In today’s digital age, it’s essential for businesses to have an online presence to thrive in the competitive market.
With Google easily being one of the most widely used search engines, accounting for 84.69% of searches across the globe, it’s an essential aspect in establishing your online presence.
This all comes down to your Google My Business optimization.
Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that allows businesses to manage their online presence on Google.
It includes aspects like your business’s address, number, website, and various other aspects consumers may be looking for.
When people search for local businesses, the top search results are typically the GMB listings.
Because of this, having a well-optimized GMB listing can significantly increase the visibility of your business online and attract more potential customers.
In this article, we are going to share everything you need for Google My Business Optimization, from how to claim and verify your listing, best practices when completing your profile, and how to effectively optimize your GMB to maximize your online presence.
Let’s get started!
How to Claim and Verify Your Google My Business Listing
The first step in your Google My Business Optimization is to claim and verify your listing.
Claiming your listing allows you to manage the information related to your business on Google.
To claim your business, you’ll need to go to the GMB page and sign into your Google account or use the “manage now” button to search for your business.
If your business appears, follow the prompts to claim it. If it doesn’t, click on the “Add your business to Google” button and follow the instructions to add your business.
Verifying your listing confirms the legitimacy of your business and ensures that the business information you’ve provided is correct and current.
Generally, this is done through a piece of mail being sent to your business address or through an email, phone call or text message.
Completing Your Google My Business Profile
Setting up your GMB profile is fairly straightforward and will require a range of information regarding your business, such as:
- Basic business information
- Photos
- Business description
- List of services
Basic Information
This section is vital and plays a significant role in ensuring your business populates in relevant search results.
Some things you’ll need to include are your:
- Business name
- Address
- Phone number
- Website URL
- Business category
Photos
Adding photos to your GMB not only helps increase your online presence, but also helps engage users when they view your profile.
The photos you use can help give your visitors a better understanding of your business by showcasing your storefront, services, or products.
Business Description
Your business description should be informational and accurate. This ensures your listing is included in relevant search results and is found by the people who are actively looking for your services or products.
It should highlight what makes your business unique and different from your competitors and should include relevant keywords to improve your local SEO rankings.
Services
The services or products you offer should be accurately described to help give any users a clear understanding of what you have to offer.
Google My Business Optimization – 5 Essential Aspects to Include
Once your Google My Business profile is complete, it’s time to optimize it for search.
Doing this is simpler than you may initially think. Here are some of the best ways to optimize your GMB listing.
1. Use Relevant Keywords
This will help ensure Google knows when to populate your business in search results.
Consider what people would be searching for when looking for your business. Once you’ve identified your keywords, include them in your business description.
To make this even more powerful, try to ensure they are in your business name as well.
2. Choose The Right Catagory For Your Business
Your business category plays a significant role in determining when your listing is included in search results, and you don’t want it showing up in results it shouldn’t.
Choosing the most accurate and relevant category for your business and the services/products you offer will help increase your standing on Google and make sure you are included in searches that are relevant to your business.
3. Geo-Tag Photos and Videos
Geo-tagging is a great way to help drive local traffic and increase your chances of being added to search results for users in your area.
This can be done by adding geo-tags to your GMB images, as well as your social media images.
4. Accurate Business Hours
This is an essential aspect of your profile and ensures anyone who discovers you know when you’re open for business.
The last thing you want is inaccurate hours to be listed and potential customers getting frustrated when they find you closed when they visit or call.
5. Responding to Customer Reviews
Reviews play a significant role in how people perceive your business.
Responding to both positive and negative reviews is vital and can help influence potential customers in the future.
Using Google My Business Features to Your Advantage
GMB offers various features that can help improve your profile and enhance your overall online presence.
Some features you may want to consider using are:
- Custom promotional posts
- The Q&A feature
- GMB insights
Promotional Posts
This is a feature that allows you to create custom posts to highlight new products and services or share updates regarding your business.
Q&A Feature
This feature gives your users a way to directly ask you a question, making your listing more interactive. This is a powerful way to get involved with your current and potential customers.
One thing to note about this feature is that answers should be prompt and informative, so closely monitor it for any new questions.
GMB Insights
Knowing how your listing is performing is essential in helping you further optimize it.
The information provided helps you gain valuable knowledge and can give you a better understanding of how to enhance your profile over time.
3 Best Practices for Maintaining Your GMB Listing
To ensure that your Google My Business listing is always up-to-date and optimized for search, here are some best practices to follow:
1. Keep Your Business Information Up to Date
This will ensure your listing is always relevant and provide your customers with reliable information.
2. Respond To Customer Reviews
This not only helps improve your rankings but also shows potential customers you value their opinions.
It’s also a powerful way to learn about your customers and how you can improve your business overall.
3. Use Google My Business Features to Your Advantage
With the various features offered by GMB, optimizing and further improving your online presence becomes much easier and can help your business grow and thrive.
Enhance Your Online Presence With a Digital Marketing Agency
Your Google My Business listing is an important step in improving your online presence and attracting more customers to your business.
Setting up and optimizing your GMB may seem overwhelming, and when you have a business to run, finding time to create and monitor your listing can be a challenge.
The experts at IMP Digital are here to help.
With over 20 years of experience supporting business owners across various industries, bringing your business to new heights is where we thrive.
Contact us, or book a discovery call to get started.
Let’s make managing your online presence easy!
