Why Is Google My Business Important for Your Business?

Google My Business (GMB), formerly known as Google Places for Business, provides businesses with an excellent opportunity to appear in Google search results, but the greatest part is that creating a Google My Business page is completely free! GMB is an important component of any business's web presence and is frequently the first place clients turn for up-to-date information about your organization.

What Exactly Is a Google My Business Page? 

Google My Business allows you to list your company's location on Google Maps and in local search results. You can display crucial information about your company, such as opening and closing times, contact information, or a link to your website. Google has also recently announced a new function that allows you to publish a link to articles or upcoming events. More on that later.

The listing is free, but all firms should consider it a must-have. If you run an internet business and don't have a physical location, you should set up a Google My Business Page.

Reasons to Create Google My Business for Local Business Listing

The following reasons will provide you a quick overview of why GMB is significant.

1.Visibility

Simply, adopting Google My Business increases the exposure of your company on Google Search and Google Maps. Many third-party sites (also known as local search directories or data aggregators) rely on Google for information about your company. You boost your chances of being featured on those sites by filling out your business profile. You're also providing Google with essential information about your company, making you more relevant when someone searches.

2.Ensures Consistency

Again, you're directly submitting information about your business into Google, the world's most popular search engine, so updating your local listing in Google My Business ensures the accuracy of your business information in Google. In essence, you control the Google kingdom. If you move your business to a new location or change phone numbers, you can easily update your information, ensuring that your present and future clients can find you when they need your products or services the most.

Using Google My Business also allows you to adjust your business hours, which has grown in importance over time. Consumers demand fast gratification, and knowing that you're open for business is an important part of that. The worst thing you can do is pretend to be open when you're actually closed. It's the most straightforward approach to offend, confuse, and lose customers. Overall, this informational consistency is crucial in ensuring that clients contact you at the appropriate times to meet their immediate needs.

3.Makes a Good First Impression

Google coined the term "Micro-Moment," which refers to a time when a consumer has to know, go, do, or buy anything. The consumer has a need and will disregard brand or company loyalty in order to meet that need as soon as possible. Your Google My Business local listing creates a first impression that may make or break the purchasing process. By including photographs and videos in your Google My Business profile, you set the setting for customers and, if you include the right material, give them a reason to buy from you. Consider posting images and videos of:

The performance of your products and services

• Your group
• Your home or place of business (if you have one)
• Your service vehicle fleet (if you provide service)
• Customer jargon, among other things
  
  

4.Free Advertising

Having a GMB is essentially free advertisement for your company. If you own a cold room and someone searches for "cold room" near your area, your GMB page will display in the local results. People may not know you exist if you don't have a listing, therefore they will go elsewhere.

The reviews area demonstrates how your company is perceived by customers. You can publish articles such as promotions, content, and competitions if you link your Google+ profile to your GMB page.

5.Find Out How People Find You! 

Local search is growing increasingly popular and use a variety of search strategies. Your Google My Business listing can provide information on how your page is performing, such as how people find your listing and how they engage with it, such as visiting your website or seeking directions. You may also learn where individuals are searching from so you can build customized adverts. Within the GMB insight area, you can discover everything Google has to offer.

Also Read: Top 5 Lead Generation companies in India

Where Does a Google My Business Listing Show Up Online?

The following points will help you guiding where a Google My Business listing show up online. 

1.Google Knowledge Panel

When a brand search is performed, information from your Google My Business listing will appear in Google's Knowledge Panel. Google presents your information in SERPs in a succinct, snippet-form to provide searchers with a quick and easy way to access the information they require. It also increases the visibility of your company.

When someone makes a branded search for your company, the Google Knowledge Panel appears in the top-right hand corner of Google search results on desktop (and at the top on mobile) (i.e. when they search your business name).

2.Google Local Pack/Local Finder

Google My Business listings may also appear in the Google Local Pack or Google Local Finder. The Local Pack is a group of company listings that appears in search results below the map. This appears after a user conducts a Google search with local intent. The first three profiles are displayed, but you can expand to see more.

3.Google Maps

Google Maps is a desktop and mobile app and browser-based service for getting directions and discovering businesses and destinations. Most users will be familiar with Google Maps, having used it at least once to locate a property or a local landmark. However, it is also an important area for local businesses to obtain exposure.

How consumers use Google My Business

Consumers use Google My Business for a variety of reasons, such as:

1. To learn about a company's hours of operation
2. Obtaining instructions to a local company or determining its address
3. Calling a local business without first seeing their website
4. Creating and reading reviews about a local business
5. View images of a local business and its products/services
6. To go to the company's website
7. To make online reservations
8. To view the items and services that are available
9. To inquire about and respond to a local business.

