Have you ever tried searching for your business online? Where did your business appear in the search results?
Considering most people don’t scroll past Google’s first page of search results and the average Google search session is just under one minute, business owners need to be sure their business is appearing at the top of organic search results.
If you find that your business is not appearing in relevant searches for your area and business category, creating a Google My Business (GMB) profile is a fast and relatively easy way to maximise your chances of appearing on Google’s first page.
GMB is an online tool that allows businesses to manage how they appear throughout Google products, such as Google Search and Google Maps. And best of all, GMB is free!
If you’re unsure whether a GMB profile will benefit your business, we’ve made it easy for you and listed the top five ways this powerful tool can provide value to your business:
1. Google Maps and Google’s Local Pack
By creating a GMB profile and completing the verification process, your business location will start to appear in local searches. Immediately users can see how close your business is to their location. A GMB profile also increases the chances of appearing in Google’s Local Pack where relevant businesses appear within the searcher’s present location. Not only do these listings show users where your business is located, but they also show up before organic results—offering a major benefit to your online visibility.
2. Reviews
Online reviews have proven to significantly influence potential customer’s purchasing decisions. A GMB profile allows customers to review your business and leave feedback, providing a free and public way to share customers’ genuine experiences and reviews. You’ll also receive a star rating overview that appears on Google, the perfect solution for all those people who don’t feel like sifting through reviews.
3. Posts and Engagement
Posting updates, events and product offers directly to your GMB profile is a great way to market to potential customers without them sifting through your social media pages or website updates. Posts provide a great opportunity to increase engagement and allow your business to offer a one-click call to action (CTA). Adding a photo to your GMB profile is another great way to encourage more interaction from your audience according to Google’s statistics as “businesses that add photos to their listings receive 42% more requests for driving directions on Google Maps” and also receive 35% more clicks on their website.
4. Valuable insights
GMB offers valuable insights about your customers. These insights give your business a wealth of useful analytics that help you understand how users are engaging with your business on Google. These analytics can be found via the insights section on your dashboard.
5. Stand out from competitors
A GMB description offers a snapshot of your business. To be effective it should include relevant keywords, representing something unique and genuine to highlight your business values and offering. This small snippet of content offers your business an opportunity to stand out from the crowd and really grab users’ attention to ensure that all-important click through to your website.
Sound great? We think so too, and have seen first-hand how GMB can help businesses of all sizes and offerings, including our own!
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