Most companies have heard of SEO and the numerous benefits like organic traffic it can bring to businesses. With SEO, companies can improve their branding, get more visibility, and turn this into clicks and sales. Although general SEO is great for most businesses, businesses with physical locations need local SEO to drive more customers to their businesses. By focusing on local SEO, businesses can ensure that they are the first result that customers see when they search for a particular product or service on Google. A key component of having strong local SEO is having a well-optimized Google My Business page.
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business, also known as Google Business Profile, is a free and public business profile that companies can set up. With a Google My Business, you’ll get a business listing and data on how many people are finding your business each month. This business profile allows you to upload all the information about your business and it helps significantly with your local SEO efforts. Additionally, it’s a great platform if you use any Google marketing tools like Google ads. You can see the impressions, clicks and sales of your marketing campaigns directly on Google My Business.
Even if you don’t want to put in effort into your Google My Business, it’s important that you claim your business. Customers and visitors to your store may leave reviews on your Google My Business, so if you can manage it properly you can ensure that you have a good online reputation. Additionally, when you claim your business, Google sends a letter in the mail to ensure your ownership of the business. Once you confirm and claim your Google My Business, you can take over the admin role for your page and reply to reviews, update information and do many other things.
Benefits of using Google My Business
Establish online presence: Building and maintaining an online presence is crucial for any business today. The average customer will look up a business prior to making any purchase decision. Your Google My Business is the first result that pops up when you search for your business’ name. When you get a Google My Business, you can manage your online reputation, answer frequently asked questions, and learn how to improve your business and brand.
Local SEO: Google My Business is a cornerstone of having good local SEO. Local SEO is how customers find your business and optimizing it will help you gain more impressions and clicks. With Google My Business, you can use the keywords that are relevant to your industry and attract customers looking for those keywords. For example, if you’re a bakery in Cleveland, you can include keywords such as “bakery”, “cleveland”, “donuts”, “cookies”, etc. This will help your business show up on Google’s pages when someone searches for those terms.
Direct messages to customers: Google My Business allows you to message customers directly. If a customer asks a specific question, you can answer it, message them, offer your services, etc. This is a great way to get more sales for your business.
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