How to Optimize Google My Business to Improve Local SEO?
What do you do when you need a dentist appointment or when you’re looking for a pizza place in the neighborhood? That’s right! You google it. Google covers around 90-92% of the search engine market share. The whopping numbers confirm that any business today needs high ranks and targeted visibility on Google to grow.
It’s common for people to hire top-notch web design company New York to get an appealing website, get expert digital marketers on board, but often they don’t realize the other entity that comes into play – Google My Business.
What is Google My Business and How Does it Help?
Google My Business is a free service that complements a brand’s website by giving it visibility and presence with a listing on Google. It displays all the information added by the brand owner, such as contact details, services, photos, and other business information. It gives you the advantage of editing and modifying your brand profile whenever you want, allowing you to attract customers.
The best thing about it is that it doesn’t matter how small or big your business is; it can make it up to the top of the rankings if you optimize it well.
So, why not take advantage of a free service to boost your sales and level up the business. The first step is to create a Google My Business account. However, before doing so, check if you have one already. Fill up the requirements by adding the name, categories, location, etc.
Having a Google MY Business account doesn’t exactly mean that you’ll get twice as many customers and rank on top of the google listings in a few days. But, to help to reach out to a wider set of target audiences, you can optimize your profile to rank higher in the local searches. Here are some ways to do that:
Fill in Your Information
This isn’t said enough. What most people do is avoid adding some relevant pieces of information because the fields were optional. Don’t do this! Put up all your updated details and leave nothing for the customers to guess. Be concise, accurate, and very clear with the information, because let me tell you, vagueness doesn’t get you ranked.
Look what Garret Seevers from Azuga has to say about this “Fill out all the information Google asks for, It sounds simple, but it’s often overlooked. If you don’t fill it out, Google gives the option for others—like your competitors—to fill it out for you.”
Verify Your Profile
For you to improve your local SEO and rank higher, Google needs to know that your business is legitimate, and verification is the way to do that. The way this works is, Google sends you a 4-digit code in the mail that takes around two weeks to arrive. As soon as you receive it, enter it in the provided link google to confirm the authenticity of your business.
Keep it Updated
The amount of people failing to take care of such a basic detail is alarming. They might have a contact number that is out of service, an email that no one responds to, or a completely incorrect location. This will have a very negative impact on your website’s Google rankings. Always keep your contact details, locations, and service hours updated. Emphasis on the service hours, especially during COVID times.
Add Photos and Videos
Digital assets help establish emotional connection and credibility. So, add all kinds of photos, be it interior that allows the potential customer to witness the in-store experience or other photos that cover the key features of your brand.
The effectiveness of such media is evident through the numbers given out by Google, which suggest that around 42% of customers request driving directions for businesses that have photos attached to their profile. But keep in mind to not go crazy with the images. Just put up some quality pictures and videos attached that embody the entire idea of your brand.
Engage with Customers
Interacting with the customers or the prospects will help establish trust and remove any ambiguity regarding your business. Try answering all the questions regarding keeping your customers updated, and it also helps add more information.
Try to get as many reviews as possible and make sure that they are all authentic. This will greatly help your local SEO rankings, and you’ll soon be able to fly high with your business profile.
There you have it, now that you’ve understood the importance of Google My Business, hire an expert web design and SEO company, such as Map-it Inc who can help you with this aspect of marketing, and see how your website’s ranking will improve.
