Picture this if you will, you’re sitting in front of your computer (which you might already be doing so then you don’t even have to picture it), and you Google search for Pete’s Pet Pampering Place. Along with a plethora of search results, there is a little box on the right-hand side of the page with all of Pete’s business information. This is Pete’s Google My Business (GMB) Listing.
A businesses GMB listing is of utmost importance and has been for a while. With over 85% of online internet searches on the Google Search Engine, it’s important that your GMB listing is optimized so that it can reach its full potential and help you bring customers in the door. Also, as a little added bonus, everything we are going to talk about here today is free!
Set It Up
The first step to being a GMB master is having your listing set up in the first place. 56% of local retailers haven’t claimed their free GMB listing. So first things first, go establish your GMB listing! Once that is done Google will ask you to input your basic business information such as name, address, phone number, etc. Once that is done you’re well on your way to mastering GMB, but the work isn’t done yet, we still need to optimize!
Review It
I’m not talking about double-checking your work (however, you should do that too), I’m talking about getting Google Reviews for your business. Reviews are so important to boosting the online reputation of a business, but it is all about how you handle those reviews that can make or break your GMB listing. Respond to every review that you get, both good and bad. If a review is great, tell them thank you for the kind words, if a review is not so good do your best to explain your side of the story and handle it with professionalism.
Photography 101
You don’t have to be a professional photographer to post pictures on your GMB listing. These pictures are called Google Posts and they can be very helpful to growing your GMB presence. Posts allow you to highlight new promotions, upcoming events, or just general daily fun on your listing. Posts also help keep your GMB optimized and looking fresh for both customers and Google bots that crawl your online entities.
GMB Insights
Every marketing tactic in the world should try to be tracked and analyzed, your GMB listing is no different. GMB Insights makes it easy to track your customers’ path via your listing. You can see everything from how customers are finding you, the actions customers are taking on your listing, total phone calls and so much more! I’m an analytics nerd so GMB Insights is a playground for me, but I think everyone can find something to love here!
Update, Repeat, Update Again
Maybe the most important step of optimization is a step you’ve already done… well it is! The most important part of your GMB listing is to continually make sure that your information is up to date and accurate. Be sure to keep up on any changes to your hours, locations changes, special promotions, or anything else that would cause your GMB listing to become out of date.
Google My Business is a great tool that every single marketer and business owner has access too, it requires none of your money and only a little bit of your time. If you haven’t yet, go and set up your GMB listing today, and if you’re looking for more advanced ways to optimize your listing, contact Midwest Marketing!
