The Ultimate Guide To Google My Business: How It Works and Why You Should Use It!

How you can get Google My Business to get more customers this year.

Google My Business Can Get You More Sales If You Let Them

If you have a local business or operate a local business online, you may not know that Google has a few great options to help you succeed. They have a program called Google Business Profile. I’ll still refer to the service as Google My Business for those who are used to that name.

The online giant has attempted to get local businesses to partner with them for geographic search results. Of course, they are doing this for profit. They want businesses to invest in advertising. The company may not state this publicly but they also need content from local businesses in order to ensure that searches are both convenient and accurate for the consumer. Google wants local businesses to publish better content.

Working with Google Business Profile

When a local business signs up with Google My Business, they will need to fill out the form. It’s a fairly straightforward process. Your account has to be set up first. In order to create an account, you need to provide basic business information. Go to the business profile manager dashboard in your GMB account and get your information set up. This includes company name, business address, location, business phone number, email address and website address.

You will also be asked to create a Google My Business Profile Page. This page is where customers can find all the relevant information about your company, including photos and ratings from previous customers. I recommend setting up a basic website and using that as your online profile page. You can also use Facebook or LinkedIn to share information about your business with potential customers.

Once you have completed the sign-up process, it’s time to publish content! You will want to create blog posts and add photos of your storefront, products, or services. Don’t forget to include your hours of operation (even if you have an online store). You can also post videos if you have them. Make sure that all the relevant information is easily found on your Google My Business Profile Page.

Keeping It Local

You should also add “locally relevant” content to your blog posts and pages. This means writing about topics that are specific to your location or industry. If you have a lot of local competition, this will help you stand out as the expert on the topic! You can also promote local events or special deals.

Google wants people who are looking for businesses in their area to find them. By following the basic steps outlined above, you can make your small business website visible in the Google search rankings. Keep your content relevant and well organized. In exchange, Google will promote your business up the rankings.

Create a local marketing program and install Google Analytics on your site. Your next step is to monitor local results and conduct any onsite optimizations necessary to build search traffic. Look at your customer service system to include feedback surveys and outreach. This can help you secure positive reviews; which is needed for the Google Three-Pack qualification.

Local Organic Search Results

It’s a fair trade. Organic search results beat advertising for several reasons. Organic search is cheaper than paid search. Paying for a click means just that; when someone clicks on an ad, you will be charged for that click. A click may cost a few cents to a few dollars based on competitive bidding and promotional value.

When someone clicks on the organic search results, there’s no additional cost. You may have paid to optimize your website or offer page, but that cost continues to bring in results once you’ve gotten to page one for that keyword. Organic search visibility isn’t tied to a specific date or time. Google often indexes updated content regularly, even if no changes have been made to the website itself.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) assists companies in increasing the ranking of profitable keywords in organic search results. This means that your website will slowly start appearing in organic results over the long run, even if you only make minor updates from time-to-time. This is one reason it’s so helpful to keep track of all your SEO efforts. Google uses several ranking factors to help and we’ll cover those in this article.

How an Online Business Can Benefit from A Google My Business Listing?

If you have an online business, you may get your Google Business Profile listing. A Google Business Profile listing lets you set up your business information with a local address, but you can choose to hide that information if you are a home-based operation. For example, if you have an ecommerce site and want the benefits of the Google listing, this is a viable way to go.

The Google My Business App

The Google My Business app is a must-have for any business. It’s easy to set up and manage, and it provides useful information for your business.

Here are some of the key features of the Google My Business app:

● Time tracking–Keep tabs on how much time you spend on various business tasks, such as website design or marketing campaigns. This information can help you measure your success and provide a baseline to compare future work against.

● Ecommerce data–Get an instant snapshot of your sales data so you can optimize your ecommerce goals. See what products are selling best, where your customers are located, and more.

● Gmail notification–Get notified when relevant changes or updates happen to your Google Business Profile, such as adding or removing a product from the catalog.

Google Business Profile Ranking Strategy

The SEO experts focus on tricks for gaming the system. They may seem to be really sharp, but honestly, Google already gives you what you need to make the cut. I train local businesses on using Google’s own tools to gain targeted traffic. There are two critical features to focus on; Google Maps and Google Three-Pack.

Google Maps

Before you focus on ranking on Google Maps, you need to verify your business information. Optimize your business description and include links to media sources. I cannot stress this enough. Make sure that you have the most accurate information and keep it consistent across all online sources.

These listings are only shown for searches with local search intent. That’s why having a verified local address is critical. The app allows you to conduct a basic audit of your listing and on your competition.

Ranking on Google Maps

First, I recommend installing the GMB Everywhere extension for Chrome. Use Google Maps to conduct a search once you have downloaded the extension. The GMB everywhere system will overlay information on all listings to boost your rankings. There is a specific function for Google My Business.

To access your Google Map URL, navigate to https://maps.google.co.in. After that, click on the settings button to obtain your location on the map. A menu tab will appear because of this. Click the Share or Embed Map button. The Map can be shared or embedded by clicking on the share or embed buttons. Paste your code into any text editor.

