Give It to Google: Why Google My Business Is so Important for LOCAL SEO
Did you know that 76% of local businesses struggle with online marketing? Don’t let your company fall into that category!
People know how important it is to have an online presence if they want to succeed these days. The problem is how to implement that and create listings that will stick around online and continue to bring in customers.
Google My Business can help with that. What is Google My Business? (AKA GMB) In this short guide, we’ll tell you what Google My Business is and how it can help your local SEO campaigns to make your business more profitable and easier to manage.
What Is Google My Business?
In case you are new to marketing your business, let’s briefly discuss what this tool is. Have you ever searched for a local restaurant or business and seen its listing in Google? It probably had photos of the business, their hours, a link to their website, etc.
That is Google My Business. This tool from Google makes it easy to make an online profile for your company or service. It is a completely free tool that allows you to make this “stand out” search listing, respond to customer reviews, add details about your company, and even make a simple website.
How it All Works
You can use Google My Business (GMB for short) on your computer or there is a mobile app if you prefer. You start by setting up your listing that appears in search results. You can include basic details like the address, phone number, and store hours.
You should also add photos of the storefront, the foods or services you offer, and anything else that may be eye-catching to potential customers.
Positive reviews are vital for local stores in today’s world, and GMB gives you direct access to customer reviews so you can reply easily.
Posts are short blurbs that will appear near your search listing. You can use this to list special deals, offers or address common questions about your business.
If you don’t have a website yet, you can even use the tool to make one that will be mobile friendly and look great to customers. Shockingly, over 65 million local businesses have a Facebook page, but many of them still do not have their own website.
Benefits for Local SEO
Sure, the listing may look neat, but how can it actually help you in terms of SEO? To begin, the added website and posts mean more chances to rank for different local keywords, which means more exposure.
Second, you are able to respond to reviews immediately. If someone comes across a bad review, they can see your response beneath, so you can spin it in a positive way and still bring in customers.
Having photos means more chances of ranking, and having high-quality photos makes your listing stand out from the rest so people will click on your links instead of a competitor’s.
Finally, there is an analytics feature that will let you know how people came across your listing. This way you will know what to improve on.
Google My Business Is Easy to Use & Highly Valuable
If you own a local store, then setting up a Google My Business page is a no-brainer. Everything can be set up quickly and easily, it makes monitoring your online presence simple, and it means more exposure online.
Of course, optimizing your listing to get the most out of it takes a little skill. At OMG Local SEO, we specialize in helping local businesses rank higher for more keywords to get more business.
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