SEO Basics: How To
Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
Creating a Google My Business (GMB) account is one of the most effective ways to get noticed in
organic searches as part of your marketing plan. While most business owners
create their GMB accounts, they don’t realize its full potential. We have
compiled a few neat tactics that follow SEO basics to help you optimize your
GMB accounts so that you are not only found more easily on Google but also ensure that your account is always updated and accurate.
Keep your GMB account details complete and up to
date
Fill out all the fields Google asks for when
creating and verifying your GMB account. Many people are not aware that Google
allows anybody to help out in pointing out things that show up in a search about
your business profile by clicking the “Suggest an Edit” option. So, keep
checking your My Business listings dashboard and reject any unwanted edits.
Another lesser-known feature of GMB is “Know
this business?” People who know your business can click this link and answer
questions put up by Google, about your business. Happy customers can post great
reviews that can help your business stand out from the crowd.
Use Google Posts
Promote a new product or announce upcoming sales
using Google posts that show up as “mini ads” on Google Maps and Knowledge
Panel. Design the posts cleverly and direct traffic
from search page to your website or sales page. You have the option of
including an image, text, a call to action, and a link in a Google post. These
posts are broadcasted for seven days and new ones can be created once a post
expires.
Activate booking buttons
You can get customers to book appointments with
you directly from the search page. This is possible if you use Google’s Booking
button and a compatible automatic scheduling service. Customers have the option
to schedule bookings and fix appointment timings, without even visiting your website
or calling you.
Use Google’s Question and Answer feature
Another way of using Google My Business account
to reach out to customers is the Question
and Answer feature. It allows customers
and prospects to ask questions about your business and you get to interact with
them on a one-to-one basis.
A point to note is Google allows anybody to
answer these questions. So, you need to monitor your GMB account closely else
you risk trolls and competitors from posting inaccurate or misleading answers.
Google notifies you, via email, when somebody asks you a question.
Make use of Google’s direct messaging service
Customers can send text messages to you from the
listings page. If you wish to not get business messages in your personal inbox,
you can subscribe to Google’s Allo application. The app
will send a notification every time a customer sends you a text. Presently,
messages are not available to the mobile app or PC users since Google has just
introduced this feature.
Ask users for online reviews
Google has specific guidelines for asking
customers to leave online reviews about you or your business. These reviews are
shown on the search and Maps page. Google absolutely forbids offering an
incentive in return for favorable reviews.
But you may gently remind clients to write about
their experience with your brand. Inappropriate or biased reviews can be
flagged for removal. Do respond to customer reviews to show that you value
their opinion.
Today a lot of businesses, even brick and mortar
ones depend on Google for their leads. Though ranking on search engines is
vital, GMB listings are a very effective way to reach out to local customers.
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