Google is responsible for approximately 88% of the global search market[1]. That should be motivation enough to set up a FREE Google My Business account. Sure, we get it may seem redundant to take the extra step of getting verified and claiming your business listing on Google. After all, Google can crawl your site and list your information without you having to take any extra step.
Google My Business (GMB) is the key to managing your business realm in the Google empire. With a GMB account, you are able to create or edit your Business Profile, respond to reviews, and easily update your profile with important business announcements or make changes to hours and phone numbers. Be contacted direct from your profile with click to call functionality or get directions to your storefront with just a tap.
Google wants to make it easy for your potential customers to find and interact with your business.
Did You Know?
60% of smartphone users have contacted a business directly using the search results (e.g., “click to call” option).
[1] BrightLocal, 2015
GMB is a powerful tool that will influence your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts in many ways. Rather than simply relying on bots to crawl the web, Google is giving you control. You’ve invested time and resources to build your business into the success that it is. You’ve built an effective website, you have spent money to drive potential customers to your business. These are important pieces of the puzzle, but they don’t complete the picture.
Show me the benefits…
Here are some of the GMB feature highlights and they are all FREE to use:
- Claim your Business Profile to show up in Google Map local searches. Even if you don’t have a storefront, this is still important because of how consumers prioritize local search. In 2019, Google reported that there were at least 350 times more searches for keywords “local” and “near me” compared with 10 years ago.[3]
- Improve the ranking of your Business Profile by adding keywords and perform optimizations based on analytics available in the platform
- Upload photos and publish new posts to your Business Profile to show Google you are active.
- Respond to reviews on your Profile to help build up your star-ratings and confidence of potential customers. You can only do this with GMB!
- Improve your chances of showing up in the Google 3-pack by having a robust Business Profile. What’s the 3-pack? These are profiles that appear right before organic results and are based on how relevant your profile is to the search query.
So how do I get my business set up on GMB?
Click here to access Google’s easy step-by-step guide for adding or claiming your business. If you need help, simply fill out this form and we will be able to answer any questions and also perform a complementary digital audit of your website and business visibility.
[2] https://support.google.com/business/answer/6335804?hl=en