The Local Search Ranking Factors Report

The study comes out annually in the Local Search Ranking Factors Report. This report helps local businesses understand how to perform higher in Google’s location-based search results. Google may rank local businesses in the neighborhood pack/finder/maps and within organic results based on 132 factors, according to the survey.

The report outlines the top 20 ranking factors for local businesses. If you want your Google Maps ranking to increase, this is something to consider. Here are the current top ranking factors to consider when looking to rank your local pages with Google’s help.

● Primary GMB category.

● Keywords in the GMB business title.

● Proximity of address to the searcher.

● Physical address in the city-search.

● Additional GMB categories.

Click the link above to read more on this subject of ranking factors. Of course, no one has the exact recipe that Google uses, but this is their educated guess. For optimizing for local search, this is an excellent place to start. As a business owner, you’ll want to keep yourself informed on local SEO info. You don’t have to be an expert, but you’ll want to know the basics.

Google My Business Dashboard

In order to rank your listing in Google Maps, your primary business category is the most critical factor. Even though choosing the right business category might seem a straightforward task at first, it may not be as straightforward. I recommend doing some keyword research first. Balance monthly search volume against competitiveness.

Log into your business Google account. Head over to the GMB dashboard. This is where you will fill out your profile. Using the GMB everywhere extension, let’s look at your competitors. Research the keywords they rank for. Let’s also look at their categories. A star indicates the primary category. Besides these primary categories, there are secondary categories as well. GMB everywhere will display them if they apply to your business.

Since secondary categories are included in the top ranking factors list, I think it would be wise to list them too. This is what it will take to outpace your competitors. Keep a close watch on them to ensure that you stay ahead.

Be sure to return regularly to update or monitor your profile activity. The business dashboard will give you detailed insights about your website traffic, conversions, and reviews. You can also use Google My Business to manage your advertising campaigns and connect with customers through targeted marketing messages.

SEO Principles to Consider

You will rank very high and quick in Google Maps if you target the right keywords in your business name. You can rank a listing to page one using this technique if it applies.

It’s not uncommon to see listings in search results with names that are very similar to those of businesses. Be aware that Google will de-list your profile if it looks like you’re spamming the listing. Conduct research before you start your profile.

Optimize your website and blog. Include local references and helpful information for your readers. Add videos and images. Don’t forget your logo. Share links to your online assets on social media. Keep your site free of duplicate content. This is the easiest way to downgrade your search engine optimization efforts.

The Importance of Content Marketing

Search ranking is heavily influenced by Google My Business signals. People searching for your business should be able to find information such as the address, contact information, opening hours, and more (see the NAP section for additional details). The more detailed your listing is, the more likely people will be to click on it.

There are plenty of strategies for gaining rankings without having the content updated regularly. Load pages with original and high-quality text and images. Optimize your content for multiple keywords.

Avoid stuffing headers with keywords on your page (alt tags are okay).

Low-Quality Content Will Hurt Your Rankings

People will rarely return to pages with crappy content. Not only can Google flag these sites for removal, but other search engines may also penalize your business as well. It’s essential that you improve any review content on your listing if: You’ve been denied a claim.

Seems like a lot of work? Well, it is. Especially if you have a lot of high quality competition. Continue to track your competition and create quality content. Hire a content provider or use a system that manages your content marketing successful online content creation process: Write high quality original blog articles (no guest posts please).

Focus on user experience and provide useful value. Your business website’s local search optimization and content writing could be one of the most crucial components that turn customers into loyal clients (and keep them coming back). Keep up with Google’s latest changes and keep track of your competition.

Getting Google Reviews

Seek favorable reviews. If you have an email list, court your customers. Explain to them that customer feedback and favorable reviews help your business to get better. Because negative customer reviews affect both page rank and the likelihood of being shown in search engine result pages by customers or competitors, it really is critical to earn favorable reviews.

Google’s algorithms have heavily adapted to address user objections. Reply to review comments. Answer questions posted on your listing page and in reviews. Do not use link equity from outside the website as an excuse for ignoring online content writing ideas. The more content you create, the better your chance of getting a Google review.

Some companies have paid for customer reviews. There is no set industry standard on how much it costs to get excellent reviews from such services as Yelp or sites like Angie’s List. But out of all online marketing efforts, organic SEO will add the most value. Understand that pressuring friends and family into writing favorable product names in comments must be avoided because one of the primary factors for these sites is trust and repeat.

Promoting Positive Reviews

The presence of negative reviews can be a nuisance at a minimum or crippling for promotions at the most. You can use Google search results to combat that issue if it happens to your company. You will secure your credibility if, for example, you have hundreds of positive reviews spanning back in time.

Heading off negative reviews is just a matter of staying on top of things. When they pop up, answer them politely and help them overcome the issue. Customers can find all those positive reviews when they search your business name.

Handling a Negative Review

When they come across a less-than-perfect review, you’ll have a rebuttal in place that answers their doubts. They won’t have to click through the comment section to get the answer they need to justify sticking with your business.

A customer who writes a positive testimonial is likely to be satisfied. Show your appreciation by thanking them. Let the public know how cool you and your company are at interacting with them. Set up a Google Alert with your company name and your own name. This will flag anything that pops up relating to you or your company. You’ll get a notice in your Gmail inbox.

