Have You Claimed Google My Business Listing Yet? A Simple Guide for Google My Business Listing.

by Guna Nadar - 5/20/2020 520 Views

How important is GMB listing to local businesses?

Jordan Belfort said it right, “Best way to sell something: don't sell anything. Earn the awareness, respect, and trust of those who might buy.” Building trust is a crucial strategic asset for a company as modern customers are looking for genuineness and authenticity in a brand. Can I trust this business to make this purchase? – This is one of the most common questions customers face.

However, when your business shows up in a local search, people are 2X more likely to trust your brand. As a local business owner, you may have had a hard time reaching your customers and earn trust. What if a customer can find you instantly with just a simple search while you can earn trust and create brand awareness? Thanks to Google My Business!

Google My Business is a free and most influential tool for local businesses. It is more than a directory listing. Yes, a powerful marketing strategy that helps to raise your personal authority and credibility.

So, What Is Google My Business?

Google My Business is a free platform that helps local businesses to promote their brand online. GMB allows business owners to manage how their business will look and perform in search engines. In short, GMB gets you found locally.

GMB is a business listing service, especially for local businesses, that allows you to get easily connected with your customers across Google Search and Maps.

Having an optimized GMB listing help local businesses to increase local organic searches, earn the trust with positive reviews, and boost local SEO ranking. Without GMB, your Local SEO efforts can go in vain, no matter how strategizing your SEO techniques are.

GMB listing service

Why Is Google My Business Important?

On considering the fact that 97% of consumers are looking online for local businesses, you must do everything you can to increase your online presence in front of this audience. Google My Business plays a significant role in local search.

GMB helps to attract and reach your local customers, generate leads, and convert the leads into buyers.

GMB gives key information about your business to customers such as

Your business name
Driving directions
Geo Coordinates
Operation hours
The product/service you offer
Customer reviews
Contact number
Address
Events and promotions
Vision and Mission

Through Google My Business You Can:

Google My Business Tips

Although there several tricks and tactics to rank well as a local business, GMB is the most effective digital marketing strategy. In fact, GMB is the backbone of Google’s local search directory.

Here are a few statistics from leading research that show the importance of Google My Business for Local businesses:-

“The Google My Business marketing site saw a nearly 2X increase in organic traffic.”
“88% of searches for local businesses on a mobile device either call or visit the business within 24 hours.”
“Near me” or "close by" type searches grew by more than 900% over the last two years.

97% of consumers searched the Internet for a local business
84% of searches are discovery, while 16% are direct
34% of local businesses are seen in more than 1,000 discovery searches per month
The average local business receives 1,260 views each month – 943 on Search and 317 on Maps
75% of businesses’ GMB listing views are on Search
92.96% of global traffic comes from Google search, Google Images, and Google Maps

It is very clear that GMB listing is incredibly important for ranking in the local results and why you need to ensure your local business is listed on Google.

Whether a customer directly searches for your business or a category, product, service that you offer, GMB can help find your business.

Key Google My Business Features

The new GMB’s features give the edge to your local SEO, and it will be shown at the forefront when a customer searches for a product or service that you offer. These features can help boost your site’s ranking, increase brand awareness, and online visibility. So, make sure to use it wisely. The same data can be used for building local citations.

Name, Address, and Phone Number– You can add your business name, address, phone number, and location. Ensure that NAP (Name, Address, and Phone number) is consistent across the web, not only GMB, right from your website and social media profiles to directory listings and beyond.
Location – You can add the location of your business; this helps the customers to find you easily.
Services – This is a handy feature of GMB. Adding your products and services will tell your potential customers what you offer. Besides, it helps to make Google see your profile as important than your competitors.
Operation Hours – You could add your business timings like operation hours and days. You can even mention holidays.
Messaging – It is similar to an online chat service. Like the Q&A feature of GMB, this feature allows you to answer a customer’s question from your mobile device.
Driving Directions – Instead of just a map with the address, you could embed Google Maps with driving directions.
Attributes – GMB attributes is a great feature to stand out as it allows businesses to highlight features, services, and much more. It also helps to provide valuable information about your business like payment methods, Wi-Fi availability, etc.
Short Name – It one of the best features of GMB as it helps to replace long URLs. A short name makes it easier to share your GMB listing and for users to discover and follow you on Both Google search and Map.
Products – This is an excellent feature to attract your customers and keep them engaged. You can add your products with images, details, and pricing so that your customers can view more information.
GMB Posts – You can post images, special offers, discounts, and website links. They are really a great way to stand out on GMB listing.
Reviews – This is what helps to earn the trust of a customer. It is one of the best features of GMB, which help brands to get feedback from customers and engage them.

