You Set Up Your Google My Business Listing. Now What?
To optimize your Google My Business listing, the first step is to fill out all of the information fields available for your business profile. Fill them out exactly and correctly.
Google encourages you to update your GMB listing with any changes immediately. This increases your chances of your business website showing up better in search rankings. The following business information is essential:
Business Name
In this field, put your business’s name and only that. Because of the way your Google My Business listing is set up, you do not need to add any taglines or business location information in this field. It will not help. That comes later.
Business Locations: Essential for Google Maps
Ensure that your business address is correct for all locations and that your website address is always up-to-date. Only add your address phone number and direct contact information. This will ensure your business shows up correctly on the maps.
This helps the customer find your shop during a direct search from their mobile device, which is a must for your local SEO strategy. They will be able to find your brick and mortar location easily using GPS when requesting directions.
In addition, Google posts your location on Google’s Local Pack from a laptop or desktop search. (Those maps you see on a search engine results page (SERP). Also, under your location, you’ll want to be sure to list your business hours correctly.
Business Description: Critical for Google Search
Be absolutely precise about what your business does. List your products and all your services clearly. You get 750 characters to work with, and only 250 of them will display during a mobile search.
So those first 250 characters need to be accurate. Avoid promotional and marketing language. It won’t help here. Don’t use any links here; it’s not allowed.
Just inform customers about what you do and what you provide in the most succinct language possible. If you can do that in 250 characters, you can include more concrete details to fill up the rest of your character limit. You can include more keywords and essentials here too, but avoid fluff at all costs. This will help your rankings in organic search results. It will also help Google correctly identify your business category to ensure it’s listed when a customer searches for that category.
Add Photos
Google My Business provides space for you to add your business’s photos, so use it. Businesses with photos get 42% more GPS requests and 35% more clicks through to the website, so great images matter.
You don’t need a professional photographer, but learn what makes a compelling photo. Look at your competition and see what they’re using and try to outdo them. At the same time, be precise. For example, your cover photo is the first thing customers will see. Business profiles with clear, colorful, and informative photos will help customers during direct searches.
Keep in mind that the images that will show up most beautifully here are JPG or PNG format images with 720×720 pixels that are no more than 5MB large. To help customers trying to find you on a Google Maps search, a picture of your storefront can be enormously helpful. But also include pictures of products, services, and other compelling events.
Google My Business also gives you the option of uploading 30-second long videos that are no more than 100MB in size, again with an optimal 720-pixel resolution.
Consumers Trust Online Reviews
Google My Business advises businesses to ethically collect and actively respond to reviews. These reviews are listed in your GMB listing for all to see, and customers heavily rely on this information to make purchasing decisions. Your star-rated reviews will appear in the Knowledge Panel and in Google Maps. At least 97 percent of consumers read and rely on the reviews and star ratings they see. More positive reviews lead people to your business.
Negative reviews are tricky, but can actually turn to your good if handled correctly.
Handling a Negative Review
Log into Google My Business every day for important business insights. Proactively answer questions about your business and do not allow a bad review to stand. Respond directly to the customer and offer to make things right ASAP. Don’t try to make excuses, and don’t be afraid to apologize, even if it was something you had no control over. Just remember, even if the customer isn’t always right, they need to feel like they are at least.
How customers interact with your business deeply impacts your online reputation and if you can turn a negative experience into a positive one, you’re likely to gain more fans and more Google My Business clout in comparison to your competition.
Fine-Tuning Your Google My Business Listing Will Help You Stay Ahead of the Competition.
If you feel overwhelmed or want us to perform an audit of your website and local listing, make the connection! We’d love to help you figure out a plan of attack for your SEO, no strings attached!.
Source: UPTICK MARKETING + GMB
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