More than 90% of online journeys start with a search engine, it comes as no surprise that search engines provide their own local business listings.
Google now has around 1.17 billion users worldwide, presenting a fantastic opportunity for small businesses who can now reach a huge number of people online who may be interested in their products or services. It’s no small wonder then that so many local businesses have already made use of a Google Business listing.
A listing on Google My Business is one of the best, free digital marketing resources right now and plays a critical role in helping you get more customers when they search for you. Google Business pages was created to help small businesses become more visible within Google search, maps and Google+.
A Google My Business listing combines all your important information, providing a brief description of your business, opening hours, contact details, website link etc and displays it across Google search, maps and Google+. This makes interaction with your customers easier and allowing them to leave good reviews which is great for attracting new customers.
When a user begins a search for localized terms in Google, they will be presented with a few relevant local listings tailored to the search term used. From there, the user can call your business, visit your website, find out your opening hours and even check out reviews from your customers.
Aside from the obvious benefit of it being free, setting up a Google My Business Page will open lots of new avenues for driving customers to your site. From the Google My Business dashboard you can:
Your Google Business listing is also an extremely effective local SEO (Search Engine Optimization). The categories for a profile that Google provides allow businesses to enter all their key information and as a result, businesses have a much better chance of being ranked well in Google Search.
By entering the geographical information, your business will also appear on Google maps, meaning that your shop, office or warehouse will be visible and catalogues on maps which has huge potential for attracting new customers.
Fortunately, you can set up your Google Business Page in a few very simple steps.
It’s as simple as that!
You might find that your business is not appearing in the search results. This can down to 1 of 2 reasons. The first being that you may have fallen foul of Googles guidelines for its business listings. Make sure you read through these before you start creating your listing to help ensure it is approved. The second reason may be that Google Business Listings are no longer a will kept secret and you’re likely to face fierce competition from similar companies in your area fighting for the higher results pages. There are however a few things you can do to improve your chances:
It’s no surprise that the Google My Business Page is being used by thousands of small businesses already. Whether you’re looking for a local restaurant, the telephone number of a hair salon or the opening times for your local supermarket, this information can usually be found easily in a matter of seconds thanks to Google and smartphone technology. This is why it’s crucial to take full advantage of this as stay one step ahead of your competitors.