Google My Business has become a significant tool that affects your local SEO directly. If you want your users to find you on Google Maps with all the accurate information about your business in local search, you must optimize your Google My Business listing. It is very important in Local SEO For Small Business
Once you learn how to optimize Google My Business for leads, you can boost your web presence and generate more leads.
Before getting to the best ways to optimize your business listing on Google, let us discuss the importance of Google My Business listing.
Why is Google My Business listing important for your business?
Google My Business is not a searchable directory, but your business listing on Google My Business is the source for many public, searchable directories to get your business information. It includes Google Maps that has turned into a separate hybrid kind of business directory, review site or navigation service. Your Google My Business listing can have a direct effect on your organic rankings on both regular Google searches and Google Maps.
Now, you know why it needs proper optimization. Read on for the tips that can help you optimize your Google My Business listing.
Claim your Google Business listing
The very first thing while optimizing your Google Business listing is claiming. You might get surprised, but anyone can edit and add information to your Google My Business. Yeah, this is quite scary, but you need not worry about it once you claim your listing. Claiming your listing gives you the access to update and edit your business information and manage reviews. The process to claim involves a few easy steps. Remember, it is a must for your business listing. Google keeps updating and this makes it essential for you to make changes to the listing regularly to get its benefits.
Select a category
When you list your business under a relevant category, the chances are high that your users will find you even in non-branded searches. If your business name doesn’t give any idea about your service, categorizing your company becomes more important.
Another reason why selecting a category for your business is important is the unique attributes Google has for every category. By choosing a category, say a restaurant, you get to tell your users if you accept credit cards, have parking or include a booking CTA in the business listing.
Similarly, Banks can include attributes like ATM or drive-through. So, if you want to be found in the local search, do not skip this step while optimizing your Google My Business listing.
Ask and answer questions
One of the significant features of Google My Business is the Q/A feature that allows you (business owners) to answer and ask common questions to their customers. There are users who might never go to your website and just read you’re My Business listing on Google. For such users, this feature gives away most of the important information about your business. The questions might include if you provide free parking, offer same-day delivery and other similar query-based questions. Fill this section as an FAQ page increasing your users’ value. It also accepts questions from visitors, so ensure you are quick to respond to the queries.
Add Appointment Bookings
There is another feature that helps businesses allow their customers to make reservations and book appointments. This feature of Google My Business has a link that, when clicked by a user, takes them to a landing page, which allows them to make a reservation or book an appointment with you. If you receive regular calls for appointment requests and booking, this feature is a book for boosting your leads.
By promoting the appointment/reservations page of your website on Google My Business, you can make appointments easily without any hassle for the customers and your employees. It is an effective tool for businesses such as law firms, medical facilities and clinics, restaurants and more. The appointment booking tool improves the search experience of your customers, boosting your local SEO.
Optimize business descriptions
Adding a business description is essential for your company profile to optimize your Google My Business listing. An informative and engaging business description helps promote your business to the target audience (especially local searchers) and allows you to give a brief description of what you do and how you can help your customers.
A good business description is also a key to differentiating your business from your competitors. On Google My Business, you can add a description of up to 750 characters, which makes for 250 words approximately. Make the most of this feature! Consider it as one of your web pages that offers informative content to your visitors. These are not just words to fill that space.
To create the best business description, Google suggests including the following information about your business:
- What makes your business unique
- What are your services
- How did you start your business
Note: Do not use the business description feature to promote flash sales, deals, or your everyday rates. Google doesn’t support this, and it can also disappoint your consumers.
Keep adding quality photos
According to Google, there are 42% chances that customers will request directions to a business if there are pictures on the business listing and 35% of customers go to the business website. So, make sure you optimize your Google My Business listing with an attractive profile photo, cover photo and general pictures of your company. If you are a restaurant owner, add pictures of the dining area, the popular dishes and menu. Similarly, if you have a clothing shop, upload photos of the shop displaying the variety of clothing you sell.
Your profile picture focuses on brand recognition, so it is better to add your logo as the profile picture and give a hint of your work culture in the cove photo. The pictures on your Google My Business listing should give the customers and visitors and idea about your business, do not stuff it with logos, filters and graphics. It should compel a searcher to go to your business website to know more about your products and services.
Avoid getting penalized
While optimizing your Google My Business listings, do not indulge in any action that might end up penalizing you from Google. It can suspend your listings for several offences. It will be a bad impact on your business and a stressful thing to deal with. So it’s best you go through the guidelines for Google My Business listings before optimization.
Here are few things you need to take care of:
- Do not use a URL that redirects to your URL, rather than leading the user to the actual URL.
- Do not try adding keywords awkwardly in the space given for business name
- Do not have multiple local business listing for the same location
- Do not use address for your business that is not a physical office or storefront where you see your customers.
Keep your operating hours accurate while publishing your listing
It is very important that you give the exact business hours and update it frequently, when there are any changes in your working window. This keeps your customers updated, so that they can contact you in the right time, without getting misled by any inaccurate information on your Google My Business listing. There’s a customize option for special events, holidays and you should always use it to notify your customers with the correct information, keeping them happy.
The Bottom Line
Google My Business Listings provides the business owners the opportunity to reach out to the potential customers faster and in a smoother way. Hence, it is very important to keep it optimized. Use the tips shared in the blog to know the right way of optimizing Google My Business listings.
