Google My Business: What’s the Benefit?
A Google My Business (GMB) listing is now an essential element of your online presence. It works as part of your local marketing strategy, while also fitting into your wider digital efforts.
We all know what a Google search page looks like. The paid-for ads come first and a local three-pack follows that in the case of many searches. The local pack features a map with local firms highlighted, as well as their listings just below.
When someone is looking for a local firm, they’ll find these ones first. This gives the ones ranking there a real opportunity to garner business.
So you’ll want to give your firm as much of a chance as possible to get into that pack. And that means setting up a GMB profile.
What does Google My Business do?
Google My Business is a platform that lets you supply the information that will be used in the search engine’s listings for your firm. It provides the details for the knowledge panel, which is the information displayed about your business when someone searches for your brand name.
It shows your firm’s core information, including address, phone number, customer rating and a link to your website.
You can optimise your profile by filling out every element of your profile. Google has supplied guidelines for business profiles, advising that businesses use the same branding representation as it uses in the real world and to provide accurate information.
Benefits of Google My Business
Besides simply allowing your firm to appear on Google searches, maintaining a Google My Business listing provides the following benefits:
- Allows your firm to show up on Google Maps
Without a Google My Business listing, you won’t be able to appear on Google Maps or in the local pack. Appearing in these results is hugely important as you can capture leads who are looking for a local firm. As people now use Maps as a search engine, your firm needs to be present there.
- Gives you insights
Your GMB account comes with insights into your account and posts. You can see how many views your post has had, how people found you and what actions they took when they did. You can use these insights to make decisions on certain aspects of your online activity, such as which days to prioritise posting.
- It’s free
The only investment you have to make in Google My Business is time. The platform is totally free but offers a lot. When setting up and maintaining your listing won’t cost you anything, it becomes a no-brainer.
- Lets you post
As well as critical business information, Google My Business also lets you post news stories, events, blogs and other updates. If you’ve added something new to your site and you’ve published it on your social media channels, it makes sense to post it on GMB too. It’ll allow you to give a post as much exposure as possible.
- Lets you update clients
You can use GMB to communicate with your clients and leads. If you’re changing your opening hours – or just updating them during Christmas – you can let people know. If you change office address or any of your other contact details, your listing can keep people informed.
- Lets you show off reviews
If you have no other online listings for reviews, GMB will service that need. You can collect client reviews and use them as part of your online marketing. A study found that a 56% of customers will choose a business if it has positive reviews displayed in the local pack.
Google My Business can be a huge help when it comes to local marketing. It’s a relatively low maintenance tool that helps enhance your firm’s online visibility – one that there’s no real reason not to utilise.
