Google processes as many as 5 billion searches from users all across the world every single day. Therein lies the importance of being seen favorably by the search platform.
If your business is in Google’s good graces, you stand a good chance of Google directing some of those 5 billion potential customers your way. If your web presence is not optimized, you’ll gradually fade into search obscurity.
As a local business, one of the most important things you need to look to optimize to get targeted traffic from Google is your Google My Business listing.
Google My Business is a service that indexes local organizations in Google’s search engine. It also indexes businesses within its broader product suite. Below, our team has put together tips on how to get the most out of your Google My Business page.
1. Make Sure You Provide All Requested Information
When you initially set up your Google My Business page, you’re going to be prompted to give Google some vital information in regard to your business. This information includes things like the name of your business, its address, hours, phone number, website and category.
In order to ensure that you’re being connected with relevant customers whenever the opportunity presents itself, you’ll want to make sure that you have all of that information filled in and that it’s correct.
If you choose to not fill in the information Google requests, you could end up leaving your fate to unknown internet users. That’s because users who claim to have done business with you are allowed to provide Google with any missing details about your organization.
Consequently, this information may end up incorrect and could cause issues like customers not being able to get in touch with you or even customers not coming to your business because your hours are wrong.
If you notice incorrect information with your Google My Business listing, you can “suggest an edit” to correct them.
2. Be Aware of Ancillary Information
We touched on the importance of making sure your business’ core information was present and correct due to the fact that users can input incorrect information that you didn’t provide. Another aspect of user-generated information you should be aware of with your Google My Business page is “ancillary information”.
Ancillary information for your Google My Business page comes in the way of users answering a series of questions Google presents them with about their experience.
For example, if you own a restaurant and a user online opts into answering questions on your Google My Business page, they may be asked if you serve beer, if your restaurant is kid-friendly, the levels of noise customers should expect and more.
After multiple users have answered questions, Google will begin to see answer trends. They use those trends to target search traffic even more finely.
So, be sure that you encourage honest customers to answer questions on your Google My Business Page frequently. This will lead to Google getting an accurate read of your business’ intricacies.
3. Leverage Posts
Within your Google My Business page, you have the ability to create posts. These posts will pop up like billboards on your Google My Business listing and can be great for communicating with potential customers.
Posts are frequently leveraged to communicate sales or to promote special events.
To get started with posts, log in to your Google My Business page and look for the “posts” tab on the left side of your page.
4. Allow Online Bookings
Are you using integrated scheduling software for your business? If so, Google My Business has a nifty booking feature you can opt into.
This booking feature allows people to schedule an appointment with you without needing to leave Google. Remember, the fewer barriers you create between customers and their ability to do business with you, the more successful you’ll be!
5. Answer People’s Questions
On your Google My Business listing, people can ask questions about your business. These questions are typically answered by other internet users with experience at your establishment.
To ensure that prospective customers are getting the best information, you should be actively answering questions yourself. Answers to common questions don’t just help inform customers leading to more positive experiences. They also create more content around your Google My Business page which leads to more opportunities for your listing to surface in searches.
6. Open Your Lines of Communication
Sometimes people want to speak to you directly. This is traditionally done via email but let’s face it, most people are not taking the time to send businesses emails anymore.
Fortunately, if you opt into it, your Google My Business listing allows for customers to send you text messages! This is a great way to engage more deeply with current and prospective patrons.
You can even use Google’s Allo app if you want to separate business texts from your personal texts on your phone!
Wrapping Up Tips to Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
Google My Business is a powerful way for local search traffic to find you on Google. Having a completed profile on the platform enables you to integrate deeply into Google’s product suite. That means more ways to engage more customers.
To get the most out of your Google My Business listing, take the above tips into consideration. You going the extra mile and making it easy for customers to access accurate information will improve their experience and lead to you getting more people through your doors!
Are you a builder, landscaper or designer looking to skyrocket your online presence? If so, our team at Pool & Patio Marketing can help.
We specialize in providing industry-specific, end-to-end digital marketing solutions for our clients. Let us take our expertise and help you take your business to new heights.
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