In this developing era everyone is striving to get noticed for their hardships and so are Business Owners. And if you are a Small business owner you might already know what (GMB) Google My Business is. It is a tool used to showcase your business to the customers online and increase your visibility. You can use GMB to showcase your business on Google search, and Google Maps as well as on the LocalPack – top results that appear when searching for something local. To be more visible on Google My Business, you must make sure that your profie is optimized. An improved profile increases the chances for potential customers to find you.
Optiimizing your GMB account you can drive 10 times more traffic to your business just by getting noticed. But how can you do so? Which tactics can be used to make your business stand out in the results of Google searches? In this blog, you will find several easy and actionable strategies to get your listing more visible and help you enhance Google My Business visibility.
What is Google My Business?
Before we move forward first let’s discuss what GMB is. It is a gateway to reaching for most customers who are looking for a service or product by searching on Google. And If your Google My Business is not fully optimised, you might just end up losing customers who are searching precisely for what you have to offer.
Benefits of optimizing your GMB
- It makes your business appear in local search results. Sometimes when searching for a service of business around you, Google often shows a list of businesses that match with your search result. The better your GMB profile is, the more likely your business will be shown in that.
- It increases credibility. A fully set up Google My Business Profile with reviews and photos presents your business as credible. You would expect customers to be working with businesses that clearly state the products and services they render.
- Support for customer communication: Google My Business allows customers to get calls, directions or simply messages right from results or Google Maps.
So, if you want more customers to come through your door or call for your services, then you must work on enhancing Google My Business visibility.
Steps to Follow to Enhance Google My Business Visibility
1. Claim your GMB Listing (An keep it Updated)
The very first thing that you need to do is claim your Google My Business listing. If you haven’t done it yet, well you should do it now. It is free and the easiest way to get started.
Here’s how to do it:
- Go to Google and search for your business name. If your business shows up, you will see an option to claim it. If not, you will need to create a listing.
- Post which you have to verify your business. You can opt between email, postcard or phone to verify that the business belongs to you.
- Once you have claimed your listing, keep your account updated. To enhance Google My Business visibility you need to keep it updated frequently so that it looks reliable. Be sure of mentioning the business name, address, and many other details right and up to date. Mentioned below are some of the keys to be upright at:
- Business name: Your business name should be matching with the name other people use when referring to talking about your business.
- Address: This is important for local search and be sure to have an accurate and ensure to mention complete address.
- Phone number: Use a local number to help people who are trying to reach you communicate easily.
- Business hours: Ensure that the business hours are updated. You should highlight very well in case you have special holidays or events.
- Website: You should add the link of your website so that people can learn more about your products or services
Once you fill it up, Google can better represent your business and help customers find their way around to come to you.
2. Add Quality Image ( and refresh them Occasionally)
Images are worth a thousand words, especially when it comes to enhance Google My Business visibility. This would include just some old pictures on your profile. Businesses with images get 42% more requests for driving directions and 35% more click-throughs to their sites.
It requires a high-quality picture and one that is relevant. Here’s what you focus on:
- Exterior Photos: This is how people perceive what your business looks like from outside. It matters even if you are a brick-and-mortar store,.
- Interior photos: These gives the customer an image of your retail business or office. From a warm coffee shop to a clean salon, such photos can convey a welcoming aspect about your business.
- Product photos: This is showing people what you have too offer. High-quality images of products or services could attract interest and motivate people to visit your place.
- Team photos: Photos of you and your staff included in your business profile humanize your business and, therefore, increase its relatability to customers.
After uploading some high-quality photos, it is very important not to leave them as they are. Keep updating your photos. Google tends to favor active profiles, and frequent updates of your photos prove that your business is active and ready for business.
3. Encourage and Reward Customer Reviews
Consumer reviews are a very impactful consideration that may make or break the prominence of a GMB listing. Extremely excellent reviews bolster credibility in potential buyers for your business, and enhance their local SEO. Google also calculates review value in determining what sites to present to searchers as ideal results; how much of them; and, therefore, the higher from your business will be in ranking.
How to Increase More Volume of Reviews?
- Ask your customers: After they have bought your product or availed your service, ask them to give you feedback. If they liked it, they will surely have something to say.
- Make it easy: Give them the direct link to your review page. And you can get this link in your Google My Business dashboard.
- Encourage but not bribe: Google forbids businesses from giving incentives for reviews, but an incentive can be given in terms of a discount or even a small, complimentary gift after the review has been submitted.
- Respond to reviews: Do not collect reviews for collecting’s sake. Take time to respond to them as good, bad, or otherwise. Such would depict that their reviews matter to the customers. When somebody posts a good review, thank the person for the kind words. And if somebody leaves a bad review, take out time to address their concern in a very calm and professional manner.
This feedback will show potential clients that you care about their thoughts and are willing to make changes. Moreover, this communication allows you to communicate with issues and possibly change someone’s mindset.
4. Set Regular Posts and Messages
Google My Business allows uploading posts, offers, and events directly into listings. They will appear both to Search as well as to Maps. This should attract more eyes from the people who use the service.
Posts you should upload to enhance Google My Business visibility could be:
- Offers or Deals: The best way to attract customers is to upload information realted to latest offers or best deals that they can get from your brand. Let them know about the latest deals.
- Event Announcements: Be it a holiday, some grand opening, or anything seasonably relevant celebration, get your word out.
- Post news or updates: Keep your customers informed about anything new, like a product launch, a change in hours, or a new service.
In a nutshell, the key is to post regularly. This shows Google that you’re active, and it gives customers more reasons to engage with your listing. Plus, frequent posts can help your business stay top-of-mind.
5. Optimize for Keywords
Google determines which businesses to include in the results using specific search queries through its algorithm. For you to appear in the results of searching for services like yours, you have to optimize your Google My Busiess profile using appropriate keywords.
Consider the words your customers would use to search. Using the example of a bakery:
The following keywords might fit: “fresh baked bread,” “best bakery in [your city],” or “custom cakes.”
Use these keywords and put them into your:
- Business Description: Write a brief description of your business and the things you have to sell; make sure to use applicable keywords.
- Business name: If possible, include a keyword within your business name. For example, “Best Pizza in Chicago.”
- Services section: Outline the services that you’re offering and using keywords which your customers might search for.
But don’t stuff keywords into places where it makes no sense. Google’s algorithm is smart enough to catch on when done too much, which will penalize your ranking.
6. Monitor Insights and Make Changes
After you have setup your Google My Business profile, it’s time to pay attention to its performance. GMB offers the handy feature called Insights that let you know how people find and interact with your listing.
Using Insights, you can see:
- How customers find you (search queries, maps, direct engagements)
- What is taken as an action (calls, visits to the website, requests for directions)
- Demographic data about customers (geographical location, language spoken)
Use that data to know if your content is working or not. When you observe that one type of posting will fetch lots of engagement, it could be prudent to create more of the same. But if you don’t see people visiting your website, then probably it’s time to change the call to action or to make it easier for people to reach you.
Conclusion
It can be an easy thing to enhance Google My Business visibility. Some simple actions—like claiming your listing, adding pictures, encouraging reviews from customers, sharing updates, keyword optimizing, and tracking your insights—can help elevate your business enough to make it stand out in the online world.
People trust Google, and people trust businesses which come up with correct information, good reviews, and engaging content. So taking the time to enhance your GMB profile sets your business up for a direct hit at opening doors to new customers.