Business Description – You can show your business description on the GMB page. Ensure to give a short description that is attractive and relevant to your service.
Social Icon –With this feature, you can link your GMB profile to your social media, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Soundcloud, and Tumblr through social icons.
Marketing Kits – An excellent feature to promote your business online. Yes, this feature lets you display customer reviews on another platform.
Photos And Videos – You could upload the photos and videos of your business or product. The images and videos appear on Map and search results.
Website Builder – This is one of the best features of GMB. If you don’t own a website, you could create one where you can upload images and write descriptions as well.
Booking Button – This is a new feature that is helpful for businesses that are particularly into the hospitality industry. Users can directly book a room in a hotel or reserve a table.
Request a Quote Button – GMB now has a Request a Quote button that allows users to contact the business directly.
Insights – The best feature of GMB. It gives valuable insights into the number of views, searches, and actions taken on your GMB account. These insights will help optimize your GMB for better results.
Q&A – It offers you full control to answer user’s questions about your business.

Once you claim your GMB listing and search your brand, you’ll find all the information on the right side of Google search results.

Here Is An Example Of How It Will Be Shown:-

You can see the description of the business, ratings, number of Google reviews, address, operation hours, menu, etc. as shown in the image below for the brand Dominos in Sydney. This is how your GMB listing will be shown when a customer searches your brand directly.

GMB listing brand directly

Where Does Google My Business Listing Appear?

Let’s imagine a user searches for Locksmith Sydney.

This is how GMB listing for ‘Locksmith Sydney’ will appear in Google search.

Google My Business Listing Appear

Listing on Google Map:-

GMB Listing on Google Map

The listing shows the Business name, Reviews, Service they offer, Contact Number, Website, and Direction. Just see it from a customer perspective. Wouldn’t these brands earn the trust of the customers in just a glimpse? Indeed!

Apparently, these listings dominate the first page for the search “Locksmith Sydney,” and those businesses are more likely to benefit from being on top.

Google always picks out the most relevant local listing for a search. This is what makes Google My Business so powerful!

Wouldn’t you want your business to get into that listing? Well, you need to set up the account, verify, and optimize it to get listed.

So, How To Set Up My Google Business?

Setting up a GMB is very easy and free as well. However, creating your GMB profile is an essential part of the local search. On considering the fact that, about 80% of customers lose trust in a local business if they find inconsistent business details online, you need to make sure the NAP (Name, Address, & Business) is consistent not only in GMB but also across all your listings. Creating a great listing can give control over your business name, location, photos, and videos that are shown when a customer searches for the product or service you are offering.

So, ensure to give the relevant information with these guidelines showing how to set up your GMB account.

Here Is How To Set Up Your GMB Profile:-

Step 1: Sign In To Your Gmail Account

Your Google My Business listing is connected to your Gmail account. The Gmail account you use to create GMB listing is the account that has the administrator rights. Create a separate account for GMB listing, or you could also use your existing business account.

The first thing you need to do is Go to https://www.google.com/business/ and click Manage Now.

You’ll be asked to log in to an existing account. If you don’t have an account, create one. Once you log in to your account, you can start creating the listing.

GMB Profile Step 1 Sign In To Your Gmail Account

Step 2: Find Your Business

Enter your business name and location to check whether your business already exists on Google Map or not. If you could able to find an existing listing, select and move on. If you can’t find one, click ‘Add your business to Google.”

GMB Profile Step 2 Find Your Business

Step 3: Add Your Business Name

Just enter your business name and move on. If you have a common business name, add the location as well.

GMB Profile Step 3 Add Your Business Name

Step 4: Choose Your Business Category

Ensure to choose the right category because you can’t create one. You have to choose from the available categories. If you can’t find the exact one, settle in the more general one. If you type a category, you can find several options related to it. Choose a relevant one and click next.

GMB Profile Step 4 Choose Your Business Category

Step 5: Add Your Business Location

If you have a physical location to your business, select yes and click next to register the location. Choose option ‘No’ if you don’ have one and this part will be skipped.

