TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF YOUR GOOGLE MY BUSINESS LISTING
There’s no question why successful Fort Collins digital marketing services recommend investing time into a Google My Business (GMB) listing. Google My Business can be an incredibly valuable asset for any business making an impact in improving visibility and mapped results to help searchers find your service when and where they need it.
Why Is a GMB Listing Important?
Google My Business is a crucial element of an effective local SEO strategy. More than a simple business listing, it provides immediate access to detailed information about your business without visiting your website. Listings also allow Google to index your business on its Knowledge Graph, Local Pack, and Maps. According to Google reps, 46% of all searches have local intent, meaning the searcher is looking for a local result. Through a GMB listing, you give those potential, and local, customers everything they need to find, visit, contact, and interact with your business.
Optimized GMB listings provide other benefits including appearing as a result from any search origin, immediate access to online reviews, increased website traffic and conversions, and higher rankings on search engine results.
How Do I Make the Most Out of My GMB Listing?
Investing time into optimizing Google My Business listings can lead to worthwhile results. GMB is a free, yet extremely valuable resource for SEO and a powerful tool for increasing visibility and sales. To take full advantage of the potential behind it, simply take some preemptive and proactive actions.
1. Details Are Important
When you create a business profile on Google My Business, it will prompt you to answer a variety of questions about your business in order to provide the most detailed information. Carefully fill out each category, double-checking that all information is entered correctly, up-to-date, and an exact match to the information available on your website. Missing, incorrect, inconsistent, or outdated information could cost you a potential customer and negatively impact search rankings.
2. Descriptions Are Key
Your business information is important, but your business description might be what wins over a potential customer. A good description, with one or two high-value keywords, should provide searchers with relevant information along with details about your brand, your mission or whatever could set your business apart from the competition. You’re only allotted a maximum of 750 characters, including spaces, so you must be short, sweet, and to the point.
3. Claim and Verify Your Account
As important as it is to optimize your listing, Google will not display it until it has been claimed and verified. Once you have claimed your listing, there are several ways to get your listing verified. You can choose to have Google mail you a postcard with a verification code that allows you to claim your business and go live. For select businesses, there is also the option to verify by phone or email.
4. Create a Visual
Images can have a significant impact on your listing as they give searchers a visual example of what your business has to offer. Start by choosing a business profile photo that appeals to customers while showcasing your brand. Other important images include your logo and photos of your location, services, or goods. You can also enable user-generated content through which customers can add photos tagged of your business, increasing interaction and making your business more relatable. According to Google, businesses with photos on their GMB listing receive more driving directions requests through Google Maps and 35% more clicks to their websites.
5. Connect Through Content
With the Google Posts feature, you can add posts with text, photos or video to your listing that allows you to connect directly with customers and share beneficial information like products, offers, events, and more. Posts provide a direct opportunity for promotion, communication and engagement in order to enhance the appeal of your business. To learn more about Google Posts, visit this Google My Business Help page.
6. Easier With Features
A unique advantage of GMB is the ability to enhance customer experience from the moment your business appears on their result page through immediate convenient features that eliminate additional steps to make things easier for your customer. For example, restaurants may feature their menu or hotels may include a booking feature. You may simply make it so that the searcher can schedule an appointment direct from your listing rather than going to your website or calling your office.
7. Communication Is Critical
The GMB platform allows you to interact with customers through reviews or the Ask A Question feature. More and more, searchers turn to online reviews for first-hand insight into your business, so be careful that you invest time into providing timely and respectful responses to positive and negative comments alike. A negative review can be negated through a respectful response, while a positive review can be boosted through public appreciation. Communicating with your customers creates a feeling of trust, making your business feel approachable and worthwhile.
8. Pay Close Attention
Carefully monitoring your listing is the best way to stay on top of the full potential behind your Google My Business listing. Don’t let questions or reviews go unanswered and don’t let information become outdated. GMB can also provide detailed analytics that will allow you to better optimize your listing, but you can read this article about optimizing your GMB listing for tips to get you started.
Red Rocket Web Specialists offers extensive experience and knowledge in managing Google My Business accounts. For more information or to find out what our team can do for you, contact us today at (970) 674-0079.