{"id":20994,"date":"2023-12-05T13:36:04","date_gmt":"2023-12-05T13:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/?p=20994"},"modified":"2024-09-13T06:32:14","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T06:32:14","slug":"maximizing-your-visibility-with-google-my-business-optimization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/maximizing-your-visibility-with-google-my-business-optimization\/","title":{"rendered":"Maximizing Your Visibility with Google My Business Optimization"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>If you\u2019re a brick-and-mortar<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>or local\u00a0<\/span>business \u2013 you sell products or services\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span>a physical<\/span> location<\/span><\/span>, or you offer services in a specific geographic area<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 you can\u2019t afford to miss out on using Google My Business<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>But if you haven\u2019t set your listing up yet or aren\u2019t sure how to use it to its fullest potential<\/span>, don\u2019t worry \u2013 we\u2019ve got your complete guide to Google My Business<\/span> right here.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>What\u00a0<\/span><\/b>is\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Google My Business<\/span><\/b>?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Google<\/span> has become the most-used method of local search<\/span>. Your business<\/span> won\u2019t reach its full potential<\/span> and get t<\/span>o\u00a0<\/span>max<\/span>imum<\/span>\u00a0brand awareness<\/span> without a Google My Business<\/span> (GMB) page<\/span>. It\u2019s a free<\/span> tool<\/span> that allows you control over how your business<\/span> appears in Google Maps<\/span> and\u00a0Google Search<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>And it\u2019s available for any business<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>that\u00a0<\/span>has some sort of face<\/span>-to-face<\/span> interactions with customers<\/span>, even if you don\u2019t have a physical<\/span> storefront. For example, a house painting company might not have an office where they can meet customers<\/span>, but they\u2019re still eligible for a Google My Business<\/span> account<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>GMB lets you update and customize your contact details and hours of operation, monitor and respond to reviews<\/span>, and add pictures<\/span> of your business<\/span>. Your GMB listing comes with the added benefit<\/span> of access to data<\/span> on how people<\/span> are searching for and finding you.\u00a0<\/span>It helps your customers<\/span> find<\/span> you, and helps you find<\/span> customers<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>What Google My Business Does<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Online search<\/span> is now the way a majority of people<\/span> looking for a local shop<\/span> or service<\/span> do their research<\/span>. I<\/span>n 2018, over 86% of customers<\/span> read reviews<\/span><\/a> for local businesses<\/span><\/span>. And by the time\u00a0<\/span>people<\/span> search<\/span>\u00a0for what you offer, most of them are ready to make a purchase.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Think of Google My Business<\/span> as the new and digital<\/span> Yellow Pages<\/span>. Your customers<\/span> need<\/span> to be able to find<\/span> you and know how<\/span> to get in touch when they\u2019re standing in their driveway in front of their locked door, frantically Googling<\/span> \u201clocksmith near me.\u201d If your Google My Business<\/span> listing is missing, out-of-date, or inaccurate, you\u2019ve just missed that easy sales<\/span> opportunity.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>When your reviews<\/span> outnumber those of your competitors<\/span>, you don\u2019t have to spend as many\u00a0<\/span>of your precious\u00a0<\/span>ad<\/span> dollars to beat them in search results<\/span>. Google<\/span> recognizes a more\u00a0<\/span>frequently\u00a0<\/span>reviewed business<\/span> as being more\u00a0<\/span>trustworthy, more\u00a0<\/span>credible, and more important to the user.\u00a0<\/span>This brings your local search<\/span> rankings higher and higher with no ad<\/span> spend at all. It\u2019s a worthy investment of your time.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>How to Man<\/span><\/b>a<\/span><\/b>ge Google My Business<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Managing<\/span> your Google My Business<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>ccount starts by logging into your Google<\/span> account<\/span>\u00a0for your business<\/span>. If you don\u2019t already have a Google<\/span> account<\/span> for your business<\/span>, you need<\/span> to create one. Then you have to verify that you really own the business<\/span> you\u2019re claiming (a good safety<\/span> mechanism so no one but you can claim<\/span> this valuable resource<\/span>). Google<\/span> provides you with several options to claim<\/span> your business<\/span>, so cho<\/span>o<\/span>se the one<\/span> that works best for you.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Now that your business<\/span> has been claimed, you\u2019re ready to start editing your listing and adding information to your profile<\/span>. Head<\/span> to your Google My Business<\/span> dashboard to get started.\u00a0<\/span>Be sure to add the most important pieces of information to your listing.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Name, Address, Phone Number<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Often referred to as your NAP, this is the most critical information to get correct (and keep updated) in your GMB listing.\u00a0<\/span>If these are incorrect, your customers<\/span> won\u2019t be able to find<\/span> you or contact you. So triple-check<\/span> you have accurate information here.