One out of three Google searches has local intent. It means that every minute, thousands—if not millions—of people are searching online for a restaurant, a dry cleaner, or a spa in their area.
Hence, if your business relies heavily on local foot traffic, it’s essential to make your business visible in the search results—and these days, one of the most effective ways to do so is to get listed on online directories such as Google My Business.
More than a year ago, we’ve talked about how GMB affects your local SEO ranking performance and in today’s article, we are diving deep into the benefits the platform can offer you.
What’s Google My Business?
Google My Busines is a Google-operated platform where you can manage your online presence in full. In a GMB account, you can add all the essential information about your business including your:
- Company Information
- Address
- Contact Details
- Business Hours
- Website URL
- Reviews
- Product Categories, etc.
As a Google-owned platform, it’s safe to say that GMB is the world’s top business listing channel that opens up opportunities to establish an online presence and connect with local customers.
Why Should You Use Google My Business?
A complete, verified, and optimised GMB listing allows you to be found in more ways than ever before and ignoring this platform could make you miss a wealth of opportunities to attract more customers in your locale. In fact, there are statistics that GMB is particularly useful to SMEs some of which are as follows:
- 4 in 5 customers search for local businesses and services online
- 70% of mobile consumers who search for local businesses online visit them as well; and
- 18% of the consumers end up making a purchase.
Aside from the search results, a GMB listing also allows you to reach multiple Google platforms. It means your business will also be visible in maps, locations, and in reviews. Overall, it will help boost your exposure on the web.
GMB Tools that Can Help Your Business Succeed
By now, you should realise that GMB is good for your business and you can make the most out of it by learning how to use the tools it’s equipped with. Below are some of them to get started:
Insights – GMB has some valuable insights and statistics you can check on a monthly basis. It will help you understand:
- How users search for your business
- How they search for your products/services
- Where they found your business on Google
- The actions they’ve taken (whether they called your business or visited your website), among others.
Virtual Tours – The 360° virtual tour provides both a view of your business’s location and its premises. It’s designed to help customers easily locate your business and consequently, give an idea of what your store looks like inside. This tool helps your business get further exposure on Google.
GMB Posts – Introduced in 2017, GMB Posts are visible on your GMB listing during a search and on the GMB website, itself. It’s a great opportunity to promote your business as well as its latest offers, new products, and upcoming events.
Reviews – On top of all these, GMB offers plenty of ways customers to find you, reach you, and engage with your business. They can view your listing, visit your website, give you a call, or leave a review.
The Benefits of Google My Business
If the above statements are not enough to convince you of the bene
Free Advertising: If we haven’t mentioned it yet, GMB is free to use. It means it offers a way to promote your business, build your brand and establish customer relationships without dishing out a great amount of money.
Consistency – Because you add all the details in your listing, it means you have more control of what would show on the results when your business is searched online. What’s even better is that you can update them anytime to keep them up to date and accurate.
Local SEO Boost – Another benefit of GMB is that it significantly helps in Local SEO. Besides the fact that it contains reviews which can help users decide to make a purchase, it can also improve search rankings which in return, boost credibility and trust among consumers.
Google My Business: Everything in One Platform
In summary, GMB has everything a user may need to evaluate your business, products, and services. Moreover, now that you can manage your online presence through the platform, it can serve as your main channel besides your website.
Claim your GMB listing today!
If you need advice on how GMB can help your business’s visibility, we can help! Get in touch with us at OOm today and find out how we can assist you in integrating GMB in your SEO strategy!
