Google My Business is a free tool that helps manage their online presence on Google, including in search results and on Google Maps.

Why is Google My Business Important For SEO? 

Google My Business is important for SEO because it allows businesses to control their online presence on Google, which is the world’s largest search engine. When a user searches for a business or a service on Google, the search engine displays a “local pack” of businesses in the same area, along with a map and relevant information. 

By claiming and optimising your Google My Business listing, you can ensure that your business appears in the local pack. This increases the likelihood of potential customers finding and contacting your business. 

In addition, optimising your Google My Business listing can also improve your search engine rankings as Google uses the information provided in the GMB listings to determine the relevance and authority of a business. This means that having an optimised GMB listing can help your business appear higher in search results, increasing your visibility and attracting more organic traffic to your website. 

The Benefits Of Google My Business

Improved Visibility

By creating a GMB listing, your business will appear in local search results and Google Maps. This can increase your visibility and help potential customers find you.

Increased Credibility

A verified GMB listing can help establish credibility for your business. Customers are more likely to trust your business if it has a professional online presence.

Increased Website Traffic

A Google My Business listing can drive traffic to your website. When customers search for your business or related keywords, your listing will appear in search results and customers will click through to your website.

Better Customer Engagement

Google My Business provides a platform for businesses to interact with customers by responding to reviews, answering questions, and providing updates. This can help build customer loyalty and improve your online reputation.

Insights and Analytics

GMB provides valuable insights and analytics on how customers are interacting with your listing. You can see how many people are viewing your listing, where they are coming from, and how they’re engaging with your business. 

Here are some steps to help you use Google My Business to improve your local SEO.  

Claim and Verify Your Listing

The first step is to claim your business on Google My Business and verify your ownership. This ensures that your business information is accurate and complete. Verifying your listing can take up to five business days. Verifying your listing proves to Google that you represent the business you are verifying. Verifying your business on GMB is crucial for the visibility and performance of your profile. Google will not display your business until the business is verified. 

Optimise Your Profile

Once you have claimed your listing, optimise your profile by adding your business name, address, phone number, website URL, and hours of operation.  You can add photos and videos of your business. Completing every section on your GMB profile will help you to rank higher in local search results and it also increases the number of actions customers take when they find your profile. 

Choose The Right Categories

Choose the appropriate one that describes your business, as this helps Google to understand what your business is about and improves its visibility in search results.

Get Customer Reviews

Encourage customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business profile. Positive reviews can help to increase your visibility in search results and improve visibility in search results and improve your reputation. As well as encouraging customers to leave reviews, ensure that you are responding and interacting with customer reviews, this illustrates your business values. Positive reviews will have a positive impact on customers who are considering purchasing your business. 

Use Google My Business Insights

Google My Business insights provide data on how customers are finding your business, what actions they are taking, and more. Use this data to optimise your profile and improve your local SEO strategy. 

Post Updates and Offers

You can post updates and offers on your Google My Business profile to keep your customers engaged. This can help improve your visibility and attract new customers. Posting regularly on your GMB profile can increase the number of actions taken by consumers who find your profile. Posting regularly sends positive ranking signals to Google in the same way adding photos does. 

 By using Google My Business effectively you can improve local SEO and increase your visibility in search results and on Google Maps. If you are interested in reading our other blog posts about digital marketing, social media marketing, SEO, and more, then click here to read them.