What is a Google Business Profile and how can it improve my local SEO?
Google My Business is a free (yes free) tool offered by Google that allows business owners to manage a significant part of their visibility on Google. It's not just for large businesses: Google My Business can help small businesses, too! If you want to take control of your local SEO, then Google My Business is a great place to start.
In this blog post, we will discuss what google my business is and how it can help improve local SEO for your small business.
How does Google My Business help improve my local SEO performance?
Google My Business (or GMB) helps improve local SEO for small businesses because it increases the chances that your business will show up in Google maps when people are searching for keywords related to what you offer or sell.
For example, if you own a bakery and someone searches for "bakery + your city" or "your type of baked goods + nearby," google my business will increase the chances that google maps shows up with your bakery on it.
This can help bring more customers to your small business, all of whom are highly likely to purchase.
What information should I include in my Google My Business profile?
GMB also allows you to control what people see when they search for your business on Google. You can add photos, a description of your services, and even hours of operation.
It's always best to have multiple high-quality images up there so that potential customers can get a feel for what it would be like walking into your small business or visiting your website. Photos are especially important if you sell products in person since many shoppers will want to know exactly what items look like before making a purchase decision.
And if your business provides services and/or experiences, your Google My Business profile is a great place for your customers to add photos of their own.
All this information will help potential customers learn more about your small business and increase the chances that they'll visit in person or even order from you.
How can I use Google My Business posts for my small business?
Google My Business posts are a great way to connect with potential and current customers.
You can use them to announce new products, and promote special offers and events.
Posts also show up on Google search results, so they're a great way to reach out to people who may not have heard of your small business yet.
Make sure you keep your posts short and sweet - no one wants to read a novel when they're looking for information about a business!
How do online reviews help with local SEO?
Online reviews - on Google, Facebook, and other sites - are of course a great way to provide social proof to potential customers, and persuade them that you're worthwhile considering.
But did you know online reviews can also help improve local SEO and increase the number of customer visits and enquiries?
Once again, Google My Business helps out here: when people search for your small business or any other related keywords on Google, they'll also see a list of recent google map results at the top of their screen - including any positive Google reviews from satisfied customers!
Can I use Google My Business if my business operates from more than one location?
Google My Business is a great way to keep track of everything related to your small business, no matter how many locations you have!
If your small business operates from two or more sites, you can use Google My Business to manage them all.
Simply create a listing for each address and make sure the information - including hours of operation - is accurate across all of them. You can also post updates and announcements that are relevant to specific locations without having to share them with everyone.
Are there any other benefits of using Google My Business?
In addition to the local SEO and customer engagement benefits we've talked about, Google My Business also provides a powerful dashboard that shows you what keywords people search to find you, and provides insights on calls, reviews, bookings, and more to understand how your business connects with customers.
It even offers a free google my business website builder that makes it easy for you to create a professional website without any coding or design experience, and a Google My Business app that allows you to manage your account on the go.
If you're serious about growing your small business and looking to improve your local SEO performance to bring in more new customers, Google My Business is a great place to start.