You'll notice that we've mentioned a few elements, such as reviews and images, which we haven't covered yet. Don't worry, we'll go through all of the Google My Business features later in the tutorial.

Also Read: Comparison between Indiamart and aajjo.com

Who Qualifies for a Google My Business Listing?

A member of staff must be present to engage with your clients during the business hours specified in your listing in order to qualify for a Google business listing.

There is exactly one situation in which a physical location is not required. This is true for service-area businesses (SABs) such as plumbers, pest control firms, cleaners, and any other service provider that visits and works at the sites of its customers. Service-area firms can designate the geographic area in which they service consumers. A plumber, for example, might provide his services within a 5-mile radius.

Online-only enterprises and ecommerce operations that do not have a physical location where consumers can be greeted are ineligible for Google My Business listings since they do not match Google's requirements.

How to Optimize My Google My Business Listing

The search results show businesses that are close to your location. Being at the top of a Google search is like striking gold. But you are aware of this, aren't you?

If there is no highlighted snippet, approximately 26% of all clicks go to the first result listed (excluding advertising). Otherwise, featured snippets receive 8.6 percent of clicks, while the first organic result receives 19.6 percent.

Whether or not you were able to authenticate your business, you can still optimize your Google My Business listing.

Establishing your listing is like laying the foundation and structure of a house; it must exist. Optimizing it is equivalent to ensuring that the roof does not leak and that the insulation operates well. Having said that, you'll want to make sure you're following the Google My Business standards when it comes to portraying yourself on Google.

When someone searches for a service or product that Google believes a local business can supply, the search engine results page (SERP) is updated to include local results.

Users get a lot of information about the top three alternatives straight away in local searches like this one — they can see how other customers evaluated each of them as well as how far away they are. For most customers, that's enough information to make a decision and go without needing to go any farther down. It is equally crucial for local businesses to ensure that their Google My Business Listing is optimized. Here are some tips for optimizing your Google My Business listing:

1.Set Up Your Google Business Listing

The initial step is to create (or claim) your Google My Business listing. Go to Google My Business and click the "Start Now" button in the upper left corner. Then fill in every relevant field provided by Google. You want to ensure that the profile is as full as possible and that all of the information is correct.

When you first set up your Google My Business account, the setup wizard will ask if you want to add a physical location for consumers to visit. If you respond no, you can identify your company as a "service area business," indicating which cities or postal codes you serve.

2.Choose a Relevant, Specific Category

The category you select will aid Google in determining which searches your local listing should appear in. You must select from the listed categories; you cannot make your own. If there isn't a specific category for your firm, choose a more general one that nonetheless accurately represents it.

However, if at all feasible, you should select the most specific category accessible. "Grocery Store" has a higher level of competition than "Gourmet Grocery Store" or "Indian Grocery Store." The latter categories are more likely to place you in the top three for relevant searches, particularly if you live in a city with a large number of grocery stores.

3.Load Quality, High Resolution Images

Photos make your listing stand out and provide potential consumers with an idea of what to expect. Make advantage of high-quality photographs that enhance the appearance of your company and showcase your items (if you sell physical products). Consider employing a Google-approved photographer to produce a virtual 360-degree tour of your business for customers. Listings featuring a virtual tour and images generate twice as much interest as those without, according to Google.

4.Make Sure Your Information Matches Everywhere Else

Consistency in how a listing is listed across multiple websites is one element Google's algorithm looks for to validate its credibility. While it appears straightforward enough - your address is the same every time you enter it someplace — it's possible for minor variations to creep in. Perhaps you wrote out the Road component of the street name one time then abbreviated it to Rd the next. Choose a regular manner to write your address, a consistent phone number, and ensure that all of your listings match one other and the information on your website. Also, make an effort to have your website listed in as many relevant directories as feasible.

5.Avoid Penalty-Inducing Violations

If you receive a penalty, all of your efforts to optimize your website or local listings will be for naught. Google suspends company listings for a variety of reasons. Suspension is stressful, confusing, and detrimental to company. As a result, it's advisable to avoid anything that puts you in danger.

Read over Google's standards for Google My Business listings so you know exactly what not to do. Some of the most important things to avoid are:

• Rather using the real URL, use a URL that redirects to your website's URL.
• Attempting to add keywords to your business name field in an unusual manner.
• Having several local listings for the same business.
• Using any address for your company that isn't a physical store or office space where you meet with customers.

If you use common sense and don't try to game the system or gain more listings, you'll most likely stay on Google's good side.

Final Takeaway

Local search engine optimization requires time and effort, but the rewards can be substantial. You want to be easy to locate if someone in your city is seeking for what you sell, and Google is the best way to get in front of them right now. Don't pass up an opportunity because you didn't take the time to properly enhance your Google My Business profile.