As a small business owner...
I know how challenging it can be to get noticed in a crowded market. That's why I was so excited when I discovered Google My Business. This powerful tool is a game changer for local SEO and can be a vital tool for any business looking to increase visibility and drive more traffic to their website.
Google My Business is a free listing service offered by Google that allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. By creating and verifying a Google My Business listing, a business can provide information such as their address, phone number, hours of operation, and services offered to potential customers.
One of the most important benefits of Google My Business
is the ability to appear in Google's local pack, a section of Google's search results that displays a map with nearby businesses. The local pack typically appears at the top of the search engine results page when a user searches for a business or service in a specific location. For example, a small local bakery in New York City, named "Sugar and Spice Bakery" creates and verifies a Google My Business listing and provides accurate information such as their address, phone number, hours of operation and services offered. When a user searches for "bakery near me" or "best bakery in New York City" in Google, the local pack appears at the top of the search engine results page, showing a map of nearby businesses. Sugar and Spice Bakery's listing appears in the local pack, prominently displayed with its name, address, phone number, hours of operation and customer reviews. A user can also see photos of the bakery and their delicious baked goods. This makes it more likely for the user to visit the bakery, as they can easily see its location, hours of operation, and customer reviews, which can greatly influence a customer's decision to visit a business.
Besides just making a pretty post on Google Maps...
the back end aspect of Google My Business is the ability to track insights, such as views and actions taken on your listing, and website clicks. This can help a business understand how customers are interacting with their listing and make adjustments as needed. With the insights provided by Google My Business, a business owner can see how many people viewed their listing, how they found the listing (e.g. through search, maps, or by browsing), how many people called the business, how many people requested directions to the business, and how many people visited the website.
By analyzing this data, you can see which actions are most popular among customers and which are not. You can also see which actions are driving the most website clicks and which are not. This information can help you understand which aspects of your listing are most effective at driving traffic and engagement, and which areas need improvement. For example, if a business owner sees that many people are requesting directions to the business but not many are visiting the website, they may need to improve the website's design and make it more user-friendly.
Additionally, by tracking clicks on their website, a business owner can see which pages are most popular among customers, and what is driving them to these pages. This information can help a business owner understand which products or services are most in demand and which are not, and adjust their marketing strategy accordingly.
In conclusion...
Google My Business is a powerful tool for any business looking to increase visibility and drive more traffic to their website. By creating and verifying a Google My Business listing, a business can improve their local SEO and appear in Google's local pack, receive reviews, post updates and offers, and track insights.
But don't just take my word for it, sign up for our email newsletter today to learn more about the benefits of Google My Business and how to optimize your listing for success. By signing up, you'll receive tips, tricks and strategies on how to make the most of your Google My Business listing and stay ahead of the competition. Don't let your business get left behind, let us help you unlock the full potential of Google My Business.