WHY OPTIMISING YOUR GOOGLE MY BUSINESS LISTING IS ESSENTIAL FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES

A screenshot of a Google My Business listing for Bek Park Marketing and Content Writing. It shows the call button, directions, menu and reviews as well as part of the business logo.

Google My Business offers a valuable touchpoint for businesses to reach potential customers. This free listing gives business owners some control over how your business appears on both Google and Google Maps.

If your business relies on local customers, having a current Google My Business listing is an easy way for potential customers to find you AND find out more about the goods or services offered by your business.

Somewhere between 30 and 46% of searches conducted by Google have “local intent”. Your Google My Business listing offers exposure to relevant, local search traffic. If you’ve been putting off claiming your listing, or you have one but it has been collecting cobwebs for a few years, chances are you’re losing traffic to your local competitors.

The benefits of a Google My Business listing

Regardless of your business type or location, Google My Business helps build brand awareness, supports SEO, maximises your business’ real estate on Google Search and offers instant information to potential customers.

You may have noticed when conducting a search for a business, Google will now often return a Google My Business result above the business website. This demonstrates the importance that Google is now placing on Google My Business, especially for local search results.

Keeping your Google My Business account updated gives users fast and easy access to your website, a click to call button, business information, opening hours and reviews.

Tips for optimising your Google My Business listing

  1. Ensure your address is accurate and pinned to Google Maps.

  2. Add a phone number, opening hours and a link to your website.

  3. Add a good quality company logo and several images that represent what your business is about.

  4. Take the time to complete the About and Services (or Menu) sections. While Services are not visible to people searching on desktop, they are visible on mobile.

  5. Invite clients to leave a positive review and ensure you respond to every review.

  6. Use the “post” function to link to special offers, seasonal ads, featured website content or blogs.

  7. Be proactive about responding to questions on “Questions and Answers”. This function was established by Google to encourage community participation and interaction with the aiming of building a useful picture of businesses that answers user questions. Chances are, if you are not actively monitoring your listing for questions, other members of the community will be answering them which is exactly as Google intended.

    Even better, consider the top five questions people ask about your product or service and write those questions and answers yourself!

Shortcuts to Google My Business resources

If you would like help setting up or optimising your listing, please get in touch by calling me on 0422 673 353 or contact me and I will get back to you.

Bek ParkGoogle My Business