Google My Business has become a hot topic among search marketing experts in recent months. Formerly known as Google Places, this free service allows local businesses to display their information on Google Search and Google Maps. And according to Moz, it’s one of the most influential local ranking factors. If you want to achieve a high level of visibility for your local business, however, you’ll need to optimize your Google My Business listing. So, keep reading for some tips and tricks on how to optimize your Google My Business listing.
Complete Your Google My Business Profile
One of the first things you should do after creating a Google My Business listing for your business is complete your profile. Even if a field is labeled “optional,” it’s a good idea to complete it. By including more information about your business, you’ll improve the visibility for your listing while encouraging Google to rank it higher in the process. Some of the information you’ll want to include in your listing is your business name, street address, phone number, hours of operation, email address and official website.
Verify Your Listing
It’s also a good idea to verify your Google My Business listing. While you can create a listing without going through the verification steps, this isn’t the best decision. If you don’t verify your Google My Business listing, other users could change your information – and that can come back to hurt your business in more ways than just one. To prevent this form happening, it’s recommended that you verify your Google My Business listing using one of Google’s available verification methods. You can check out this help article for more information on how to verify your listing.
Post Photos
Remember the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words?” Well, it holds true for Google My Business listings. Uploading photos of your business adds value to your listing, allowing prospective customers and clients to see what exactly your business looks like and how it works. Some marketing experts also believe that photos encourage higher search rankings, which makes sense considering the enormous value they offer to consumers.
Respond to Reviews
Google My Business has a built-in feature that allows consumers and clients to post reviews about a business on its listing. When you discover a new review, respond to the user in a timely manner. Even if it’s nothing more than “thanks for visiting,” responding to reviews shows that you actively maintain your listing.
Listing business website on citation sites is must if you want to boost local presence. Once you submitted your listing the next part is verifying your listing. If you don’t verify your listing, search engines will not show your business and you will lose potential customers.