The Benefits of Google My Business Listings
Stand out from the crowd with Google My Business
With so many businesses on the internet nowadays, it is hard to differentiate yourself from your competitors and win people’s business. One easy way to help your business stand out from the crowd is a Google My Business listing. Google My Business is a free, user friendly tool that Google offers to help businesses and organizations manage their online presence across multiple Google applications such as Google Search Results and Maps. A Google My Business listing helps a business tell their story and win new customers. Read on to discover the benefits of Google My Business listings as well as features and best practices to help your business and auctions grow!
Create a Google My Business Listing in a Few Simple Steps!
If you do not already have a Google My Business listing, the first step is to set up an account! It’s quick and easy and only takes a few seconds! Go to https://www.google.com/business/ and click “get started”! Follow the prompts to create your business account and business listing. Be sure to fill out the information as thoroughly as possible so potential customers can find your listing easier!
Before your business listing can go live and appear in Google Search and Maps, it needs to be reviewed. The review process usually takes about a week and once it has been approved, you will receive a post card in the mail with a code to verify your business listing. After you have entered the verification code, your Google My Business listing will be able to be found by potential customers! You can manage more than one business listing, so if you need to set up more accounts, just repeat the steps! If you have multiple businesses at the same location, you should have separate business listings for each one, there is a process for businesses that use multiple business under 1 address – click here for more information.
Ensure Business Information is Listed Clearly
To ensure that your business listing is shown to your ideal audience, you will want to make sure that you include as much relevant information as possible. Make sure your business name, address, phone number, website, and business hours are up to date. It is a good idea to make sure that all your business’s core information is the same and consistent every place your business appears on the web. That way, Google knows your business is legit and it can even help improve your SEO rankings!
Respond to Customer Reviews Promptly (not 4 weeks later)
Google allows people to leave reviews under your Google My Business listing. From your Google My Business account page, you can easily read and respond to reviews left by your customers. You can encourage your customers to leave a positive review so that potential new customers can see the great job you are doing! Don’t worry If you receive a negative review, how you respond can show that you are willing to listen and improve!
Did you know?! 72% of customers read reviews before they decide to make a purchase.
Increase Website Traffic and Boost Local SEO Rankings
In addition to getting your business name out there and having a greater web presence, having a Google My Business listing can help increase organic traffic to your website and can help boost your Local SEO rankings! If your business primarily serves a local area, having your address listed can help your business show up in the search results as well as help you earn additional SERP (search engine results page) features.
Data Insights
Lastly, you can view data insights to learn more about your audience and potential future customers with Google My Business. For example, you can see stats based on how many people called you from the phone number displayed in your listing, or how many people requested directions to your location in maps. With insights, you can gain a better understanding of how your customers think and perceive your business, which in turn can help you find new ways to improve and grow!
Overall, Google My Business is a great FREE, easy-to-use tool that can help your business grow and thrive. Not only can your Google My Business listing provide a wide range of information to potential customers, it can improve your SEO rankings and increase traffic to your website.