Google My Business (GMB) is an essential tool for local businesses aiming to increase their online visibility, engage customers, and improve their local search rankings. This guide will walk you through how to leverage GMB to boost your online presence.
Why Google My Business Matters
GMB provides businesses with a free, user-friendly platform to manage their presence on Google Search and Maps. It’s a vital signal for local SEO and offers numerous benefits that can drive more traffic to your website and increase sales.
Key Stats:
- 46% of all Google searches are looking for local information.
- 53% of consumers visit a business within 48 hours of performing a local search on Google.
- 92% of searchers pick businesses on the first page of local search results.
- Local searches result in purchases 28% of the time.
- “Near me” searches grew by 900% over two years.
- By 2021, mobile devices influenced over $1.4 trillion in local sales.
What is the Local Pack?
The Local Pack is a feature that displays local business listings in response to location-based searches.
- Visibility in Local Pack: Appears in the #1 spot 93% of the time when a local search is performed.
- CTR: The Local Pack receives 52% of clicks (including ads and the pack itself).
- Without Local Pack: The first organic result receives 39% CTR; with the Local Pack, it drops to 13%.
Having a solid presence in the Local Pack is essential for local businesses as it drives more click-throughs than organic search results alone.
Setting Up Google My Business
1. Claim or Create Your Listing
- Visit Google My Business and click Manage Now.
- If your business is already listed, select it from the search results. If not, click Create a business with this name.
2. Choose Your Business Type
- Brick & Mortar: If you have a physical location.
- Service Area: If you offer services at customer locations (e.g., delivery, repairs).
3. Add Your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number)
- Ensure your NAP is consistent across all platforms and matches exactly what’s on your website.
4. Verify Your Business
- Verification typically takes a few days but is crucial to activate your listing.
Optimizing Your Google My Business Listing
Business Name
- Use your real-world business name; don’t keyword stuff.
- Pro Tip: Don’t add city names to your business name—this can lead to NAP inconsistencies.
Location
- Set your physical address if you’re a Brick & Mortar.
- For service areas, you can list the cities or zip codes you serve.
Categories
- Select a primary category that best describes your business. You can also add secondary categories (up to 9).
- Be strategic—these categories affect your visibility in local searches.
Hours & Contact Information
- Set your regular business hours.
- Include your primary phone number and any secondary numbers (e.g., toll-free numbers).
- Tip: Utilize the Special Hours feature for holidays or irregular hours.
Website & Appointment URL
- Link to your website or a location landing page (for multiple locations).
- If your business is appointment-only, use the Appointment URL feature to link to your booking system.
Services
- Add services that describe what you offer, but avoid keyword stuffing.
- Note: Services are more visible on mobile than desktop.
Products
- If you sell physical products, use the Products section to list them manually (if you can’t integrate with Google Merchant or Pointy).
Enhancing Your Listing: Key Features
Photos & Videos
- Businesses with photos get 40% more requests for directions.
- Add photos regularly—showcase your products, location, and staff.
- 360° Virtual Tours can increase bookings by 85%.
- Video uploads are allowed up to 30 seconds in length.
Reviews
- Encourage customers to leave reviews, as businesses with more reviews rank higher.
- Respond to reviews—both positive and negative. Use negative feedback to improve your services.
- Pro Tip: Research shows nearly 9 out of 10 people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Google Posts
- Use Google Posts to share updates, events, and special offers directly in the SERPs and on Google Maps.
- Posts expire after 7 days (unless set as an event).
- Types of Posts:
- What’s New: Updates or general information.
- Events: Promote events you’re hosting or involved in.
- Offers: Share sales, promotions, or discounts.
Q&A Section
- This crowd-sourced feature allows customers to ask and answer questions.
- Proactively create your FAQs to address common inquiries and improve customer experience.
Messaging
- Enable the Messaging feature to allow customers to text you directly from your GMB listing.
- Respond promptly to improve your response rate, which is displayed on your profile.
Leveraging GMB Insights
Google My Business Insights provides valuable data on how customers find your listing and what actions they take.
- Customer Actions: View photo views, website clicks, directions requests, and more.
- Queries: See the types of searches that lead people to your business.
- Location: Track where customers are coming from (e.g., direct searches or discovery searches).
Use these insights to refine your strategy and adjust your profile accordingly.
Stay Active and Keep Your Listing Updated
- Monitor Reviews and Questions: Respond promptly to engage customers.
- Use Local Posts: Regularly update your posts to maintain relevance.
- Update Information: Keep your business details, photos, and attributes current, especially during times of change (e.g., COVID-19).
Additional Local Listings
Make sure your business is listed on other local directories and business listings to increase your visibility. Consistent NAP across all platforms is critical for SEO success.
Final Thoughts
By fully optimizing your Google My Business listing, you can significantly improve your local search ranking, attract more customers, and drive higher engagement. Stay active, monitor insights, and leverage all the features that GMB offers for maximum benefit.
Case Study: 68% Increase in Traffic on Google My Business in Just 1 Month
The Problem:
We wanted to increase traffic to our Google My Business (GMB) page. While we were getting great traffic from Google overall, GMB was not generating as much attention. Upon analysing GMB insights, we realised that our intent was slightly off—we were ranking for some irrelevant terms that were confusing Googlebot, and we needed to refine our approach.
The Goal:
Our aim was to boost the visibility of our GMB page and fine-tune the user intent for important keywords such as “web designer” and “SEO company.”
The Tactic:
The strategy was simple—engage with the GMB page at least once a day for an entire month. Regular interactions would help enhance our visibility and optimise our presence.
Action Examples:
- Added 10 photos, including 2 exterior, 3 team photos, 5 at work, and several interior shots.
- Included 2 new service items: website maintenance and hosting.
- Uploaded a photo from the GMB app showcasing our office.
- Sent out a few emails to customers with our “shortname” link (http://g.page/elitestrategies), encouraging them to take a look.
For the full action list, click here.
The Results:
Around a week into the implementation, we noticed a significant increase in traffic to our listing. While we can’t guarantee the exact cause, we believe that these consistent efforts to “beef up” our GMB page played a major role in the traffic boost. In just one month, we saw a 68% increase in traffic to our GMB listing, showing the effectiveness of ongoing engagement and strategic content updates.
By actively managing and optimising our GMB presence, we were able to improve both the quality and quantity of traffic directed to our page—helping us connect with more potential clients.
