Please note: In 2022, Google My Business was replaced with Google Business Profile.
If you had a great piece of advice that you knew all of your clients would benefit from, you’d be dying to tell them all about it, right? We have to tell you about one of our favorite (and easiest) marketing opportunities – Google My Business. Why? We see so many missed opportunities with something that’s so simple to set up and maintain. We’ve personally seen impressive results after making a few simple updates to our Google My Business listing. First, let us start with the basics.
What is Google My Business?
This is the Google feature that customers unknowingly use when they search for something like graphic designers near me or graphic designers in Marietta, Ga.
Your Google My Business profile appears when people in your city or neighborhood search for a business like yours in the area. The listing displays your company’s most important information–name, location, phone number, and website. It also can include ratings and reviews from customers.
For potential customers, this simplifies their process for finding a professional. It also helps your company standout as a trustworthy business with good ratings.
The best part? Everything is summed up right there in one spot. Plus, it lets people who have never heard of your business see how great you are
What are the Benefits of Google My Business?
- It’s free. Seriously, how often does that happen anymore?
- Displays important contact information for your business. By claiming and maintaining your business profile you can ensure that your vital information (phone number, website, hours, address) appears correctly when someone searches in Google. For example, if you are a business that closes at 3 PM on Thursdays, you could avoid an angry review or call that might happen when someone isn’t aware of the early closing and wants to blame you … potentially publicly.
- Gets your brand out there for all to see. It’s another opportunity to promote your amazing brand and can help you stand out against the competition that doesn’t have an updated Google My Business profile. You can upload your logo, company photos, products, and list all the services you offer.
- Puts you on the map … literally. Did you know 46% of all Google searches are seeking local information? People love to support local businesses. You also have the opportunity to rank higher in local search results, potentially increasing traffic to your website and your company.
- Earns trust from customers. If you are a business that does great things for your customers then you need to be gathering reviews. Happy clients love to share their experience and it makes them feel good giving kudos to a business that’s providing a great service. The majority of consumers who read reviews about a business consider them as solid as being referred by a close friend.
Likewise, if a bad review should ever happen, make sure to address it and own it. How you handle mistakes can show your company’s true color. - Increases engagement. Your Google My Business profile makes it even easier for customers to contact you since everything is summed up in one compact area. There’s even an option to add a ‘book an appointment’ button to get the conversation started.
- Gives you valuable insights. Each month you’ll get to see valuable insights about how people find you (Direct where someone types in your company name or URL vs. Organic where someone searches within their browser using a few keywords), where people view your listing on google (searches vs. maps), what actions they took (call or visit website), and what products and photos were viewed the most. Ultimately, you can see what’s working and what could use some attention.
Has your business claimed its listing yet? If not, we highly recommend doing this! It ensures that the right people from your organization are in charge of how your company’s information appears when someone searches for your business.
Have questions or need some ideas on how you could better utilize your Google My Business listing? Give us a call at 678-773-0523 or send an email to chantelle@annattocreates.com to get a brainstorm session started.