Google My Business (GMB) is a free feature that allows businesses to choose how their company appears on Google Search and Google Maps. To make their profile stand out, businesses should create a GMB profile and add pertinent details like contact details, business hours, and images. This article will cover all you need to know about Google My Business SEO, from creating a business profile to optimisation advice for a higher position on local search results.
Google My Business SEO: What Is It?
In order to assist businesses in showing up in Google’s local search results, Google My Business SEO is crucial. Google will present a list of pertinent companies on a map with links to their GMB profiles whenever someone searches for a company or service in a certain area. Thus, having a GMB profile that is properly optimised might aid firms in increasing their exposure and bringing in more clients.
Creating a Google My Business profile: steps
It’s simple and free to create a GMB profile. The actions below must be taken by businesses to build a profile:
- Sign in to Google My Business using a Google account.
- Click on the “Add your business to Google” button.
- Enter the business name and address.
- Choose the relevant category for the business.
- Verify the business by phone or postcard.
Businesses may add further details, such as images, business hours, and client testimonials, once the profile has been created.
Guidelines for Improving Your GMB Account For Local SEO
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Update Your Information
Keeping your company’s listing current and correct is important to ensure customers can find specials and contact information. Check your company’s details frequently to verify its name, address, phone number, description, and hours of operation. Recheck your calendar and adjust opening times for holidays and other occasions. Be particularly careful when entering the details of your company, as a mismatched name, address, or phone number could result in a penalty for your profile.
Choose from the Primary and Secondary Categories
When creating a GMB listing, it is important to select a company category. This includes major and secondary categories, search volume, and keywords. To estimate a keyword’s potential for traffic, use tools like Semrush or Ahrefs. Search volume is key; the greater it is, the more impressions your listing can generate.
Search for nearby rivals using a target keyword and extending the local pack to reveal the company category. Use a Chrome plugin like GMB Everywhere to find up to nine secondary categories, but avoid any unrelated to your business.
Add Your Services and Products
Add goods and services to your GMB profile to increase exposure. Log into your account and search for “my business” or your company’s name. Click the Edit Profile option and select Products or Services. Enter product name, category, image, price, and description.
Make use of the product catalogue
Display your product catalogue right on your profile to draw in potential buyers. On the Products tab of Google, users can:
- Choose product groups.
- For additional information, expand on the product cards.
- Dial the company’s proprietor.
- For an online order, click a button or link.
Configure messaging
Configuring the message function on Google My Business helps to build trust, increase consumer happiness, and increase engagement. Customers can initiate a chat with Google My Business Messages by clicking the Chat button on Google Maps and Google Search.
Activate the Messaging function to make it available; you’ll receive notifications when users submit messages. Additionally, you can design a unique automatic welcome message and send customers photographs through the chat.
Put Special Attributes to Use
Special qualities are extra categories that outline what a company offers visitors. This can be done by providing unique features like delivery, dine-in, takeaway, and outside food allowed. Additionally, businesses can add distinctive qualities such as services provided, languages spoken, things to do, accessibility choices, and payment alternatives. Women-owned businesses may also be promoted in recent revisions to Google My Business.
Respond to client inquiries
Google Business Profiles are a great way to increase client satisfaction and generate leads. They include a Q&A section to which anyone can add responses. Google often offers pre-written responses to frequently asked topics, but the questions and responses with the most likes will appear higher. It is advisable to react to communications manually to ensure their efficacy and correctness.
Publish articles and pictures
Building client trust and demonstrating legitimacy to Google by regularly posting new images and blog entries will help grow your customer base. Photos provide viewers with a behind-the-scenes glimpse and include a human element to demonstrate what kind of service they can anticipate. To further raise local search performance, add alt text, titles, and captions, and enable geotagging. Users of GMB may post updates straight from their profile using the Posts function. When writing content, don’t forget to add target keywords, check for errors, and give correct information.
Add links to landing sites and attach graphics like digital brochures or campaign photos to make them more engaging. GMB postings lose their validity after six months, so it’s wise to regularly examine and update them.
Answering reviews
Reacting to Google My Business Reviews is essential for building trust and persuading potential clients. It is important to respond in a concise, beneficial, and kindly, avoiding one-word replies and trying to alleviate the customer’s problems. If a negative review is received, it is a great opportunity to make amends and persuade the client to update their rating.