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Business Location\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Your potential<\/span> customers<\/span> can\u2019t find<\/span> you if they don\u2019t know where you are. For businesses<\/span> with a physical<\/span> location<\/span>, this information is pretty simple to add. If you have multiple locations<\/span>, you need<\/span> to create a listing for each one.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Business Category<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Google<\/span> has a huge number of very specific categories for businesses<\/span>. So take<\/span> time to find<\/span> the one<\/span> that m<\/span>o<\/span>st accurately reflects your business<\/span>. And if you have multiple locations<\/span>, Google<\/span> recommends choosing the exact same category for each location<\/span> for consistency.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Business Description<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00a0<\/span>You can add a description<\/span> of your business<\/span> that\u2019s up to<\/span> 750 words long in Google My Business<\/span>. This is another chance to get some of that great local\u00a0SEO<\/a>\u00a0juice, so be sure to include a compelling and well-written description<\/span> with a keyword<\/span> or two that describes your business<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>It\u2019s basically a short pitch for your business<\/span> to potential<\/span> customers<\/span>, so make sure it\u2019s error-free<\/span> and doesn\u2019t read like spam<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Photos and Videos<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Adding photos (and videos, if you have them) to your GMB listing is a powerful lure for customers<\/span>. After all, what\u2019s more appealing \u2013 a blank listing of a local bar, or a series of well-lit pictures<\/span> of your cozy and bustling establishment? Photos<\/span> draw the eye of customers<\/span> and help you stand out in the crowded local search<\/span> game.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Managing Google Reviews\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Google<\/span>\u00a0reviews<\/a>\u00a0are critical to how potential<\/span> customers<\/span> will<\/span> view your business<\/span>. Your overall ranking<\/span> is clear with just a glance at the number of stars next to your name. And having great reviews<\/span> boosts your local search<\/span> rankings too. How can you excel at the ratings game? A few simple techniques will<\/span> help.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Be consistent<\/h4>\n

Respond to reviews<\/span> regularly. It can help to assign a staff member to look at your reviews<\/span> and respond weekly, or you can do it yourself. The key is not to let feedback<\/span> sit unanswered for too long \u2013 customers<\/span> won\u2019t feel you\u2019re engaged.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Be Professional<\/h4>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Respond to both\u00a0negative and positive reviews<\/a>\u00a0politely and professionally. It causes more damage<\/span> for your business<\/span> if you spout off a torrent of unprofessional emotion in response to a negative review<\/span> than the damage<\/span> caused by the review<\/span> itself.\u00a0<\/span>And while your reviews<\/span> should be polite, they should also be genuine \u2013 don\u2019t just repeatedly copy and paste<\/span> the same reply or you will<\/span> sound like a robot. Genuine engagement leads<\/span> to more trust from potential<\/span> consumers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>You can manage your reviews<\/span> right from your Google My Business profile<\/span>, and keep on top of reviews<\/span> that still need<\/span> a reply. You can also set up email<\/span> alerts when you receive a review<\/span> so you can stay timely in your replies.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Push the Positive<\/h4>\n

\u00a0<\/span>To get more positive<\/span> reviews<\/span>, you can encourage customers<\/span> to review<\/span> you on Google<\/span> after they have purchased a product<\/span> or used your services if they were a satisfied customer (you don\u2019t want to actively encourage the disgruntled ones to leave<\/span> reviews<\/span>). If you have a method for collecting email addresses<\/span> from your customers<\/span> during transactions<\/span>, you can email<\/span> them after with a link<\/span> to\u00a0<\/span>review<\/span> you on Google<\/span>. The more satisfied customers<\/span> you can get to leave<\/span> a review<\/span>, the more your ratings will<\/span> climb.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Harness the Power of Google<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Setting up and claiming your Google My Business profile<\/span> is an essential way to grow your local business<\/span>. If you want to get expert<\/span>\u00a0digital marketing<\/a>\u00a0guidance to take<\/span> your business<\/span> to the next level, including optimizing your Google My Business<\/span> page<\/span> and your local SEO<\/span> efforts, give C1M a call today. Schedule<\/span> your free<\/span> business<\/span> review<\/span> and learn how we can get you measurable results for your business<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0If you\u2019re a brick-and-mortar\u00a0or local\u00a0business \u2013 you sell products or services\u00a0in\u00a0a physical location, or you offer services in a specific geographic area\u00a0\u2013 you can\u2019t afford…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[772,730,770],"class_list":["post-20994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing","tag-google-local-search","tag-google-my-business","tag-local-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20994"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23476,"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20994\/revisions\/23476"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}