To run over basics, Google My Business is a free tool for businesses to begin establishing their online presence on both Google Search and Google Maps.
It’s really important that every business claims their Google My Business listing to begin building visibility in Google Maps and Google Search within your local community. As soon as a potential customer searches for you or your products and/or services, you want your details to appear to make it easy for them to reach you. For example, if a customer searches for office supplies near them. Google Maps will bring up a list of nearby businesses, which influences them to visit and purchase a product locally.
It is all well and good claiming your Google My Business listing, however there’s a variety of ways in which you can improve it to have a competitive advantage over other businesses.
Customer Reviews
By responding to reviews, it shows that your business cares and values its customers. It may also encourage others to leave positive reviews. The more reviews you receive, the more reliable your business is portrayed.
Google posts
This has recently allowed all users, including small businesses, to share products and/or services directly to Google Search and Google Maps. You can publish text, images, videos, and upcoming events, which show up when people search for your business name or even relatable keywords. It’s a great way to engage your target audience and stand out from the crowd.
One thing to note is that posts only last for seven days, after this they will expire as Google wants to influence people to keep posting relevant updates on a frequent basis.
Google My Business Category
This can have a huge impact on how your business ranks on Google. You may want to conduct a little bit of research into your competitor’s categories if they are higher than you in the map listing results. This way you can alter your category from broad to more specific terms and see if this increases your visibility which will, hopefully, lead to more on-site conversions.