Google My Business Optimization
Google My Business has become one of the pillars of Local SEO, so ensuring your account is set up correctly and optimized well is one of the best things you can do for your Local SEO strategy.
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business is a tool utilized by most businesses that have an online presence. Google’s tools and algorithms are designed to output rankings most relevant to search queries presented. This means, having an accurate and well-optimized Google My Business will ensure that your target audience sees your profile when they search for related topics.
Google My Business is only available to businesses with a geographical location, so keep this in mind when creating and editing your profile to ensure you are linked to relevant search queries.
How can Google My Business Help my Business?
Google My Business is linked to a range of Google’s other features, such as the Google Knowledge Panel and Google Maps. Therefore, but having a well-written, optimized Google My Business profile, you will improve your overall visibility on these features - boosting your results ranking in general.
Google My Business relies on keywords and many other factors detected by search engine crawlers and indexing so that it can present relevant results to a location-dependent search query. This means having a Google My Business can help local customers locate your business when they search for products or services that you provide.
What Does Google Look for in your Google My Business Profile?
Profile Relevance
Relevance to the search query is one of the most important factors that is determined by the information that Google’s web crawlers obtain. Google’s algorithm ensures that your business is suitable for what the customer wants. Google My Business allows you to select a range of categories of products/services that you provide, so make sure that you identify the correct ones.
Distance to Search Query
Google My Business links your business profile to Google Maps. If a customer is looking for products or services you provide and is in the near vicinity - your profile will be displayed to them. The closer you are to a “near me” search, the more likely you will appear for that query. This is one of many reasons it is important to verify that the information on your business profile is accurate at all times - including the geographical factor.
Prominence
Google’s indexing system also values an online presence across multiple platforms to ensure that your business is legitimate and has the correct information posted. Having multiple social media accounts will ensure customers understand your business and if it will suit their needs. Looking at prominence from a technical standpoint, having a web of media accounts that are active will also contribute to backlinks, boosting visibility.
Technical and on-site SEO is a complicated procedure based on an algorithm with thousands of factors. To learn about these aspects in more detail, check out of blog on “Local Online Marketing Made Simple!”
Tips for Setting up your Google Business Profile
Fill in your Information
Although this task seems obvious, it is important to fill in each detail that the Google My Business account page could ask you for. Providing as much information as possible about your business allows Google and customers to recognize that your business is reputable and trustworthy - this can help you boost rankings in the future.
When creating and updating your business account, make sure that all of the following fields are completed:
Name,
Address,
Phone,
Website,
Hours,
Category and Attributes,
Products and services,
From the business,
Questions and answers.
Some of these factors will take more consideration than others, but ensuring that all information is accurate is the most important and beneficial thing you can do for your Google My Business account.
Be Accurate With Contact Information
Contact information is one of the first things presented to potential customers through Google My Business and the Google Knowledge Panel. This means that ensuring your contact information is uniform and up-to-date is one of the most vital steps you can take.
In order to fully cover all bases with contact information, you could take the following steps and precautions:
Ensure that your business name is identical to the one used on store signage.
Make sure the business name and address match all other listings of your business available on the web.
This applies to all name, address, and phone number (NAP) information.
Consider other sites like Yelp reviews.
Post your open hours.
Ensure that you also cover holiday hours so that there is no room for confusion.
How to write the “from the business” section
Although Google does a pretty good job at creating its own descriptions for your business and the products/services you provide, this section on the Google Knowledge Panel is out of your control.
However, one part of your Google My Business you do have control over is the “from the business” section. This section appears lower in your profile and will allow you to provide your own description of your business.
While it is important to utilize all 750 characters, we suggest that you include all key information within the first 250 characters of your statement. It is also important to not repeat any information present in other parts of your profile. This is because Google can view this as spam and penalize you as a result of this.
Choose the right business type
Statistics show that 84% of business profile views on Google originate from discovery searches. Discovery searches are formed when a customer searched for a specific product, service, or commercial category.
This means that in order to be featured in discover search results, your business should match the category well, fulfilling the described products or services. For better results, you should choose a specific category. This allows your business to be presented in more relevant search queries, usually resulting in greater interaction from users.
It is also important to choose secondary categories. Most businesses fall into multiple categories due to the range of products or services offered. Although being specific is important, including multiple specific categories will maximize interaction from results ranking.
Add photos
Adding photos allows customers to have a better understanding of the products and services you could provide to them. Photos also allow customers to assess the quality of your items.
It is important to add quality photos that accurately depict what your business provides to its customers. Images should also be added to your Google My Business account regularly, as this indicates to Google that your business is active and up-to-date. Uploading images will also allow you to get image ranking in results. These images act as a link to your webpage or Google My Business account - bringing in more organic traffic.
Overall, images increase engagement across platforms available to your customers. Statistics show that customers are 43% more likely to ask for driving instructions to a business if the business profile has images. Similarly, when comparing businesses with over 100 photos uploaded to a regular business profile, the account with more photos uploaded is frequently found to have over 5x more calls, 27x more direction requests and 10x more website clicks.
Add your website
Linking to your website acts as a reputable backlink for your own website whilst also allowing customers to feel a more personal connection to the business. Your website should be optimized in terms of keywords and content, so will rank better in terms of relevance to your Google My Business listing.
How to Improve your Google My Business Ranking
Respond to your Reviews
Reviews allow your customers to voice their options - good or bad. Customers like to know that they have been heard when they take the time to give you valuable feedback. Responding to reviews on Google and other platforms such as Yelp will ensure that customers are satisfied with customer interaction, while also giving an active appearance.
Linking Google My Business Account to Google Maps
Although your Google My Business page will automatically provide a proximity factor to the user, linking your Google My Business account to Google Maps will allow you to appear on maps without requiring a “near me” search. This means that some users will be able to view your business without specifically requesting products or services you provide - this is a great way to attract a new audience.
Add High-Quality Images to your Pages
Although a lot of details can be provided on your Google My Business page, adding realistic and high-quality images to your Google My Business account as well as social media pages will give customers a better understanding of the products and quality you can provide them. This reduces surprise when they visit your business - generally meaning you will receive better and more relevant reviews regarding products you have posted.
Set up a Q&A Section
Similar to review, having a questions and answers section - or frequently asked questions - will allow customers to interact more with your business. This contributes to online presence and allows customers to feel that their concerns have been heard.
Post Updates Regularly
Google My Business allows its business accounts to post content onto their profile. This could be images or smaller updates. However, as previously mentioned - posting products, services, and announcements about local news and events is one way to boost your visibility online. Local events are a great way to broadcast your business and will also associate a sense of community with your business.
Other Google SEO Tools
Google My Business is one of many useful tools that Google provides businesses. To fully understand how to utilize the tools that are available to you, check out of blog on “SEO Tools and how to use them”, where our SEO experts have provided their recommended tools.
