To increase your discoverability for your business, a great technique is using Google My Business (GMB). It is a platform that is used to create a business listing or in simpler terms — a business profile. Creating a business listing is simple and extremely helpful for SEO. Google requires the name of the business, location, and category, to create a listing. Once Google validates the listing by verifying that it is not duplicate, it creates the profile. The listing will become visible to the public for that specific location. Users can add reviews, photos, ask and answer queries. The listing can also get populated with information that google garners across the web.
GMB is not just a business profile but rather a powerful and simple method to enhance your brand and increase its visibility and reach. Let us look at some of the ways you can make your google business listing an awesome marketing tool. For reference, you can check out Zest Money, a fintech brand’s business profile.
Build customer engagement
There are tonnes of ways your customers can interact with you through your business profile. Respond to the positive reviews by thanking them, and address the negative reviews. This is a great way to show that your brand listens to its customers. Apart from replying to reviews, you can enable direct messaging and set up alerts. Additionally, use your business listing to publish posts
Resourceful
A business listing on Google avoids time wastage in addressing common queries about your business. On your business account dashboard — you can provide working hours, products, pricing, a summary of your business, your working hours, and a link to your website. If there are any important updates or changes in your business, you can use GMB to inform your customers of the same.
Collect insights
Use the GMB dashboard to learn about your business and audience. Additionally, you can study local search performance as well. In the analytics section of the dashboard, gain knowledge about the queries customer have. Irrespective of the platform they use, be it google maps or search, GMB provides insightful breakdowns of actions. It draws comparisons with other competitors in your category and even shows the performance of your photos. Another interesting feature is google provides ways to track clicks from a business listing via UTM parameters and Google analytics.
Driving traffic
Google is one of the smartest engines that can even embolden keywords in the content of your listing, if it is relevant. It takes a focused approach to the sections of your profile according to the query and relevant information pertinent to your customers. Here is how you can optimise your listing’s information for maximum visibility.
Hyper-targeted information
A recommended practice for any information on your listing is the incorporation of keywords. As you incorporate words, google lets you analyse what keywords you are attempting to rank for. Use them in describing your business, your responses to reviews and your answers to queries. Ensure that you use them organically. It should not seem like a bot-generated answer.
Authenticity
The information you provide on this listing must be accurate. Do not exaggerate any kind of information and try to answer all popular questions and doubts in the dashboard. Providing false information may initially attract new customers but ultimately if your description does not match the services you provide, customers will leave bad reviews flagging the misinformation, thus impacting traffic.
Build trust
Apart from posting accurate information, you also need to regularly update the description, if there are any major changes. Respond to reviews and queries and make amends with customers, who may have had a bad experience. Through proper engagement with your customers either through photos or reviews, google understands that you are an active user.
What may seem like a simple part of google can provide a plethora of benefits. GMB can increase awareness, build credibility and increase engagement rates. Keep the information optimised, short and accurate. Regularly check data on your performance and update as and when changes are made. When used properly in this digital era, it can be a powerful tool in building a wider consumer base.