Using a Google Local Business Listing is one of the most important ways to get your business noticed by Google. It’s also an easy way to rank higher in Google Maps, Google Search and Google+ for local searches. But how do you make sure that your company is set up properly? This definitive guide will show you everything you need to know!
How Business Listings work
Google has been trying to make it easy for internet users to find local businesses since the beginning of Google Maps. They started with a simple list based system where you could enter your business name, address and contact information into Google’s systems either by hand or using third party software like Mapmaker. In 2009 Google stopped allowing Google Maps users to directly create listings and Google’s own Google Places system was born. Google has continued to expand their local business product line by adding a variety of features such as the ability for customers to write reviews , upload photos, share recommendations with friends via email or on social networks like Facebook and Google+.
Creating a Google My Business account
It’s free to create a Google My Business account and doesn’t take too long to set up.
- Open Google My Business & Sign-in with Google.
- Add your business name.
- Add your location so people know where you’re based and how to find you.
- Choose the category your business falls into. This helps Google to figure out what types of customers should be shown your business listing.
- Enter your phone number and website URL
- Verify your business
Once your Google Local Business Listing is complete, make sure to add in all of your relevant information like business description, hours and photos. This content helps Google better understand what your business offers so they can display it when someone searches for similar businesses nearby.
A phone resting on a laptop, showing the Google search homepage.
Verifying your business
To utilise Google Local, you’ll need to verify your business information. This includes managing your company’s profile in Search, Maps, and other Google properties. The verification procedure allows Google to ensure that your business information is correct, as well as ensuring that only you, as the business owner, has access to the listing.
You can verify your business by doing one of the following:
By Website: As long as you’re eligible, you will see a button that says ‘Verify by email’. You will receive an email in your inbox after you click on this button, and after clicking the link in the email, you are finished.
By Phone: If you see the “verification code by phone” option when you begin the process, you will receive your verification code by text.
By Post: When your postcard has arrived, log back in to Google My Business and enter the five-digit verification code.
Optimising your Google My Business profile
Here are a few rules for optimising your Google Local Business Listing.
> It’s important to fill in all of the information Google asks for. This includes the area you serve, your hours, a public phone number and URL and any other information such as free WiFi, or wheelchair accessibility.
> Photos and video are proven to help you rank higher in the search engine results pages, so make sure you add images or video to your profile. according to google, businesses with photos receive 35% more clicks through to their website than businesses without. This is where you can show potential customers what the store looks like from the inside and out! Remember, there’s certain guidelines to follow when it comes to including both Photo’s and Video’s.
> A great way to make your Google My Business listing more responsive is to respond to reviews. When you respond to reviews, you show existing and potential customers that you value their business. Reviews appear publicly, so remember to be professional and courteous.
> Google My Business allows you to respond to reviews, update your information and pictures quickly and easily, and it tells you the number of people who have phoned, got directions or visited your website from the Knowledge Graph.
Gaining Insights
You can use the Google My Business dashboard to see your audience and local search performance. To track clicks from a Business Profile, use UTM parameters and Google Analytics. Google Analytics Google’s free web analytics service, Google Analytics provides statistics and insights into your website traffic. You can see where people are coming from: Google Search, referrals and Google My Business (and the corresponding keywords they used for each).
Perform Local SEO
One way for your Business Profile to rank in Google is through optimising it with the right keywords. Google’s Search Console provides information about your site and how it appears in Google. You can check the index status of your site, crawl errors like 404 pages and view traffic statistics (including referral reports).
When a user searches for a term related to your industry, Google will prioritise your profile based on the content of that category and the type of information most relevant to that category.
You need to have a good profile to be seen, but the site needs to have information about your business for anyone to see it. You can use a platform like Word Press to increase your SEO. Google Local Business Listings is a platform that will help you optimise your profile and widen the audience reach of your business.
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