Showing up on the first page of Google’s search results isn’t as hard as you think! By creating, and optimizing a Google My Business for your company you can ensure that users see your business’s website, phone number, reviews, and location every time they search for you. Google My Business is 100% free and is essential to local businesses as it helps you rank higher and increases brand awareness in your area.
So, what exactly is Google My Business?
Basically, it’s the first impression of your company in Google search results and it shows essential information like operating hours, a phone number, business photos, reviews, and more. Google My Business also provides great analytics. These analytics allow you to see how many people discover you in a certain month, how many calls you get in a month, and other important performance insights. See TechArk’s Google My Business listing below for an example.
These are three reasons you should utilize this free tool.
- Google My Business can increase website traffic and help your site rank higher in search results.
- You show up in Google Maps searches.
- Google My Business helps build trust with customers.
Increase traffic & rankings
Businesses with a Google My Business account are 70% more likely to attract potential customers for in-store visits. In addition, your listing can increase website clicks by more than 35%. This means that both brick-and-mortar and online businesses can benefit from a Google My Business listing!
In fact, Google’s algorithm favors businesses with an optimized Google Business listing.
But why does Google favor businesses with a listing? It all comes down to how much Google knows about your business. Without a listing, Google won’t know much about your business and therefore can’t rank it in search results. But as long as you provide the algorithm with quality information it will rank you higher in the search engine and therefore increase traffic.
Another way to help increase your ranking is to optimize your business listing description to include keywords. For example, if you’re a coffee shop you would want to say something along the lines of “Local coffee shop serving specialty drinks along with sandwiches and good vibes.” in your description. Your main keyword here would be “coffee shop” and it would help you appear in the search results for this term.
Show up in Google’s map searches
86% of mobile users will search through Google Maps to locate nearby businesses. Showing up on Google Maps is key for local businesses to gain visibility. Once your Google My Business listing is created your business will automatically appear on Google Maps - how simple!
In addition, when you search for a business on Google, one of the first things to pop up on the search results is a snippet of Google Maps. Essentially Google Map listings use location data to show results based on proximity. So, in the example below, you will see just by typing “coffee,” coffee shops were shown based on proximity from the user.
Even though Google Maps show results based on current proximity, customers can still search for businesses that are located anywhere in the country. So as long as your Google My Business is well optimized you have a chance of being shown in the search results.
Build trust with customers just by creating a listing
Google My Business is a great and simple way to build trust with potential customers. When you create a listing you’re able to upload an information section, photos of your business, and Q&As to your profile. Customers will also have the ability to leave leave reviews about your business. All of these features combined play an important role in gaining customer trust and landing the sale.
In fact, about 93% of customers say they rely on online reviews before making a purchase. With a Google My Business listing, you're one step closer to gaining visibility, trust and growing your business.
In conclusion, just by verifying your business through Google My Business you appear more reliable and gain trust from potential customers.
Bottom Line
Google My Business is essential to increasing the credibility of your business as it allows you to verify your business information. But the goal shouldn't just be to create a listing and do the bare minimum. Instead, your listing should provide as much accurate and quality information as possible. Optimizing your listing will help you rank higher in the search results and reach more potential customers.
If you’re struggling to rank higher in Google’s search results, or need help optimizing your Google My Business, schedule a time to speak with us. We’ve helped 100s of businesses improve their online presence and we’d love to work with you to do the same.
