Google My Business is a free tool available to all business owners. It allows them to manage their online presence on Google and provide potential customers with important information such as opening hours, address and contact details. Google My Business can impact Google search results as well as local search, google maps and mobile search so it is a powerful tool that companies should take advantage of.
What is Google My Business?
Google developed Google My Business to make it easier for people doing online searches to discover the information they need about a business quickly. It allows customers to find a business’ contact details quickly without the need to go on the website and spend time searching for the information. You may be thinking. Why would I want to provide this information for Google when it will surely mean one less click to my website? This is not how you should be thinking about it. Instead, it has allowed a potential customer quick and easy information about your business with barely any effort on their behalf. If they can access all the information they require at the stage quickly then they will be satisfied. If they require more information that cannot be shown on the Google My Business listing then they will still visit your website.
Why is it important for local businesses?
There are many benefits to businesses claiming their Google My Business listing.
Helps your website rank better in Google
Google My Business is essential for local SEO. If a customer is searching your company then they are already aware of you and your website should automatically appear near the top of the search results anyway. However, if a customer is just searching for “local cleaner” there is no guarantee your website will be near the top. Having a Google My Business listing can help as Google will show what is known as a three-pack result. This is a list of 3 companies in your local area that match the criteria. If you have a Google My Business listing, you have a high chance of appearing on these results. This means you are getting your business in front of a lot more potential customers which is something all business owners should be capitalising on. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) increases your rank in Google. It can take a long time for you to actually see the effects of SEO but in the long run, it is 100% worth it, but how long does SEO actually take to work? there are so many factors that can define this. DBS Digital offers an SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) Service to help you rank better in google.
You are in charge of the information
You are the one who puts the information together so you can ensure its all accurate. If anything changes such as opening hours or address, then you can quickly amend this accordingly meaning you are always providing potential customers with up to date information. This is unlike other online directories that may rarely get updated.
Manage and respond to reviews
People are increasingly using Google My Business to read reviews about a company. These reviews can be a vital part of the decision-making process so it is important to stay on top of these reviews and try and encourage customers to leave reviews. High-quality reviews will automatically improve the perception of your business to potential clients and help persuade them to choose your services or goods.
Find out more about customers
Another invaluable perk of Google My Business is the analytical tools that come with it. You can access information to see where people are searching for you. This information can be extremely useful as it can help you target your marketing in certain geographical areas. It can also aid business growth decisions.
It’s Free
Having a Google My Business Listing is completely free to manage. It is a perfect opportunity to share information about your business. The listing shows at the top of the page which is a really prominent place. You would normally have to pay a fair amount through Google ads to appear in such a prime spot, so businesses should make the most of this opportunity.
What if my business is just online?
If your business is only online and you work from home or just don’t want to state an address then this isn’t a problem. You will need to add an address in to verify the company, however, this address does not need to be visible to the public. Although this means some of the information on the listing will be missing, customers will still see vital information that can help them with their purchase
Some might just see Google My Business as another place they need to keep information up to date. Although this is true, it is worth the effort and they are not complicated to manage. Having a fully optimized Google My Business Listing not only helps customers discover you more easily, but they can also access information quickly, read reviews about your business and get in touch. All the benefits discussed can also be seen pretty much instantly.
DBS Digital provides Digital Marketing Services and Website Services which can help you set up your digital needs (including Google My Business). Our dedicated team is here to help.
