You don’t have to be a craft coffee-chugging, horn-rimmed glasses-wearing, digital marketing connoisseur to make sure your small business earns higher rankings for local searches. If you own a local business, optimizing your Google My Business listing is important and can be the difference between business success and failure.
Google My Business is a free (yes, you heard that right!) and easy-to-use tool for businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. Are you getting the most out of your Google My Business profile? Earn higher rankings and connect with potential and existing customers today by following these easy steps.
Verify That Your Google My Business Listing Is Accurate.
Once you have claimed your listing, the first step in optimizing your Google My Business profile is making sure you fill out all relevant information on your business listing. This means providing information for your business name, address, phone number, category, website, hours of operation, special holiday hours and closures, description, hi-res photos of your business and products, questions and answers, attributes, and other relevant information such as restaurant menus.
Engage With Reviews – Even The Bad Ones.
When customers leave reviews on your listing, make sure you respond to them – yes, even if they’re negative. Responding to reviews in a timely manner shows customers that you appreciate their comments and show potential customers that you care. It also improves your search ranking. When responding to negative reviews, always make sure to acknowledge the problem, take responsibility and apologize, and explain if necessary. And if you believe that a Google review violates the posting guidelines, you can flag it as inappropriate.
Create a Content Calendar For Posts on Google.
You’ve taken the time to curate content on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but are you neglecting Posts on Google? This feature, first launched in 2016, allows businesses to create content directly on Google, which appears highly ranked in search results. Posts can include text, photos, or video. Currently, there are four Post types that allow you the ability to add a call-to-action button. The Post types include What’s New, Events, Offers, and Products. Businesses can also create a welcome offer to thank customers who follow your business.
Create A One-Stop-Shop For Customers.
Your Google My Business listing should be a one-stop-shop for your existing and potential clients. By using Reserve With Google, users who’ve found your business can make reservations through Search, Maps, or the Assistant and view your bookings all in one place. Potential customers can reserve services and even pay for bookings or tickets through the platform using Google Pay. Reserve With Google integrations include Resy, TripAdvisor Experiences, MassageBook, and many other platforms.
By taking these simple steps, such as incorporating Posts into your Google My Business strategy, you can increase your listing engagement and make your branded results stand out.
