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How To Improve Your Google My Business Profile

Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, SEM, SEO, Website / 4 minutes of reading

A Google My Business (GMB) profile is no longer something a small business should have but a must-have. Having a GMB listing/presence will improve your visibility and help you reach potential customers searching for products or services.

We live in a world where customers have unlimited purchasing options. A great Google My Business profile can differentiate you from your competition and supply your business with a consistent flow of online leads.

What is Google My Business?​

Google My Business allows businesses to manage their online presence on Google—for example, search, maps, and reviews. Like Yelp, you create a business profile with your business name, address, phone number, website link, hours of operation, photos, and other relevant information.

Why Is Google My Business Important?

  • Improve your online visibility
  • Reach potential customers who are searching for products or services
  • Engage with customers (messages, reviews, updates, etc.)
  • A great place to collect customer review

Google My Business Profile Example

Sage Real Estate Example Google My Business account

How Do I Improve My Google My Business Presence/Profile​

Here are the steps we recommend to all our clients when optimizing Google My Business (GMB) presence.

Step 1: Complete Your Profile​

Ensure your profile has accurate and up-to-date information about your business, including your business hours, contact information, and website URL. Also, don’t forget to add photos and videos to showcase your products and services.

Step 2: Encourage Reviews​

Encourage your customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business listing. Positive reviews will improve your ranking on Google and increase your credibility with potential customers.

Pay close attention to how many reviews your direct competitors have. For example, if a business a few miles from you has 50 positive reviews, you should set that as your target and work toward exceeding that number.

The quality and quantity of reviews on your GMB listing can significantly impact your ranking.

Related : How To Get Your Google Reviews Back?

Step 3: Post Frequently​

Regularly post updates, offers, and promotions on your Google My Business listing. This will help keep your listing fresh and engage potential customers.

Step 4: Respond To Reviews​

Respond to reviews, especially if they are negative. While we don’t think responding to all reviews is absolutely necessary, it does show that you value your customers and are committed to providing excellent customer service.

Step 5: Review Analytics​

Google My Business offers excellent insights into how customers find and interact with your business. This information is extremely valuable if you are serious about improving/optimizing your Google My Business presence.

The Algorithm Question (Improving Ranking)​

Ranking algorithm factors are the criteria that Google uses to determine which businesses to show in the local search results. While there are likely thousands of different factors Google uses to determine ranking, in our experience, we found the following factors to be the most important.

  1. Relevance : How well your business matches the user’s search query.
  2. Distance : How far your business is from the user’s location. The closer your business is to the potential customer, the more likely it is to appear in the search results.
  3. Prominence : The more popular your business is, the more likely it is to appear higher in the search results. For example, the number of profile interactions, the number and quality of your reviews, the quality of your website, and the amount of traffic your website receives, etc.
  4. Reviews : The quality and quantity of reviews. We cannot overstate how important reviews us if you are serious about improving your Google My Business presence.
  5. Website : Your website’s quality, relevance, and authority can also impact your ranking. Make sure you have a great mobile-friendly website with excellent content.
  6. Engagement : As is the case with social media platforms, engagement with your Google My Business profile matters. For example, clicks, views, and calls can affect your ranking.

Related : Website Optimization For Small Businesses

Summary​

Having a Google My Business account/listing/presence is essential if you are looking to improve your online visibility and reach potential customers. In our opinion, Google My Business has become one of the most important digital marketing channels for small businesses, so not having a great GMB profile puts your business at a significant disadvantage, especially if local customers are a substantial percentage of your sales.