Tuesday February 8, 2022 comments

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business is a tool that allows you to manage and optimize your Business Profile on Google. Do you remember how you have an account on Gmail and on Google Drive? It’s sort of like that, but this time it’s YOUR business having an account/profile on Google My Business.

Your “Business Profile” is Google’s term for said Google business listing. Business Profiles appear in Google Maps (Yes! The ones that appear with red pinpoint locations on Google Maps on top of your search results when you look for “sushi bars near me”!) and in the local results of Google Search.

When completing your Business Profile, ideally, you should provide your complete store or office address, website, contact numbers, email address and operating hours. 

Why Is Google My Business so important?

Google My Business is super important because it's often the FIRST thing your customers see when they search for your business or your products/services. Often, customers who use Google Search will make a quick buyer decision too based on the results that appear up top, aka Google My Business and Google Maps.

Remember when you visited a mattress store that was located closer to you than another more popular store? Seeing the closer location on Google Maps (and, perhaps, the complete address and good reviews) persuaded you to give this store a chance. That mattress store’s Google My Business was responsible for encouraging you towards that decision.

There are so many benefits of being on Google My Business, as you can imagine.

Let’s do a fun interactive exercise to explore more about what is there to gain from optimizing your Google My Business account:

1. Go to Google and search for the “best Mexican restaurant in ”.
2. Browse through the options that Google Maps showed you on top of your search results.
3. Then, stay on one of the Google Maps listings that seem the most legit and appealing to you.

Chances are, the one you chose,

• Has a completed Google My Business listing. It has their business description, address, phone number, website, and a good number of reviews. These things improved this restaurant's SEO
• Has Google Maps integration, which makes it easier for you to visualize where the restaurant is located in relation to your house, complete with road directions and travel time estimation.
• Made direct messaging possible for customers like you— you can send messages directly to their linked company phone or email on their Business Profile.
• Has reviews displayed under their Google My Business profile, making this restaurant look more credible compared to others in your eyes.

Do you need to pay for Google My Business?

Good news: Google Business Listing is FREE! With a Google My Business account, you can connect with customers across all your Google platforms. You can just imagine how Google My Business can help your business increase its leads and revenue.

Why should you have a Google Business Listing?

Simple. You can manage your company’s important information on Google search results. From description to photos to address and contact numbers, you’re in control of what appears on your Google My Business profile!

Depending on how specific and optimized your Google My Business listing is, your Listing can help you:

• Raise awareness and engagement with your target market
• Establish authority and increase business appeal
• Earn trust from new customers
• Increase inquiries and sales
• Learn insights about your business-customer engagement

To simplify all of this, MOST people make their buyer decisions based on their Google searches. So why would you not want your business to have an optimized appearance on Google?

Google My Business is much like your favorite social media platforms

There are so many things you can do to make your Business profile slap like your other social media pages:

• Update your company profile any time. Make sure your description is complete and contain all key phrases your customers might type in to search for your kind of business.
• Highlight your products/services visually. Provide multiple enticing photos and videos of your business. Just like how that Mexican restaurant has fantastic restaurant images of their interiors and mouth-watering taco photos.
• Encourage your customers to write reviews. Businesses with positive reviews can naturally benefit from higher click and conversion rates.
• Access insights on customer visits and calls made through your Google My Business listing.
• Share your business’s latest promotions through engaging posts

Note though that only businesses with a physical location that customers can visit OR companies that travel from their location to visit their customers can create a Google My Business account.

Optimize your Google My Business to boost your business

As you understand now, Google My Business can definitely boost your online visibility and local search optimization.

Here at Social Reach we have helped our clients improve their local online visibility with the right SEO strategy and with the help of Google My Business. To ensure that your business enjoys ALL the benefits of Google My Business while not taking away from YOUR time, entrust your business’s digital marketing with Florida’s premier digital marketing agency. Social Reach is a team of experts who implements customized and effective marketing plans, including Google My Business to push business growth. There is no need to worry about setting up a Business Profile and optimizing your business’s Google My Business listing with Social Reach as your partner; we’ve got you covered.

Book a discovery call now and let’s start making you your customers’ FIRST choice.