos from a specific location. When uploading photos, make sure they are:
- High quality
- Related to your business
- Accurately represent what you do
Also, try to add photos of your staff and products if possible, as this will help customers get a better sense of what your business is all about.
Adding Videos:
Videos are also a great way to engage customers. Videos can be used to show off your products, demonstrate how they work, or even provide tips and advice related to your business.
You can upload videos directly to your GMB profile, or link to videos hosted on other sites such as YouTube. Keep in mind that the videos should be engaging and relevant, as this will help drive more engagement with potential customers.
Creating posts:
Google My Business posts are an effective way to increase your visibility and boost engagement with potential customers. Through GMB, you can easily add posts that include text, photos, videos, or events.
When creating posts, it’s important to consider the needs and interests of your target audience. Posts should be relevant and valuable to your audience, as this will help ensure that your posts reach the right people. To create a post:
- Log into your Google My Business account.
- Select ‘Posts’ from the left-hand menu.
- Here you can select one of four post types: what’s new, offer, event, and product.
- Fill out the necessary information and upload any photos or videos you want.
- Click ‘Publish’ to submit your post.
By taking advantage of Google My Business posts, you can increase your visibility and engage with potential customers easily and effectively.
Adding Keywords:
Adding keywords to your Google My Business (GMB) listing can help you find potential customers. Keywords are essential to helping your GMB listing appear prominently in local search results.
The importance of adding keywords to your GMB profile lies in the fact that it helps local searchers find your business more easily. With the right keywords, your GMB listing will appear higher up in the local search rankings, and customers will be more likely to visit your page.
How to add keywords to your GMB profile
To add keywords to your GMB profile, you should first take the time to research popular search terms related to your business and products.
Once you have a list of relevant keywords, you can add them to your GMB profile by going to the “Info” tab in your GMB dashboard and clicking “Edit” next to each field. As you add keywords to each section, make sure that they are relevant and succinct.
Remember: When adding keywords to your GMB profile, it’s important to keep the number of keywords under control. Too many keywords may result in a low quality profile, so it’s best to stick with just a few relevant terms and phrases.
Monitoring your GMB insights
One of the most powerful tools offered by Google My Business is the ability to monitor your GMB insights. This data can give you valuable insights about the performance of your business.
GMB Insights offers detailed analytics about how your customers are interacting with your business listing, including how many people have viewed it, how many times they have clicked on it, how often they call, and more. With this data, you can better understand how your customers are engaging with your business, and make informed decisions about how to optimize it further.
For example, you may discover that most of your traffic comes from mobile devices, which could lead you to optimizing your GMB listing for mobile users. Or, you may find that most people view your listing during certain times of day, which could lead you to scheduling posts or other promotions during those times to capture more customers.
Replying to reviews:
When you have a Google My Business listing, you will likely receive customer reviews over time. It is important to respond to those reviews, whether they are good or bad. Doing so shows that you are actively engaging with your customers and listening to their feedback.
Remember things:
- When responding to negative reviews, it is important to remain professional and keep a positive tone.
- Apologize for any issues the customer may have experienced and thank them for taking the time to provide feedback.
- Offer them an opportunity to discuss the issue further if possible.
- Be sure to thank the customer for their kind words and share how happy you are that they had a positive experience.
- Offer them a special promotion or discount for leaving a positive review.
By replying to reviews, you will show customers that you are engaged and attentive. This will also improve your overall visibility on Google My Business.
Final words:
Using GMB correctly and consistently can be a great way to get more customers in 2023. All of the steps we have outlined are simple to do, but can have a huge impact on your business’s success.
