Why your small business should use Google My Business listing
No business, but especially any small business, can afford to ignore the importance of online marketing – it’s the only way to reach customers in today’s digital world. And the best way to reach them online is via the place where the vast majority of people go to do their online searches, namely Google. So this is where Google My Business listing comes in.
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business listing is a free and easy-to-use tool that a business can use to manage their online presence on Google, including Google Search and Google Maps.
So what’s the significance of that? Well, when someone searches for your business on Google, Google pulls information, such as your phone number and address, the link to your website, and customer reviews of your business, from your Google My Business profile page and features it in the Google search results.
How will my business benefit from having a Google My Business listing?
Think of Google My Business as the ‘Yellow Pages’ for the digital age. When Google features the information from your Google My Business page in search results, searchers can see your exact address and location in Google Maps. And even if you don’t have a website (although we believe every business should have one!), a customer who searches for your business category, for example, bakery, babysitter or electrician, will get a list of local business in their search results. Do Google My Business right and your business could be included in that list.
In other words, Google My Business benefits your business in 2 very important ways, namely:
- Google My Business makes it easier for customers to find your business. Who doesn’t want that?
- Google My Business generates free advertising for your business, and it does so on the world’s biggest search engine! What could be better than free advertising, especially for a small business? Enough said.
4 tips for a successful Google My Business listing
Once you’re signed up to Google My Business, here are 4 things you should do so you get the most out of your Google My Business listing.
1.Use keywords: When you fill out the keywords and category section of your Google My Business listing, make sure to include your main keywords when writing up an engaging description of your business and its products or services.
2. Use images and videos: You can include a number of images and videos for free in your Google My Business listing, so anything that will add value to a visitor’s understanding of your business, what it does and where it is located is valuable digital marketing collateral. So make the most of the opportunity.
3. Create a Google My Business listing for each site: If your business has a number of shops, branches or locations, make sure you create a Google My Business listing for each one, with its own specific address, phone number and other relevant details. This is a great way for enabling local customers to find your business wherever you’re located.
4. Encourage customers to write reviews: Ask as many of your satisfied customers to write a genuine review of your business on Google My Business. This is a great way to boost your Google rankings and help build further customer trust in your business.
Make a Google My Business profile your priority
If you don’t have a Google My Business profile for your business, then you really need to make doing so one of your priorities. Even more so if you are small businesses, because creating a Google My Business profile and integrating it with your business’s Google+ page will not only improve your Google rankings, but it will also make it easier for searchers to find you and build their trust in you. That’s like online gold!
Getting your Google My Business profile sorted is one of the best things you could ever do for your business in today’s digital marketing world.
Need help sorting your Google My Business profile?
Of course, as is the case with any digital marketing tool, ongoing maintenance of your Google My Business page is essential. After all, Google itself is regularly applying updates and making changes to its search algorithm, so you will need to keep on top of all your Google profiles in order to keep pace with Google itself.
Fortunately, the online marketing team at Net Branding, Auckland’s full-service digital marketing agency, is expert at navigating the ever-changing Google landscape, so we can take care of your Google My Business profile for you while you focus on running your business. If you’d like to find out more about Google My Business or how we can harness the power of digital marketing to help you grow your business, simply give us a call today.
