How To Completely Optimize Your Google My Business Listing

For your business to thrive, you need online marketing strategies that will attract customers to your company and, in turn, create a thriving community. To allow businesses to succeed, Google constantly adds features to provide marketing opportunities for business owners and compete with other digital giants as the preferred marketing channels. Their most recently embraced feature is Google My Business (GMB). GMB helps local business owners to list their physical businesses on Google’s SERP. However, just adding a GMB listing won’t be enough to get leads. You’ll have to hire an SEO agency to optimize your GMB account properly. You can get your Google map listing optimized by Web20 Ranker to get an increase in your business revenue.

SEO professionals often use GMB listing to get local leads. It is because GMB offers a significant impact for brands and organizations that seek local exposure. A GMB feature such as Google’s local search provides a list of nearby business with information specific to the particular business, such as:

• Business address
• Category
• Business hours
• Reviews

It indicates a need for GMB listing for both established and new brands. Google’s knowledge graph manipulates verified GMB information to generate details about businesses that relate to specific searches. Once you create a new Google My Business listing, a Google maps location is generated for searchability and ease of access.

GMB listing and local SEO can be a valuable strategy for marketing your business, but you need knowledge and guidance to optimize the tool. To complete your Google My Business adequately, we have rounded up a few guidelines to help you manipulate all the possible sides of the tool to your advantage.

The GMB Basics

There are certain digital marketing basics that you need to know if you’re starting your eCommerce journey. It is also crucial to understand the value Google my business offers:

• Google my business is a free tool.
• It gives your existing business website a public presence and identity with a listing on Google.
• Your GMB listing won’t replace your brand’s website
• The information about your brand provided through GMB can appear on Google maps and search.

How To Optimize Your Listing

• Register A Google Account

This is an essential thing that goes without saying, but you need to register a Google account. If you have signed in to YouTube or Gmail, you already have an existing Google account.

• Confirm Your Listing Status

If you hold a physical business location, you might already own a GMB listing. To confirm, you can go to Google maps and, on the search bar, enter your business name, business phone number, or business address. If your business shows up with an address listing, your business already has a GMB listing, and you can go ahead and click on the “claim this business” button and continue the next steps.

• Create A Business Profile

If you started the process from scratch and not from maps, you’ll need to find Google My Business start page to begin the listing process. You will need to fill up a business address: your website link, storefront, or office. If your business offers services such as delivery or shipping at your walk-in retail store, you’ll need to state to serve clients from outside your business area. Also, make sure to enlist your legal brand’s name and not slogans. You will also need to choose a business category for your brand, and if you are offering unique services, you can add a new business category.

• Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Once you’ve set up and verified your account, you’ll end up at a dashboard once you log in with a guide in the upper right-hand side that informs you of the level of completeness of your listing. You’ll have the options to add content such as:

• A list and description of the services you offer
• Photos
• Videos
• Listings for hours, contact, amenities, accepted payment types, etc.
• A menu feature for any products and services listed

While it is not a must to add these features, photos and videos of your products and even of your team can help potential customers visualize what to expect from you and where they will make their purchases.

GMB is a tool that can come in handy to your business as a marketing strategy. Most business owners understand the need to optimize their business website and manipulate Google Ads to target Google’s visibility, but what they don’t know is the value of optimizing their Google business listing. Don’t be one of those left out; focus on manipulating GMB to reap its benefits.

Originally published at Entrepreneur News and Startup Guide.