GMB Profile Step 5 Add Your Business Location

Then, enter your business address, including street address, city, state, and zip code. Once you are done, click next.

GMB Profile Step 5 Add Your Business Location

Then, Google will show you a list of businesses that may be your listing.

GMB Profile Step 5 Add Your Business Location

Answer and click next.

Step 6: Add Your Delivery Service Area

If you are serving other places, choose to register those areas as well. Select yes, and click next.

GMB Profile Step 6 Add Your Delivery Service Area

Google will now ask to add the areas you serve. Set the service area based on the state, country, and state. Once you are done, click next. However, this step is optional and ideal for businesses that offer home service or home delivery.

GMB Profile Step 6 Add Your Delivery Service Area

Step 7: Add Your Contact Details

Add your contact details and website URL and click Next. You could also choose the option I don’t need a website or Get a free website based on your info if you don’t have a website. It will be automatically built and updated with the information you have given. However, it can be used for GMB listing only. Click ‘See Details’ during this step.

GMB Profile Step 7 Add Your Contact Details

Step 8: Finish and Verify the Details

This is the final step. When you are done, click Finish. You can always go back and edit any information that needs correction.

GMB Profile Step 8 Finish and Verify the Details

Now that you have created GMB account, it is essential to verify your business.

How to Verify GMB Listing?

Once you have created a profile, verifying your account is an essential step when signing up for GMB. Google offers various options to get your business verified so that you can choose the one that works for you.

Google validates your business by verifying your business location through various methods including:-

Postcard verification
Phone verification
Email verification
Instant verification

No matter which option you choose, you’ll get a code in 14 days. As soon as you receive the code, log in to your account, and enter the code to verify. That’s it.

Here is the complete guide to verify your account.

Now that your GMB account is verified, it is time to optimize the listing.

How Do I Optimize My Business Listing on Google?

Ensure the Information Is Accurate and Up-To-Date

GMB requests your name, address, and phone number (also called NAP) to begin the listing. These are the crucial information that will be indexed when a user searches for a product or service that you are offering, providing a foundation for your Local SEO. So, ensure the information is relevant and exactly same as given in your website.

Add High-Quality Images

According to Think With Google, “listing that has a virtual tour and high-quality images generate twice as much as interest as those without.” Images and videos help to stand out and give users a glimpse of your service. So, add only good images that show off your products or facility.

Choose the Right Category

The category you choose will let Google decide which category your business listing belongs to. You can’t create your own, and you have to choose from the available categories. If there is no specific category that matches your business, settle in something more general one but still relevant.

Use a Local Number

It is of utmost importance to use a local number with area code as you are catering to local customers. This is an added signal to Google that your brand is local and relevant to the search. However, ensure the local number is also displayed on your website or landing page.

Avoid Penalty

Google suspends business listings for several reasons. Being penalized and suspended can be stressful, and you have to start from scratch. Read carefully and understand Google’s guidelines for GMB here before claiming your listing.

Encourage Reviews

Reviews are the key to local search. The more you get good reviews, the more sales. Keep in mind, about 90% of read reviews before purchasing or visiting the store. Get ratings and feedback from your customers. Of course, you’ll get bad reviews. But, the key is to respond to it as it signals Google that you care for customers. No matter it is a good or bad review, respond!

Final Thoughts

Today, customers want to know more about a business before they engage, and are looking for more details of the local business. Google My Business made it possible with its amazing features.

If you are just getting started with Local SEO, there is no quick and easy way to rank higher and increase your online visibility than creating and optimizing Google My Business listing. A well-optimized listing can present your brand to prospective customers.

Together with your local SEO efforts, GMB listing can help you cash in local searches. Google My Business is a boon for every local business if utilized properly!

It is easy to claim GMB listing and optimize it. However, if you find it difficult, get help from a digital marketing agency.

Category :

SEO News

Tags :

Google My Business, building local citations

About Guna Nadar

Brief Info about Guna Nadar +

I mostly write technical aspects and not much into creative writing. For the past decade I worked along with top notch SEO & Internet Marketing professionals which naturally lured me into the world of Search Engines. When I am not writing I read from comics to philosophy.Antiques, Fishing, hunting are my passions. Currently I am working on Google Penalty protection and .... more info