What is "Google My Business" and why is it important?

Putting your business online offers vast opportunities, especially for small to medium business enterprises. One of the easiest way for businesses to leverage on this opportunity to reach more customers, is to create a Google My Business account!

What is a Google My Business account?

According to Google, Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that allows you to promote your Business Profile and business website on Google Search and Maps.

If you want to look for a pet store, ice cream shop, or browse cafes and restaurants that are near you, chances are you're going to do that using Google. If you try searching "places to eat near me", Google will give you a list of places you can eat based on your current location. If these places didn't have a GMB account, it would not be displayed on the list of locations (what a loss!).

Google My Business benefits

1. Users are already looking for your services. This means a higher chance of getting discovered by a potential customer who's already interested in your products or services.

Here's an example of how your cafe will be listed when someone searches "cafe near me". The same goes for any other business.

2. Display important information about your business. Your contact details, opening hours, a link to your website, photos of your venue, reviews and more will be displayed to potential customers. Below is an example of all the information will be displayed if a user searches your business name directly. This makes it very convenient for your customers who might want to contact you or check if you're open during public holidays.

3. Get detailed insights. GMB offers businesses insights that can help them understand how potential customers are finding their business. You'll be able to see how many customers are looking for your business specifically, and how many are looking for similar products or services.

You can even learn what search terms are being used to find you. Some of these can give you an idea of what keywords to use for your website as well.

Additionally, you can see how many potential customers have visited your website, requested for directions to your store, or contacted you.

4. Get reviews. This is a huge perk of having a GMB account as it acts as a form of social proof. It helps potential customers decide if they want to do business with you. The more good reviews you have, the higher you will rank in search and map results.

How to sign up for Google My Business account

Visit this link and Google will take you through a guided process in setting up your GMB account: https://business.google.com/create

Tips to make the best of your GMB page

1. Optimize your GMB page by keeping your information accurate and up-to-date. You can aim to include as much information as possible in your GMB page.

2. Include at least 2-3 keywords that best describe your business in the description.

3. Let customers know if you're closed for public holidays by updating your hours.

4. Collect reviews from customers to improve your ranking, and respond to ALL reviews. That's right - even bad ones, to let your customers know you're serious about their experiences, and thankful for those who have given you good reviews.

Techy Apes Digital Solutions provides GMB account setup and optimization as a free, added service for clients who sign up for a social media retainer with us. If you need help with digital marketing for your business, drop us a line.