Did you know that there are about 3.5 billion searches in Google every day and almost half of these searches are to find local businesses for which Google will include business listings as part of the results? This is a very good reason as to why a local business should create a listing in Google My Business which should result in a lot of prospective customers interacting with your business. Google My Business is a fantastic tool to market and promote your business online. Think of it like the old yellow pages book but digitally. Instead of relying on people to find your business by flicking through hundreds of pages of a phone directory, with Google My Business listing your business can be found on the most popular search engine on the planet “GOOGLE” and unlike a phone directory listing your business only on one page, your Google My Business listing can appear in multiple places within the Google search environment.
What is Google My Business (GMB)?
Google My Business is a free tool that enables you to create a listing for your business which can be found on Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP) or Google Maps when people are searching for a product or service you offer. This gives you the chance to attract customers who may have never heard of your brand or company before. It is specifically designed for local businesses only.
How does Google My Business work?
Anyone conducting a search in Google with a local intent such as “plumber near me” or “supermarket near me” will trigger a set of results that includes a map and the three most relevant local business listings. This is called the Map Pack and is a prime spot for any business. Searches clicking on the ‘view all’ links below the top three listings will be taken through to what is known as the local finder where more local businesses will be listed along with a much bigger map. Hovering on each listing will highlight the business location via a pin on the map. Moving the map to a different spot will update the list of businesses that are located in that area. Clicking on a specific listing will open up a panel and provide detailed information about that very business.
Users can directly interact with the business, call the business or visit their website, ask questions, and much more. The searches triggering the Google My Business panel in Google’s SERP and Google Maps may be similar by the view but they are slightly different.
Although the results you get directly from Google Maps when searching for a local business look very similar to the ones you’d see on the Google SERP, they can be very different.
For example, if you search for the keyword “plumber near me” and click through the local finder versus if you conduct the same search directly in Google Maps, the business listings you get would be quite different in both environments.
How does Google My Business work on Mobile Phones?
While a lot of searches are conducted on desktops, a big chunk of local searches is nowadays done on mobile phones. Conducting a search with local intent on a mobile phone will still trigger a small map with a list of the top three most-relevant businesses tapping thorough to more businesses link will still take you to the Google local finder where you can find more business listings. A huge number of searches will also use the Google Map app on their phone to find local businesses which will provide the same results you can find on the Google Maps version on desktops. While your business profile will look slightly different from the desktop version the information available to searches will be more or less the same.
Different features of Google My Business
Your listing can open up a chance to provide critical information about your business to prospective customers and convince them that you are the best possible choice. There is a plethora of options and features available in Google My Business to help you do that; such as
- Add photos to your listing to showcase your services or products,
- Add logo,
- Add a link to your website,
- Add your business address which will automatically create a map with a pin where your business is located,
- Add your business opening and closing times
- Add a business description so users searching can know a little bit more about your business.
- By default, your listing will also automatically show some features such as directions to help people get to you from their current location
- A call button will trigger a phone call when you tap on it directly from a mobile phone and,
- A save button so visitors can save your listing details.
- Even more, you can also encourage customers to leave a review for your business. This will help you build your credibility and reputation depending on the nature of reviews, which will in turn encourage more people to do business with you.
- Add a request or quote button to provide prices to customers.
- You can anticipate questions and respond to them directly using the frequently asked questions feature.
- You can publish postings to your listings to promote your services, products, or an event your business is organizing.
- Add health and safety attributes to let people know what you have put in place to combat the current pandemic.
Depending on the type of business you are running, other features might also be available to you. For instance, if your business falls under the restaurant industry, you can display directly in your listing if you offer takeaway, delivery, or dine-in options.
How do you set-up listing in Google Profile Manager (GMB) for your business?
Setting up a listing in Google My Business is very simple. You need to create a Google account if you don’t have one already. Next, head over to google.com/business and click on ‘Manage now’. Startup by entering your business name. Click on add your business to Google to start the setup process.
(Note: It is possible that Google might know about your business already and has created a listing for it already. In this case, it will appear in a suggested list, and if it does just select it and continue.)
Once all your business information has been entered, ownership verification will be done when Google sends a verification code to your email address and phone number which needs to be filled in the Google My Business Setup process.
Once you have claimed your business you will have access to your very own Google My Business dashboard from which you can manage your listing. Think of it as a control center where you can edit all your business details, create posts to promote your business, respond to messages and reviews that you may receive, etc.
What are the benefits of Google My Business?
As already mentioned half of the proportion of searches on Google have local intent, meaning that users are searching for products, information and services that are closer to them. Being on Google My Business Listings helps you appear on these searches, as well as helps users aware of who you are as a business. This is possible because customers have access to any information that you input into your listing.
Appear on Local Google Maps
Next to online reviews, the second most important factor that customers take into consideration when searching and choosing a local business is their proximity to them. And, while a quick and basic Google Search will pop-up many options for them to choose from, most people search for these locations on Google Maps. By simply creating a Google My Business Listing, your store’s location will start to appear on local searches, and the closer you are to a user’s location, the more likely they’re going to go and visit your place.
Earn and grow your customer’s trust
One of the most important factors that influence a customer’s decision when buying online is the trust that they have with the company. As a business owner, one of your main goals is not only to acquire this trust but to maintain and increase it as time goes by. The most basic thing that you can do to start building up this customer trust is to make them provide feedback about your business in terms of reviews so that potential customers can see it. This eventually helps to build trust and credibility.
Increase traffic and sales
Generating quality website traffic is one thing, but maintaining it is the other. Having a Google My Business listing can help you increase your website traffic overall. Simply by having the listing and appearing in local searches, you are 70% more likely to attract new customers, and from those, they are 50% more likely to purchase from you.
Cost-affective SEO tool
Anytime a user searches for a local restaurant or shop, Google will automatically pull up different options for them. Recently, Google has started focusing on the top three most relevant options for a user’s search, called the 3-Pack. In order to get into these exclusive listings, many businesses try countless SEO tricks in order to boost their local rankings and their possibilities of being included in the top 3 results, i.e., in the 3-Pack. This is so important because these specific results appear over organic results and ads, meaning that you are more visible for local searches. Plus, businesses that do appear on Google’s Local 3-Pack experience more than 700% more clicks than businesses that don’t.
By now you could definitely see how powerful Google My Business can be, and what it can do for your business.
