Local SEO = local service pages + Google My Business (GMB). Optimizing your Google My Business listing is now an important part of any local SEO strategy.
Google My Business allows you to manage your business information that appears on Google Search and Maps. This includes your business name, address, phone number, website, opening hours, products/services, photos, and more.
An optimized GMB profile serves as a mini website on Google for your local business. It provides a way for customers to learn about, interact with, and contact your business.
Make sure to completely filling out your GMB profile and keeping it updated, Google can better understand your business and connect you with relevant local searches. This gives you an opportunity to rank higher in local pack search results and the local finder map on Google.
Appearing prominently for local searches is extremely valuable for customer acquisition. 72% of customers who search for local businesses on mobile devices call or visit the business within 24 hours. This demonstrates how influential GMB can be for driving new customers to your brick-and-mortar or service-area based business.
Potential clients that come from your Google Maps listing are more likely to convert since they can see your reviews and see real feedback about how your business operates.
Let’s go ahead and get started
Claiming and Verifying Your GMB Listing
The first step is to claim your GMB listing or create a new one if it doesn’t already exist. Search for your business on Google to see if a listing comes up. If so, you can claim it as the verified owner by requesting access through Google. Make sure to use the exact registered business name.
If no listing is found, setup a new GMB account using your business email and follow the steps to add your business information. Google will send a confirmation code to verify ownership, either by postcard or phone call.
Google also added a “Video Call” option within these past 2 years. 9 times of 10, you have to do a “video call verification” since 2023.
Ways to Optimize Your GMB Profile
With access to your GMB listing, optimize every section possible to completely flesh out your profile. Key elements to focus on include:
- Business name, address, phone number
- Website URL
- Business categories/keywords
- Profile and cover photos
- Description summarizing your business
- Attributes like parking availability, wifi, etc.
- Menu of products/services offered
- Hours of operation
- Special events and offers
The more complete your profile, the better Google can match searches to your business.
Business Category Selection
Here at Blue Sky Advertisement, we have done many tests with over 50+ clients with having the correct Business Category selected for GMB accounts. We have tested with using 3+ categories and using ONLY one. We noticed a huge difference in impressions when we only used one category that fit the whole niche of the clients business.
GMB Service Section
I want to stress the importance of having all of your services set up correctly in the GMB Service Section. The more services you add to this section, the more opportunities you have to show up on Google Maps when the potential client searches for the keyword. Make sure you have every service you provide listed. Learn why its important to list all of your services in GMB
Product Section
Add to Your Q&A Section
Add Photos
Make sure to add photos to make your listing stand out when people search online for your products or services. They give a real feel for your business, which builds trust. Adding photos is an easy way to attract more customers and make your business look great online.
Managing Your GMB Profile Reviews
Local SEO is all about the amount of reviews you have and which location the reviews came from. For instance, if you are in Washington and your main location is in Snohomish and a customer that you did a job for in Marysville gives you a 5 star review.
If they mention the type of job your company did and the location, you are more likely to have your listing “spread out” and have your Google Maps listing be able to reach more potential clients.
Make sure to reply to happy or irritated reviews as soon as you possibly can. Remember 40% of local service site traffic comes from your GMB Listing.
Using GMB Posts to Interact
Make sure to post regularly on your GMB listing to have customers engage on your profile. Share local promotions, events, helpful content, and more. Respond to user comments and questions to create a community. Increase awareness through posts and bring more customers to your business.
Making posts does NOT help you rank whatsoever. Its there just to show potential clients you are active and try to bring them in.
Using GMB Insights to Improve Your Strategy
As of July 31st, 2024 Google My Business does not provide call or chat tracking anymore. The only meaningful thing to track now is website clicks from your Google Maps listing to your businesses website.
If you are looking to track your phone calls, make sure to use call rails or a CRM of your choice that allows you to create a call forwarding number.
If you plan to use a call forwarding number on your GMB account, make sure to keep your main number as the second number on the phone number list.
You can get to this by going to your GMB account and click
Edit Profile>
Contact Information>
Phone Number>
Delete the Current Number>
Add the Call Forwarding Number>
Also Add Your Business’s Phone Number as the Secondary
The reason for this is all of your business citations or directories most likely have your business’s number on the listing and it should be kept there to signal to Google that the original business number still exists.
A Quick Catch-Up
Optimizing your Google My Business listing should be a top priority for any local business looking to improve its digital presence.
By claiming and verifying your GMB profile, you take control of how your business information appears on Google. Completely filling out your listing helps Google match relevant searches in your area to your business.
The benefits of optimizing your Google My Business listing are clear. Higher local search rankings, increased website traffic, more customer engagement, and greater brand awareness are just some of the positives. Everything works together to drive new business and grow your revenue.
Don’t leave the power of Google My Business on the back burner. Take action today on the key steps outlined in this guide. Verify and claim your listing, flesh out your profile, collect and manage reviews, interact through posts, and leverage analytics.
By investing time into your GMB presence, you will see a significant return through greater local visibility
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