What is Google My Business (GMB)?
Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that helps in making an online profile of your business in “Google Maps near me” searches. It also appears in Google Maps search results. A GMB profile includes information like business name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation, and customer reviews.
A well-optimized GMB profile helps you get to the top of “near me” searches, from where you can easily boost sales and online visibility of your brand.
Why do you need to optimize your Google My Business profile for higher rankings?
In the US, according to stats, 18-27 billion local searches happen monthly on Google. Out of these, 43% of customers have a high intent of buying while searching. That means for boosting sales, online visibility, and foot inquiries, your business must be present on Google with a well-optimized GMB (Google My Business) profile.
- It helps in getting more online visibility.
- By having a GMB profile you can easily boost the sales and revenue of your business.
- Foot inquiries start increasing.
- A well-optimized GMB profile always builds trust and credibility among customers.
- By using this, you will always stand out from your competitors, and your business always captivates high-buying intention customers for your product and services.
- You will get their attention from the start whenever they search for your product or service near them.
10 Tips for Better Rankings using GMB:
1. Optimize your business profile: Make sure your GMB profile is accurate with consistent information. By keeping details correct, you can easily rank in the top 3 map pack traffic and drive engagement to your business. Focus on the NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) details of your business. All the information needs to be similar on every website page and GMB listing.
2. Choose the right business category: By selecting the right category, Google will match your business with relevant local searches. Here, you need to choose the most specific category that describes your product and services. This will help you rank for the words near me.
You can also read: How to Drop a Pin in Google Maps (Desktop & Mobile)?
3. Add high-quality photos and videos: By adding high-quality images and videos of your business, product, or services, you can easily boost engagement by 42%. Visual content always attracts more customers compared to others. So, posting content on the GMB page will motivate your customers to buy from you rather than your competitors.
4. Reviews: Every business wants to rank higher, but some forget it’s not about the money you make; it’s about how you help your customers. By helping, you will get positive Google Maps reviews, and you can easily use that to rank higher for GMB near me searches. Always encourage your happy customers to leave positive reviews.
5. Create a keyword-rich business description: Make the description clear and concise, around 150-300 words. Also, never forget to add relevant keywords in your description. A well-crafted description always makes you stand out.
6. Update your business hours regularly if required for more accuracy for “near me” searches.
7. Create Google posts: According to your audience, you always need to publish relevant content, like educational, informational, and beneficial content related to your product and services. By publishing relevant content, you will build a personal connection with your audience, ultimately leading to sales and more visibility for your business.
8. Add products and services: Listing your products and services on your GMB profile helps you rank for specific searches. This will also help you stand out in Google Maps SEO.
9. Monitor insights and performance: You can use GMB insights to track how your customers interact with your listing. Metrics like clicks, calls, and direction requests provide valuable data to change your local SEO strategy and improve Google Business Profile engagement.
10. Ask and answer questions: The Q&A section on your GMB profile allows you to address customer inquiries directly. Answering questions promptly and adding relevant keywords can enhance your visibility in local searches.
If your business is visible and reachable, you can help your audience with your product or service. So, by improving your “GMB” Listing, your business sales and revenue start increasing.
Looking for expert help to optimize your GMB listing? Our consultants can help you rank higher in searches. Contact us today to learn how we can boost your local visibility and drive more traffic to your business.
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Rishabh Sharma (Rish)
Founder, ICONIER Inc.
Over 7 years of experience in managing digital products with a specific focus on branding, lead generation, and delivering custom IT Solutions. Graduated from the University of London (U.K) in Business & Management. Rish saw the opportunity to improve and digitalize operations for small and large businesses by providing simple and innovative online solutions.