Local Google Business Profile Marketing Strategies

Here are my Top 10 tips for GBP marketing efforts.

1. Keywords Optimized Business Title — Your business name or the title of your store should be keyword rich. This boosts SEO value and provides extra search traffic from word-of-mouth, recommendations and Google local searches results.

2. Complete Google Business Profile Listing — If you already have a successful brick-and-mortar business, then definitely list Google Local Search. The most important aspect of this is quality customer reviews and a professional image in the community news section.

3. Remove SPAM Listings — Don’t be one of those businesses that take advantage of Google’s open door policy. Skip the campaign every quarter or until you reach 100 authentic five-star reviews. (Spam can negatively affect your Author rank and higher search results, such as top positions in local maps).

4. Build Optimum Internal Links on Your Website — Internal links will improve the quality of your website. Think Wikipedia. There’s a reason it’s one of the top websites on the planet. Internal links are extremely helpful to both humans and bots.

5. Optimize Your Primary GMB Category — This is critical. Choose your GMB category wisely because this will determine what appears on the Google Local Maps grid listing and appearing in businesses near your results pages when someone uses an Android or iPhone to search for a local business (based on location).

6. Establish Your Top Keywords in Native Google Reviews — In Google Local Search, native feedback is popular among business owners because it makes the review appear more honest. The same applies to businesses that provide excellent customer support via telephone or forums — these types of reviews are top-notch and therefore lift your overall GMB rating (and search results).

7. Get A Lot of Reviews on your GMB — Sure, quality reviews are a plus. However, a large number of excellent reviews is even better. As I pointed out earlier, if you get a grouchy reviewer who just won’t be satisfied with your positive and helpful response, they may not be satisfied with calling it a draw. However, when you have over a hundred positive reviews and one or two adverse ones, you’re shielded from negative pressure.

8. Fill in the additional GMB Categories — Get your additional categories completed. Categories are significant for two reasons. First, Google uses them to group related GMB business information together. Second, when you’re logged in to your Google Local account and click on the “Categories” link on the left side of the main Local Maps page (viewable by anyone with a GMB account), you’ll see a list of all your categories and their corresponding subcategories.

9. Build Important Links to your Domain — Normally I don’t get into the nuts and bolts of link building. That should be a major topic all on its own. However, it’s imperative for qualifying for the Google Three-Pack. If you can, consult with a reputable SEO regarding building quality backlinks. If you already have them organically, that’s great. Check your SEO stats monthly.

10.Optimize Your Images and Videos — It’s unnecessary to get everything done all at once, but it is helpful to build out your content as you get more traffic from Google search results. Ensure that all images load quickly and have relevant title tags.

Track Your Google Local Citation Traffic and Qualify for the Google Three-Pack

This is the traffic data you’ll use to measure your overall GMB success. An obvious goal for your Google Business Profile is to qualify for the Google Three-Pack. The Google Three Pack is a suite of services offered to business owners with over 100 organic search results. However, in order to qualify, businesses must attract at least 2000 monthly unique visitors from Google Local Search.

Ensure that your online presence is fully optimized, including your business hours. Conduct a citation audit to ensure that your business verification is consistent from one listing to another. This means your Google My Business account might have everything correct. But on another site, like a local business directory, the business name may be misspelled or abbreviated.

New customers in your service area may not notice the issue. However, customers unfamiliar with your service area may end up calling an old phone number or visiting the wrong address. Be sure to check for consistency in your NAP (name, address, phone) listings across the internet.

What It Will Take to Qualify for the Google Three Pack

To qualify for the Google Three Pack, you will need an ongoing commitment to growing your GMB business. Hours spent creating high-quality content, optimizing images and videos, and building links will be necessary to continue growth. Monthly reporting of website traffic is key to monitoring progress and ensuring that you are making the most of your GMB account.

Google will offer this benefit to local businesses based on optimization, traffic and geographic location. This is a worthwhile effort because of the advertising savings and the traffic potential. Not only will the effort required to qualify bring in much needed traffic, but once you qualify, your site is now in the major leagues.

Setting Up Your Google Business Profile

● GBP is a powerful tool for local businesses to get more customers and boost their online presence.

● You can use Google Maps as a business locator, where you can list your business information such as address, phone number, website and directions.

● It is easy to create a professional profile with all the details of your company like: name of the company/business; contact info (phone number); opening hours; photos or videos, etc.

● Use your Google Business Profile to improve your search engine rankings and increase traffic

Conclusion

As a small business owner, your company will profit more when you promote online. It pays to be visible to your target market. Thankfully, with the help of Google Business Profile, you can do just that! By registering and creating a profile, you can create detailed information about your business.

In addition, you can upload images and videos, track your website’s performance, and engage with potential customers through Google Ads. Besides all this, GBP also helps local businesses to improve their online presence in other countries by translating their website into different languages.

So if you’re looking for an efficient and cost-effective way to boost your business, Google Business Profile is the perfect platform for you! Subscribe now for regular notifications on small business marketing and content creation!