Every business, small, medium, or large, needs a robust presence on Google. While most companies understand that they must optimize their website and Google Ads, they may not realize the power of Google My Business (GMB) even if they have a profile.
What is Google My Business?
It is your Business Profile, a free service that allows you to display more business information in search results. You can add your business URL, photos, videos, contact info, and business hours, among others, and customers can leave reviews others can read. It enables potential customers to know what they can expect from your business.
Why Should You Optimize Your Google Business Profile?
Google business profile optimization is crucial to encourage customers to choose you over your competitors, something ideal for local marketing. What are its other benefits?
Increased Business Interaction
Firstly, did you wonder why most people visit Google more than any other option? The information it provides in the search engine results pages (SERPs) answers their queries. Often, searchers do not need to visit another website because they get what they need. Thus, zero-click searches.
Your GMB profile showcases you on Google and offers them a straight path to your website. To increase your website visitors, you must optimize your Business Profile for engagement and conversion.
Local Ranking Boost
If you believe that Google ranks businesses depending only on their relevance and proximity, you, my friend, are mistaken.
The information quality and activity of your GMB profile play an integral role in helping your business rank online. Optimizing tells the algorithms about these factors and improves your rank in local search results. The higher your ranking, the more visibility, and engagement your business gets.
Improved Customer Conversion
Now, only making a Business Profile won’t draw customers to your business. Use creative ideas to create a catchy business name to appeal to potential customers.
An optimized profile enables customers to find you in keyword-relevant searches, visit your website, contact you, look up your offerings, request quotes, schedule appointments, and more.
Additionally, it allows you to track the number of clicks your website gets, appointments, and more using Google Analytics.
How to Optimize Google My Business Profile?
Optimizing your GMB is not a complex task. It requires you to follow a few simple steps with concentration.
Fill Your Business Profile with Information
Do not leave any field blank. Google uses each field to help searchers find you through relevance. The more information your profile has, the easier it is to appear on the search results. But avoid congesting it with unnecessary data.
Describe Your Business
Your business description is valuable. You have space for the most significant details, a maximum of 750 characters, including spaces. For instance, tell about your brand and offerings and how they contribute to the local community.
Update Business Hours
You want customers to visit your business when it is open. Telling them you are open till 7 PM but close at 5 PM and a customer visits you at 6 PM is a direct loss. You can update hours at any time and also add holidays.
Choose Multiple Categories Carefully
Choose the business category and one or two additional ones. If you did not know, GMB allows you to add a maximum of 10 categories. But we recommend sticking to two or three.
Use Attributes to Your Advantage
You can choose attributes to include in your profile to indicate specific qualities users can search for. Applying suitable attributes allows you to showcase your business’s unique characteristics. While your business category determines some attributes, you may also opt for universal attributes.
Verify Your Location
Did we mention that a Google My Business profile is essential for local searches? Local SEO only works for local businesses. Hence, you must verify your business location through the verification process, which may include receiving mail at your dedicated mailbox at a local address.
Also Read: Is It The End Of Google’s Era? Is ChatGPT The Future?
Final Words
Having a Google My Business is critical for success in your locality. It is a powerful and highly functional free tool that will display you in the search results of prospects and customers looking for your products or services. Not optimizing it will not be a wise decision.
