Google My Business
What comes up when you Google yourself?
Have you ever spent time Googling yourself? If not, you definitely should! But aside from yourself, what comes up when you Google your business? Do you get that nifty sidebar area in your browser that gives pertinent information like operating hours, reviews, location, and your website? Great, you claimed your free Google My Business account. Now that covers 56% of business owners. (If you belong in the other 44%, your first item on your to-do list – after finishing the email – is to claim it!) The next question to ask yourself, is this content current and optimized to get me more customers and business? Let’s find out!
Did you just put in the bare minimum when you claimed your business?
First things first, when was the last time you looked at the information that your potential customers see when they Google your business? Are you putting your best foot forward with that information, or is it the bare minimum? Next, is that information still relevant? If your name, address, and phone number are not an exact match with your website, it can hurt your rankings.
Optimizing Your Business Category and Company Attributes
Just like with websites, you get out what you put in. If you aren’t using keywords in your Google my Business page like your website, you could miss out on traffic! And just like with websites and blogs, no keyword stuffing.
When it comes to the business category, make sure you are as specific as possible so that searchers know precisely the type of business they are looking at. The attributes section gives your potential customers an idea of what to expect from your company, whether it is patio dining or free wifi. Let your customers know what to expect from your business!
Get that Picture
Studies have shown that your business is more likely to be considered reputable with pictures. So make sure you have a great profile image that showcases your business. You can also allow your customers to post photos of their experience with your business. User-generated content helps drive customers to you by making you appear reputable!
Reviews
A review section can be both a blessing and a curse, but the main tactic here is to always ask your customers for reviews and make sure you are responding to ALL of them. That way, if a bad review pops up, you have the opportunity to make it right, and other potential customers get to see your response.
From the Business Section
This is where keywords come into play! Use all of those 750 characters but don’t put the same information shown anywhere else on the Google My Business Page. A great place to find content for this section would be your “About Us” page or your company mission statement.
No Stock Photography
Use your own photos (that are of good quality) and add pictures regularly (1 image per week is perfect). This will help remind you to make sure your profile information is up to date and accurate.
Ask for Reviews
Set up an email campaign for your customers to ask for reviews! People are more likely to trust your business if you have reviews posted on your Google My Business Page. This also means that you need to make sure you are responding to those reviews too.
Happy Monday! Have a great and productive week!
Allyce Mitchell
RevMarketing.com
https://neilpatel.com/blog/optimize-google-my-business/
https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2020/06/03/google-my-business-optimization