Today we live in an era of the internet, which makes us dependent on our profession and earning through the internet. Tons of eCommerce or business platforms are available online to serve clients. Running an online business through the internet is not easy as competition is quite high on this platform. To manage online business, there are a plethora of tools and platforms that make it easier for users.
One of the most important criteria in online business is to make the platform visible to others. If your website or business is not visible online, the chances to grow become quite low. You may have the best products in the market, but it is impossible to reach your target audience without visibility. Google My Business is a platform that helps you make your business more effective and efficient and increases visibility.
In this article, we will discuss in detail what Google My Business is, how it works and helps your needs and much more. So, let’s dive into reading more and revealing the article further.
Table of Contents
What is Google My Business/Google Business Profile?
Google My Business is a tool that allows businesses to manage their online presence and provide a more efficient customer experience. Businesses can use the Google My Business application to keep track of their business details and customers in one place. In addition, the Google My Business application makes it easier for businesses to grow their online visibility. It provides a variety of tools and resources to help manage their business.
Why Do You Need Google My Business Account?
If you are a business owner, you might not be aware that only creating a business profile may give you control over it. When you want your company profiles to be an effective tool for lead generation and SEO, you need to manage and customize them.
You must create a separate Google business account under that profile, along with a free Google business profile.
When you create a Google My Business account, you can only retain ownership of your business profile. In addition, you will obtain management powers over it. Also, use extra free services to improve your exposure when you create a separate Google business account.
How Can Google My Business Help Your Company?
The Google business/company Profile is a free listing for businesses. To increase their visibility on Google, many businesses create Google business listings.
Businesses can use the tool to see where their customers are coming from and what other companies are linking to them. This information can improve website design, marketing, and even pricing. Google My Business provides a platform for businesses to connect with their audience.
Google My Business will create a Google Map location for your business
Creating a Google My Business Profile accordingly will allow you to generate a location specifically for your business in Google Maps. Google only needs the company name, location, and category. When Google constructs the company profile on the map for the place, they are certain that your profile is unique. Customers can then post reviews, images, queries, and even answers to inquiries on the Business Profile.
Information that Google collects from various parts of the web may also be added to the Business Profile. Business Profile is independent of a Google My Business account and can stand independently. Additionally, regardless of when you developed your Business Profile, you cannot control the data it presents or the ratings it gathers.
Google My Business can help with that. You can access, personalize, manage, and enhance your Google Business Profile when setting up a Google My Business account, which we’ll cover in more detail below.
How To Create a Google My Business Account?
Google My Business is a free service offered by Google that helps businesses get found easily to many audiences.
Go to google.com/business, select “Manage now,” and follow the onscreen instructions to create a Google My Business account. Keep in mind that while a Google My Business Account gives you access to one and allows you to edit it, it does not generate a Business Profile. Therefore, you must ensure you can access an existing Business Profile. Let’s find out the details.
Step 1: Sign Up Or Sign In
If you have previously created a Google account, just log in with it and proceed to the next step. Otherwise, a new Google account is needed. Just sign up and put in relevant details to create a new Google account.
Step 2: Add Business Category
After logging in or creating a new account, add your specific company name in the business category field. Click on Add your business to Google if it isn’t listed in the drop-down option. Click the ‘Next’ button after choosing the category that best fits your company.
Step 3: Add Address/Location
Choose Yes if you have an actual place that customers may go to. Then include your company’s address. You could be prompted to place a marker on a map to indicate the location. You can specify your service areas if your company provides direct services or delivery but does not have a physical site that clients can visit. Then press Next.
Without a physical location, Google will allow you to choose the region where you are headquartered. After making your selection, again click on Next.
Step 4: Put Contact Information
For customers to contact you, enter your company’s mobile number and website link. You are not required to submit a phone number; you can pass it. Click Next once your information is complete.
Step 5: Confirm Verification
Don’t use a post office box; instead, enter your business address. This information (address) is not shared with the public or visible on your Google Business account; it is just used to validate your company.
Click Next after entering your address. The appropriate options for validating your account will be provided to you. To confirm their location, physical companies must receive a postcard in the mail. An email address might identify businesses in the service sector. If you visit https://business.google.com after receiving the sent five-digit code, input it there, and press Verify or Verify business.
A confirmation screen indicating your verification will appear. Click Next on that screen.
