Without a Google My Business account, you’re missing out on serious local sales and opportunities.
It’s one of the most underrated online marketing tools that has proven to benefit your business (regardless of your size or niche) is Google My Business. It’s worth adding to your digital marketing arsenal for 2020 and beyond.
Google My Business was created to connect businesses with local consumers with the growing need for a more digitally savvy directory. Helping to boost online marketing and consumer shopping culture.
An interesting survey done by Bright Local found that with Google My Business (GMB), the average business receives 1,009 customer searches each month, with 84% of these coming from discovery searches, and the remaining 16% from direct.
Having a GMB allows a business to maximize its chances or an increase in local organic searches, highting positive reviews, along with other benefits.
And we found 10 of them, that’s right 10!
Here are 10 proven benefits of having a Google My Business and as a bonus, we’ll also be showing you how to use it to increase sales.
1. Google My Business is Free
One of GMB’s best features is that it’s free! Simply click here to sign up and fill out your profile with all the needed information such as contact numbers,a website, pictures, location, etc.
I found this infographic on signing up on Lousie Myers “Visual Social Media” to be helpful, and much more entertaining than typical written how-to steps.
If you find that your business name has been listed or you made the mistake of giving someone permission to create your listing, and you’d like to reclaim your listing RevLocal has a great step-by-step video tutorial you can follow.
2. Google My Business Makes You Visible
GMB is a tool that puts your business on a global map, literally.
Google is one of the largest search engines in the world. Google receives over 63,000 searches per second on any given day, not to mention Google “near me” searches have increased by two times over the past year.
I’ll let you in on a little secret…
About 90% of searchers haven’t made up their mind about a brand before starting their search. This simply means that your business has to be visible for online search to capture their attention and stand out from your competition.
Without Google My Business, you’ll be missing the chance to be visible regardless of how heavily you practice SEO techniques on your website. GMB listings get priority on the first page of local Google searches and Maps queries.
For example, when we searched for “Coffee shops in New York.” You’ll notice that a section of GMB listing appears before ranking websites.
Listing on Google Search
Listing on Google Maps
By completing your Google My Business profile, you’ll increase your chances of being seen and found, and even better being featured on the first page of listing options.
3. Google My Business Ensures Online Consistency
As your business grows or undergoes changes, you want to be able to keep your customers informed and educated simultaneously.
Keep your customers in the loop by updating your listing on Google My Business, such as phone numbers, addresses, websites, and social media. So if you ever change your location or you’re using a new number of customers can effortlessly contact and find you.
One of the seven things that can make customers hate your business is searching for your contact details and jumping through hoops to find you.
4. Google My Business Images Provides a Great First Impression
Having a GMB page adds a digitally savvy touch to your online branding because it shows customers that you’re willing to stay updated and modern. Catering to their digital needs so they can quickly call/connect, purchase, and repeat.
Google My Business allows you also to help captivate customers visually by uploading photos and videos of your store or product. You’ll be able to set expectations of what customers can expect from you.
In fact, Search Engine Land found a strong link between Google My Business photo quantity and search performance.
Here are few content ideas for the images you can upload to your GMB listing:
- Inside your store or manufacturer
- Your employees or teammates
- Your local surroundings
- Your CEO or Managing Director
- Awards and Events
- Happy customers or customer testimonials
Try to upload at least 5-10 photos and videos, the more images, the better. No pictures on your Google listing is just as displayed as not having a profile image on social media. Help customers to warm up to your Google My Business listing. Adding a picture puts a face or a meaning to your brand.
5. Google My Business Improves SEO
Your Google My Business can be one of your most powerful SEO tools. But it’s not enough to add a few contact details. You’ll have to optimize your Google My Business to see the best results.
Here’s a graph showing the list of essential items you should optimize for your Google My Business to work in favour of ranking and SEO.
6. Google My Business Easily Host Customer Reviews
Google My Business allows customers to leave ratings, reviews, and images on your listing. Think of it as a more modern and personalized version of Yelp.
This is great because happy customers can share their experience with interested and new customers. But it’s also a platform that upset and disgruntled customers can leave bad reviews and images of their experience.
How do you maintain a balance to keep your Google My Business reviews in green?
You monitor and respond to your Google My Business reviews.
No good thing comes without a bit of elbow grease. Each week set aside time (or as an employee to review) and respond to reviews on your GMB listing.
With an online profile, you can only go so far to convince your customers that you’re the right choice for them, people can only trust you from face value and what real customers have to say about you. People are more willing to trust customers over your brand.
Here are three reasons why monitoring and responding to reviews (whether good or bad) helps your business off and online.
- 86% of people will hesitate to purchase from a business that has negative online reviews. Don’t ignore negative reviews, because they can affect your sales.
- 72% of customers don’t take action until they have read reviews. Customers are searching for reviews before they visit your store or shop with you. What kind of reviews do you want to be waiting for them? Once you know the answer, start working towards it.
- Businesses who reply to reviews at least 25% of the time have an average of 35% more revenue. Customers are looking for brands to reply to customers (regardless if it’s a good or bad review). When you leave reviews, especially negative reviews unattended, buyers are more hesitant to buy from you because they begin to wonder if their concerns will be ignored (on or offline).
Don’t wait for customers to go to your Google My Business Account. Instead, share a short URL with customers on your online and social media platform to drive reviews your way.
7. Google My Business Helps Gain Customer Insight
Get customer insight from your GMB listing and use it to improve your business.
Google’s GMB insight focuses on how customers find your listing on Search and Maps, and what they do after they find it. This data includes information like:
- How many views your listing had.
- How and where customers find your listings.
- Actions customers take on your listings.
- And other interactions customers have with your GMB listing.
8. Google My Business Completes Your Google Profile
Google has created the holy grail of digital marketing for business. Having a Google My Business Account helps you to complete your Google Profile.
Having your GMB account is connected to Google Maps, Google Adwords, Google Analytics, Tag Manager, and more.
Having access to these high powered tools allows you not only to rank and optimize your brand but helps to keep your business up to date with digital trends.
9. Google My Business Offer an Official Website For Your Business
We spoke about SEO and customer reviews, but did you know that Google My Business also has a website creation feature?
Best of all your website is free to create!
Once you’ve created your Google My Business account, your website will auto-generates info from your profile, plus you can customize it with text, photos, and design themes.
All you’ll need to do is purchase a domain and connect your Google Analytics account.
10. Google My Business is the Future of Online Marketing
Google is constantly expanding and growing in data and online features for consumers and business.
They’re already a billion-dollar giant that has scratched the surface creating online tools to help small and big businesses to increase sales and brand awareness.
Don’t wait until it’s too late to start tapping into the power of Google, start by creating a Google My Business and take your steps into the new form of online branding.
If you’re a visual learner I found this video tutorial from The Deep End to be an insightful and fun guide.
Summary
Signing up for Google My Business is a small step into a brighter future. But at the end of the day, GMB is just a tool until you put it to work. Remember to optimize and update your GMB listing weekly, monthly or quarterly.
Take care of your Google My Business listing and it will take care of you.
Here’s a quick recap of the ten benefits of using Google My Business:
- Google My Business is Free
- Google My Business Makes You Visible
- Google My Business Ensures Consistency
- Google My Business Images Provides a Great First Impression
- Google My Business Improves SEO
- Google My Business Easily Host Customer Reviews
- Google My Business Helps Gain Customer Insight
- Google My Business completes your Google Profile
- Google My Business Offer an Official Website For Your Business
- Google My Business is the Future of Online Marketing
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Source: businesscommunity