If you have been building your company's online presence within the past decade, you are probably familiar with Google's local listings, also known as the map pack. These listings have become a staple of the digital marketing ecosystem and pull from another popular product of Google's that has evolved over the years - Google My Business profile or GMB.
Like many of Google's offerings, Google My Business is a fantastic tool for boosting your brand's visibility and reputation online. Understanding and successfully implementing this feature can go a long way in generating more leads and booking more jobs.
This article covers four easy-to-follow strategies for getting the most out of your Google My Business profile. Let's take a look...
Always Update Your Business Information
One of the most important things we saw in the digital space with the COVID-19 restrictions is the importance of business information being up to date. Having incorrect information on your GMB can confuse your customers and discourage them from inquiring about your services. And when customers are confused, your online interactions will likely decrease — as Google doesn’t favor businesses that fail to provide a good experience for customers. Keeping your business information up to date would include:
- Business name
- Address
- Phone number
- Hours of operation
- Website information
- Categories
- Photos
The other benefit of ensuring your information up to date is that it keeps your online listings consistent. With consistency, your whole digital presence is helped, from local listing rankings to organic rankings.
Encourage & Respond to Customer Reviews
If there is one thing that Amazon has shown us under the leadership of Jeff Bezos, it is that people care about reputation. 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations and use the internet to research before making a purchase.
However, it is not just necessary to gather reviews but also to respond to them. Interacting with your customers, whether good or bad, shows engagement, which Google likes. It also bolsters the impression you make on future customers by giving them insight into how you work with your clients. 97% of review readers take in businesses’ responses to reviews (an increase of 89% from 2018). The importance of continuously building reviews cannot be understated.
Manage Your Q&A Section
Continuing to build authority as an expert in your industry and service area is key to showing Google that you are the most relevant, trusted, authoritative person for the job. Engaging with the Q&A section in your Google My Business profile is a powerful way to show your expertise and allow potential customers a place to get their questions answered before calling you for service.
Tap into Your Insights
Marketplace insights are a powerful way to view trends as to what is resonating — and what isn’t — with your customer base. This data can give you insights into what to post, where your web traffic is coming from, information on the best channels to capitalize on that traffic, what posts people see the most, and much more. When you tap into these kinds of insights, and you can tap into your growth possibilities.
Make the Most of Your Google My Business Listing
By following these best practices, you will ensure that your Google My Business listing is positioned for continued success with Google. Customers want to find you — so all you have to do is take the steps necessary to ensure that they can easily find your company online.
Sound overwhelming? We get it. That is why Scorpion is here for you, to help guide you through this process on your journey to achieving your business goals. Give us a call and let us know where you are headed with your business. Chances are, we can help get you there.
