Are you Utilizing Google My Business to its Full Potential?

There are so many ways to increase awareness for your brand, business, or company. But when it comes to your business’s online presence, putting your best foot forward matters. With Google My Business (GMB) being an efficient and helpful tool for businesses to use, many may not realize that they’re holding their listing back by not utilizing it properly. How do you know if you’re doing everything right? There are key things to know about utilizing the full potential of your listing, including: 

• The benefits of claiming your GMB listing 
• How to verify your business on Google
• How to optimize your profile properly

With so many edits made to Business Profiles each month, our agency knows how important it is to quickly make changes so that our business information on Google is verified, engaging, and up-to-date. It’s easy, free, and incredibly tactful, so any business can implement this initiative right now!

The Benefits of Claiming Your GMB

Although most of this information can likely be found on your website, Google My Business indexes the content you provide for consistency across Google Search and Maps. But it’s not just a place to find basic information about your business. When used correctly, Google My Business is a powerful tool that can increase your revenue and provide valuable insights about your customers. Yes, it helps your customers find your business faster online, but here’s how your business can benefit the most from this free tool.

1. Claiming your profile allows you to control the information that Google displays. By claiming your GMB profile, you can verify and edit all the information about your business as it appears on Google.
   
2. GMB listings allow you to appear in a geographical search. Have you ever used a “near me” search on Google Maps? Google Maps is skilled in finding business locations, and GMB listings are displayed prominently in Google Maps search results. That gives you several opportunities to attract new business.
3. Google reviews are necessary for today’s consumers and it helps with reputable management. It is easily noted that a large online reputation management component is embedded in GMB. That’s why it’s so important to utilize a platform that both captures and allows you to respond to customer reviews. Whether engaging with positive or negative reviews, it shows that your brand or business cares about your customers’ satisfaction in which we believe is huge in winning business.
4. Your GMB listing can increase your website SEO. If you’re not familiar with SEO, or search engine optimization, have a look at an SEO resource​ we put together that redefines why SEO is a useful tool. By claiming your GMB profile, you’re adding quality web links that lead consumers back to your website.
5. GMB has helpful insights and customer analytics. Being able to discover how your customers found you and what actions they took, helps your business determine which type of information they are looking for.
6. Google keeps you up-to-date with new features for GMB. Business longevity is a big factor in consumer trust and reputation. Staying up-to-date with new integrations such as showing “X Years in Business’ on your profile shows authenticity to your business and customers.

While there are many benefits to claiming a Google My Business listing, let’s remember that before Google My Business, it wasn’t long ago the Yellow Pages was the most practical way to find businesses. Now with Google My Business essentially being the equivalent of a business listing in the Yellow Pages, its main purpose is to compliment your existing website by giving it a public identity and presence on Google. At Growth, we are here to make your Google My Business profile work for you in the most efficient and productive method, and in order to do so, you have to optimize it. Here are a few quick and easy tips that we mentioned earlier this year:

• Ask satisfied customers to rate your product or service
• Keep your business information up-to-date
• Leverage the tool to get in touch with your existing customers and potential new customers
• Publish updates regularly, such as product or company announcements, press releases, events, blog articles, or your latest promotions

When you have finally set up and optimized your GMB listing, taking into account these tips, you’ll have access to Google My Business Insights which provides detailed information on how and where consumers are searching for your business. Combining this with your website’s Google Analytics data creates a powerful overview of how people find your website and listing and the actions they take afterward.

Google My Business Is Helping You, So Stay Updated with Growth

This year with more business owners relying on digital tools to connect with their customers and potential businesses, we understand the initiatives it takes in elevating your online presence. Our expert advice to any new prospective client or business is to create a high-quality and responsive website that represents their business well, then shift focus to optimizing their Google My Business profile, ensuring that it’s the first to be updated with correct business info. As an agency, we will continue to update our solutions to be as helpful as possible because updating your online presence is just one win to claim before “Hiring a Growth Agency”. If you have any questions about how we can help you get your Google house in order sooner rather than later, give us a shout.