8 Ways to Improve Your Google My Business Listing
Have you tried searching for your business on Google but ending up with unappealing results?
Your offline presence may be already established within the radius of your business location, but what about your online presence?
Google developed a tool called “Google My Business” – a local business listing platform that is super powerful but often left behind by business owners It offers everything you need for a potential customer to find your business online, particularly on Google’s search engine and Google Maps.
Let’s say when someone searches for a “skin care clinic in Pampanga”, you want your website to appear on Google search and Google Maps. With Google Maps location system, your customer will be able to see how far away you are and how to get to your clinic.
It’s inevitable that Google My Business (GMB) gives business owners the chance to stand out from the crowd and build trust. Normally, it takes less than one week to verify your business on Google My Business. Once you receive your verification code postcard from Google, simply verify your account using the enclosed code, then your business will be officially live. But in order to stand out, you have to put that extra effort to reach your goal.
8 Ways to Improve Your Google My Business Listing
Here are 8 ways to improve your Google My Business Listing:
Check your basic info
As obvious as it sounds when you have an established name for your business already, checking your business’ basic information is an essential step in improving your GMB listing. Make sure that the email address, phone numbers, and address are correct and up-to-date. If you’re going to update your contact information or moving to a new location, you should automatically update all of this info in your GMB dashboard.
Update Your Business Hours
Aside from the contact information and physical address, your business’ operating hours are also one of the essential information to have in your Google My Business listing. Secure the normal operating hours, then don’t forget to update them during holiday periods if you have any changes in your business hours. If so, make it on the top of your list so you won’t have grumpy customers not knowing that your closing time will be earlier during the holidays.
Make your categorization unique
Unless your business is a one-stop shop that caters for all, the selection of your business category is important in creating your GMB profile especially when you choose specific categories that represent what your business is and what you offer.
For example, when your primary category is “Hotel”, you can also choose secondary categories that are relevant and can bring you to the right customers like “Budget Hotel” or “Near Airport Hotels”. Then you can also add the amenities or the added value services that can make your offer unique from your competitors.
Include your Business’ Website Link, too!
Of course, if you have your own website for your business, you don’t want it left in the dark. Put the link of the website beside the contact info and address to make the listing a well-detailed one. When a customer searches for your business, they also want to know more about your business or they might share the word to others, so putting that handy link of your website to your GMB listing is a must.
Personalize your Description
GMB’s feature “Business Descriptions”, gives you a chance to make a personalized description of your business that customers will see when they find you on Google. Described as the blurb “from the business”, it allows you to write up to 750 characters (but we advise you to limit to 250 characters to be short and concise).
It is highly recommended to provide thoughtful content in a way that you can provide useful information when customers search for your business. So avoid using misleading words, emojis, promotions or putting your content in all CAPITAL letters. Keep it authentic.
Make it visually appealing
Your Google My Business listing should not only contain letters and numbers but also include pictures of your business! Adding photos is a great way to improve your listing. You can use pictures of the exterior and interior shots of the store, your products, and services, even your employees. This way, it can give your business an identity for the customers that will see them. With visually appealing images, it will make your customer visit that store immediately.
Check Reviews and deal with the Negatives
Google reviews boost your online search results, so getting a ton of comments and reviews can help you. But what if there negative comments and reviews on your GMB listing? Both positive and negative reviews should serve as a bridge with your customers and demonstrate your professionalism and how you really care for them.
You show value to your customers when you respond to their positive reviews. While responding to the negative ones allows you to turn the table, or even better, understand what went wrong so your customers won’t experience them again in the future. When responding to reviews, focus on being positive, appreciative and keep a friendly tone.
Include Frequently Asked Questions and their Answers
In the question and answer section, you can put all the questions that are being constantly asked and make sure to put the correct and accurate answer. Questions like “What’s your most popular item/service?” and other specified queries for your business should be in the question and answer section of your listing. It will help your customer to learn more and lessen their effort to ask. Putting yourself in the shoes of the customers can help you identify what questions they will always ask.
And there you have it!
We know that after reading these 8 ways can seem overwhelming, but it’s not. We encourage you to embrace the importance of Google My Business listing (mostly for local SEO) in order to further succeed and survive in this market full of fierce competitors. If you still want to learn more about improving your business in the digital platform, talk to us at Emergelocal for a FREE digital marketing consultation.
