Update: As of November 2021, Google My Business became Google Business Profile.
When you’re looking for a product or service you likely turn to Google and do a quick search for what you want. Depending on which companies come up in the search first, your next step leads to you checking out their Google Business Profile (formerly GMB – Google My Business Page).
With that in mind it’s surprising that this is perhaps one of the most under-utilized marketing resources.
What Is Google My Business (Now Google Business Profile)?
Google My Business, also referred to as GMB, is a free “directory” tool that provides detailed information on your business. It is important because Google considers the data on this page to be the most accurate reflection of your business. Since you can also make regular posts to this page it can be an important part of your Search Engine Optimization strategy.
How To Get Your Business On Google
To get your business on Google you have to claim it. To do so, go to https://google.com/business and fill out your business information. Once complete you can request that Google send a verification postcard to the business address. When that arrives and you enter the unique code in the postcard your listing will be “active.”
How To Create A Google Business Profile Page
Your Google Business Profile page is where you’ll list all of the details about your business including your business category, website, hours of operation, products, and services. It’s essentially the foundation of a company’s presence on Google. Another way to think of this page is the ‘cornerstone’ of your business data for the search engines.
Other business directories will look at your GMB page and extract information for inclusion in their listings. Accuracy is critical!
There’s definitely a science to properly optimizing your GMB, but one tip is to add photos that showcase your business and team. You can also add video content. Regularly updating your images and videos is something you should do.
You should also add content posts on a regular basis. Google used to keep a post published for just 7 days, but now archives them so visitors can scroll through a series of posts you have made. These give you an opportunity to profile products/services or interesting information about your company and industry. You are not limited to weekly posts, in fact, a current SEO strategy is to post more frequently.
What Are The Benefits Of Google My Business?
There are several benefits to having a GMB listing and regularly maintaining here are just a few:
- Increased Visibility – Google is the number one place consumers go to search for businesses. If your business isn’t listed there’s a strong chance your potential clients will go with a competitor instead.
- Improved SEO – Having a verified listing on Google makes your business appear more credible and trusted in the eyes of search engines, earning you a higher spot in the rankings.
- Boosted Sales – Google My Business displays listings to local customers who are searching nearby. This makes it easier for a business to be found, especially if the business has a storefront or provides a service where close proximity is critical.
- Builds Online Reputation – GMB is the perfect place for your customers to leave reviews. This social proof builds trust with potential customers. If you have positive reviews, chances are, you’ll be selected over a competitor who doesn’t.
- Posting Regularly – Creating and uploading a post weekly is rewarded by Google with better listings in the search results for your website.
How To Get The Most Out Of A GBP Listing Service
Claiming a GBP for your business is simple enough, but properly optimizing your page so that it ranks above its competitors is more detailed.
At The Alchemy Consulting Group, we specialize in optimizing GBP listings so that they have the best chance of outranking the competition. We also create and post content for our client’s GBP pages to help enhance their search engine rankings.
Questions about how we can help optimize your GBP listing? Call us at 877-978-2110 or email us at gordon@thealchemyconsultinggroup.com
