As a business owner, you may be wondering if Google My Business is worth it. After all, setting up and managing your listing can be a lot of work. But the truth is, Google My Business is a powerful tool that can help you reach more customers and grow your business.
The Basics of Google My Business Listings
Google My Business is a free listing service provided by Google for businesses. It allows business owners to create a profile for their business, which can include information such as contact information, hours of operation, and product/service offerings. Google My Business profiles can also be linked to a business’s website and Google+ page.
According to a survey of Google My Business listings across several industries done between 2017 and 2018, 84 percent of client searches for businesses are discovery, while 16 percent are direct. A discovery search refers to a listing that appears when a customer searches for a product that that business offers, whereas a direct search refers to a client searching for the company’s name or address directly.
Google Use GMB listings in a Variety of Ways
If your local search results include information about businesses and services on a map, they might also show up as “local” options when people type their address into a search box. That’s how Google knows where to send them. They can also offer directions that take users through streets near those locations. And sometimes, it may help a user find nearby restaurants or other places of interest.
According to a recent statistical analysis, 46 percent of all Google searches are for local information. It’s better to give the people what they want while also appeasing Google.
What kind of updates do I need to make on a regular basis?
Posts. Is Google My Business free? Yes, so take advantage of it! It will help your company stand out, and help separate you from your competitors.
One of the most important components is Google Posts. These are short, 100-300 word posts, along with a photo or video. You can dress up your posts with call to action buttons that lead visitors to pages on your site. These are organic clicks that will help your overall site metrics, not to mention directing traffic to high-converting pages.
You have lots of options when it comes to Posts. You can promote events, present special offers or simply highlight something you do with a variety of call to action prompts. The best part? By adding a new post at least once a month, you can control the messaging surrounding your brand on a local level.
Offers. Offers can be quite beneficial to your listing — according to a recent check, one of our clients’ offers earned three times the number of clicks as any other article this year. The only complication with offers is locating them in the admin interface! We’ve got you covered: there’s a hidden navigation bar at the top of the page when you click on Posts. From this menu, you can find Offers.
Images. GMB photos currently have a limit of 2,000, which most people are unlikely to reach. It’s unclear how much updated photos affect search rankings, but given how crucial image search is in Google, it’s reasonable to assume you should provide images whenever possible. People love to look at photos, and they can express your company’s narrative in ways that words can’t.
The more new photographs you have (whether you uploaded them yourself or had them supplied by a customer), the better.
Reviews. Yes, customer reviews are important. When you consider that Google places a high value on reviews, the extra effort you’ll have to put in justifies the more effort you’ll have to put in here. Just don’t take the easy way out and fabricate reviews or hire somebody to do them for you.
You will be discovered, and your website will suffer as a result. To defend your brand’s reputation, respond thoughtfully and promptly if someone trashes you online. 90% of people read reviews before purchasing. When writing a review, 20% of consumers expect to receive a response within one day.
GMB also generates a nice tiny URL that you can share with satisfied customers. Obtain 5-star reviews and rise to the position of community leader.
Conclusion: Google My Business Worth It
The importance of Google My Business is much more than posts and images. It’s a critical asset to your entire digital marketing strategy. In reality, having an optimised GMB listing plays a bigger role than we think it does.
To learn more about how you can create and manage GMB listings for your business, message us and we will guide you through it.
Contact KLT Social today!
