If you’re reading this, I’m going to assume that you’re a business owner or manager with some questions about Google My Business (GMB). Either you haven’t set up your business page yet or maybe you are listed but you’re not quite sure if you’re doing it right. First, and most importantly, every business will benefit from being listed on Google My Business. Not only are the benefits undeniably valuable, but it’s free! No really, completely free. If that doesn’t convince you, this should, your competitors are listed. Not only that, but their listings are directly impacting your business every single day. Yep, I said it. Besides the fact that you can’t afford to not show up where your competition does, Google My Business will help your business in many other ways. Let me break it down a bit.
Trust from customers
The trust that consumers have in Google is unrivaled. Simply verifying your business on Google gives you more credibility. When starting, first list your address, your website, your phone number and hours, the basics. Eventually, you will add photos, videos, sales/promotions and work on acquiring customer reviews. Every section of the GMB profile that you fill out increases your trustworthiness in potential consumers' eyes. Simply put, a Google verified business has more street cred. Think about how you feel when researching a business, product or service. If a restaurant doesn’t list it's website or have a readily available menu online, it becomes a less convenient option, doesn’t it? If you’re unable to easily locate a store’s hours or phone number it becomes less desirable and perhaps untrustworthy. If you’re still not convinced, how about this? Businesses that are listed on google are 2.7 times more likely to be considered legit by consumers. Plus,76% of people who search for a business or service nearby on their phone visit a related business within just 24 hours.
SEVENTY SIX PERCENT.
Google Maps
Being listed means your business will show up in google maps searches. For local businesses, this is crucial since next to online reviews, the most influential consideration is proximity to a consumer's location. Automotive service shops, doctors, restaurants, florists, these are just a few examples of businesses that NEED to be on Google business, however, no business is exempt. Remember when I said that your competitors are listed and that their listings are affecting your business every single day? Well, let me explain. When a person near your location searches for services that you provide they'll see the closest businesses with Google My Business Listings first. If your business shows up in their search but it’s unclaimed and has no current or valuable information, that does not look good. Now, they see your competitors listings also, complete with their address, website, photos, current promotions and all sorts of good information. What do YOU think they do next? What would you do if you were that consumer? I’ll tell you what I do as a consumer, I click on the one that has earned the credibility of google and other local consumers, the one that made the effort to demonstrate their professionalism by claiming and updating their GMB listing.
Google Reviews
64% of consumers turn to google for reviews, that’s more than any other review site.
I can’t believe we’re still talking about this in 2020 people, but here we are. Next to nothing has the power to influence a potential customers purchase decision quite like online reviews. Yes, even from strangers. Think about the last time you searched for a product or service online - did you feel confident if you came across poor reviews? When you create your Google My Business listing, your customers will be able to leave reviews for your business. In addition, your business will have a star rating next to your listing. I know what your first rebuttal might be, I’ve heard it too many times and I’m ready for it. What if you get bad reviews? Well, my first piece of advice to you would be, try not to. But, we all know it can be impossible to keep everyone happy and sometimes it’s the unhappiest voices that speak the loudest. I know. However, in the event that you do get a bad review, you can reply to it. You don’t need to engage in a heated conversation, just apologize for the experience and steer the conversation offline by asking them to call or email you. The fear of having less than perfect reviews is NOT worth sacrificing a Google My Business listing. Not not showing up online is far more detrimental than dealing with a couple of reviews.
SEO
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is not everyone's bag, so I won't go into TOO much detail here but Google My Business can greatly improve visibility through local SEO. Businesses that have updated and accurate information are 70% more likely to attract visits (source: ThriveHive). When searching on Google, consumers are shown a number of different search results from both Maps and Search. Regularly posting updates, photos, videos, events and promotions on GMB improves your local ranking. Google explains, "local results favor the most relevant results for each search, and businesses with complete and accurate information are easier to match with the right searches.” Basically, the more attentive you are, the more you stand out. Makes sense doesn’t it? Additionally, as part of the service, you gain access to insights that allow you to understand consumers search behaviors which is key in developing a marketing strategy.
Accurate Information
It can be hard to communicate changes in your service, hours or contact information to your customers. Even utilizing email, social media posts, updated website information, it’s basically impossible to spread the word to everyone. The very closest you can come to telling the world, is with Google My Business. On your GMB page you have the ability to update your regular hours or holiday hours, announce staff changes or sales promotions, and keep your contact information current. This information will all pop up for a consumer that lands on your Google My Business listing either through search or maps.
While I could go on with a much longer list, these are my top 5 reasons for having a Google My Business Page. These are the reasons I give to any of my clients who need persuading and it's always the first step I take when setting up a Digital Marketing plan for a customer. Claiming, setting up and maintaining Google My Business pages is one of my favorite things to do. I particularly love the analytics aspect that allows me to make data based decisions and recommendations on marketing efforts. If you’d like to talk about improving your businesses visibility and local ranking, contact me today! Don’t wait, remember, your competitors listings are affecting you every single day.
Stacey Gray, Virtual Stacey LLC
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