Step 6: Customize/Add Business Information
Now, you should add other data regarding your business. Enter your opening and closing times, preferred message methods, company details, and images.
Click Continue when you are prepared. Then you will get the Google Business Manager dashboard. From the dashboard panel, you can control your business profile, examine insights, control reviews, and emails, and make Google advertising from this page.
How To Optimize SEO Using Google My Business?
Google Business Profiles are multifunctional, which will help you to optimize your business in many ways. Google will prioritize different parts of your profile based on the Google keyword. As well as the kind of information that customers in your category value the most. These data are crucial to growing your business. A better option is that Google will underline keywords in your profile’s content that are considered important.
However, your profile must have content to evaluate and keywords to emphasize before anything else. Without content, any optimization will not work; there must be content to drag people onto your website. Google My Business is used to enhance your profile, broaden your reach, and improve your website’s presence for search engines. It all boils down to the same three factors: targeting, information quality, and trust, as optimizing for Google is indeed improving performance for searchers.
How To Improve Google My Business Profile?
Google bases its local search ranking on three variables. They are Target match, business or service location distance, and popularity.
- A search’s compatibility or target match of the product with your Google My Business listing
- Distance is another important criterion. If your service location is closer to the customer search, it will rank top; otherwise not.
- Your company’s level of recognition. Such as factors like links, reviews, review scores, and SEO/local SEO
To optimize Google My Business Profile, proper users should focus on the following procedures.
Fill Up Every Section Of Your Profile
Google suggests that full and accurate information makes matching businesses with relevant or target searches simpler. This raises your relevance rating, and informing Google users about your activities is crucial. If your Google Business Profile is properly completed, consumers two times believe that your company is reliable. More than 60% of customers will also visit your place to get your service.
Verify Business Location
Verified business addresses will be more visible in local search data across Google Maps and Google Search. Additionally, adding a verifiable address raises your rating for the location/distance ranking assessment. If you didn’t verify your address, you could do this from this link https://business.google.com/ anytime.
Ask for Feedback and Provide Comment/Q Answers
If you didn’t give this section much attention, you should prioritize this review section. Whatever you advertise about your company, these days people just do not buy it. Rather, many people check out for reviews and feedback from other customers/users.
This review panel strengthens the trust of new customers to go to your service. Alongside, from the company’s end, you or your team should be dedicated to repose all of the customers’ queries regarding the business. This response will enhance the positive image of your business.
Include Photos/Videos Of Your Company
Uploading real photos and videos of your company is a good way to increase the trustworthiness of your business profile. This will help Google understand your company’s physical location and customers. Genuine photos or videos of your business location will authenticate your business in Google’s evaluation.
Your Google Business Profile should include a logo and other business images. Use visuals similar to your business’s social media sites to help customers easily recognize your brand. Add photographs and videos to highlight your location, working environment, and team. For example, you can add images of your business events. Google claims that businesses with photographs get more inquiries for instructions and more website traffic.
Update Business Information Regularly
If your firm’s contact information, business activity hours, or other information changes, be sure to update your business profile. Arriving during business hours only to discover that you are closed irritates customers more than anything. It will make you lose your valuable customer. Be sure to indicate any unusual hours you may have during holidays or sometimes. You may also make Google My Business postings to communicate updates, product news, discounts, and events.
Add Relevant Keywords To Your Profile
Relevance will increase with the use of appropriate keywords. If you are unsure how and where to find keywords, start with Google Keyword Planner. Or, many online tools will give you insights about relevant and most appropriate keywords for your business niche.
You may learn what terms people use to explore for your company using Google Analytics and social media tracking tools. Include them in your business description in a way that feels natural. Use relevant keywords and avoid irrelevant ones. Unrelated keywords can lower your search ranking.
Upload Your Product Image
Ensure to include a current inventory in your business profile if you sell products. Your products may be displayed in Google Shopping and visible on your profile.
The Bottom Line
Google My Business is a free tool developed by Google to assist business needs. Among many Google tools, it is specially made to promote and help to grow a personal business. You will find many options or tools to enhance your business reach, but most will charge you.
At the same time, the free Google My Business is always there to improve the performance of your business visibility to reach a greater audience. You will see the outcome of your company’s growth once you set up or optimize the whole business account profile using the procedure mentioned above.