GMB Posts: How They Can Help Grow Your Local Business
Google My Business (GMB) is an excellent tool every business owner should know about. It is Google-owned and has helped several marketers and business owners create amazing footprints on the web. With a GMB listing, a business would be increasing its chances of ranking on the first page for local searches.
Much more, in 2017, Google added the GMB Post feature to make the tool even more helpful for driving traffic and increasing a business’s online visibility. This unique feature provides businesses with the opportunity to reach an even larger audience and rise above the competition at no extra cost.
If this is your first time hearing about GMB Posts, or probably you have been wondering how to leverage them to grow your business, this post is written with you in mind. It will show you everything you need to know about the GMB Posts and how you can start utilizing them right away.
What Exactly Are GMB Posts?
GBM Posts are a micro-blogging element in the Google My Business listings. With GBM Posts, you can publish local news or events in your area. You can also use them to share updates about your brand, your products, offers, and recent news in your industry.
These posts appear directly in Google Search and Google Maps, making them an effective tool for generating free traffic to your local store or website. Similar to Facebook posts, people who viewed your GMB Posts can also share them to other social media platforms or via email.
Each GMB Post is limited to 300 words, but you can also insert an image, video, or Call-to-Action (CTA) in your posts.
Over the years, GMB Posts have proved to be an effective tool for funneling customers to local stores from both Google Search and Google Maps.
What Type of Business Can Utilize GMB Posts?
Although Google My Business and GMB Posts are made available for a wide range of businesses, not all businesses can use them. Many industries have complained bitterly about not being able to use the feature to promote their business. One of such is the hotel and lodgings industry.
However, some businesses in these limited industries do find their way around the limitation and be able to use GMB posts on their profiles. This is especially true if the business has not used any of the limited industries as its primary category.
Below are more Google My Business categories that can’t utilize GMB Posts:
- Wine store and other alcohol-related categories
- Cannabis shop
- Adult entertainment
- Casino
- Gun shop
- Conference Center
- Hotel and lodgings category
- Vacation Rental
There are also some business categories that are not able to use all the features of GMB Posts. For instance, they may be able to use the “update” or “event” post types, but not the offer type of posts. Don’t stress it yet, we will explain all these types of posts later in this post.
Where Do These Posts Appear?
Your GMB Posts can appear in different places both on Google Search and Google Maps. The most common place, however, is on the search result of queries related to your business. Below are some places your GMB Posts are likely going to appear for your customers and audience to see.
In the business profile on desktop
Your GMB posts can appear in the business profile on a desktop, and that is usually in the knowledge panel, directly underneath your business description just directly above the link to your social profiles, if you had added any.
The 10 most recent of your GMB Posts will be shown to your audience, but just below it is a link to ‘View All’ the posts on your profile.
Google Maps on desktop
When using a desktop, your GMB posts can also appear in Google Maps. Google shows these posts just under the primary business information. When your audience sees the post, they can click to view all the posts you have ever made on the profile.
In Google Maps App on mobile
GMB Posts also appear on mobile devices. On the Google Maps app, you can scroll down to find the “Overview” tab. There you will see GMB posts that have been made by the business. You can also see the posts in the “Updates” tab too.
In Google Search on mobile
When you conduct a search using your mobile device, you can also find GMB posts in the search results. Just scroll down a little to find the “Updates” tab. Then click on it to see GMB posts.
In the local finder
On the local finder, GMB posts are also most times pulled up from business profiles to feed results obtained for search results.
In the ‘Discover’ feed on Google Maps
If you follow a particular business on Google Maps, you will have the chance to get updates from that business into your “For you” tab. That is an area in Google Maps, where recommendations are curated based on your preferences. Any time such a business publishes a GMB post, you will be receiving it in your “For you” tab on Google Maps app.
How Can GMB Posts Help Your Business?
#1: They improve your local SEO
These posts help your customers to easily access valuable information about your business, including information about your products, offers, and updates. Therefore, they are effective for strengthening your local SEO. Plus, GMB posts are connected to Google Maps and Google Search. Because of that, they can help your business rank better for local keywords.
#2: They increase traffic to your business
GMB posts usually have a CTA button embedded in them, creating a good opportunity to convince your customers to visit your website or local store. That makes GMB posts a great tool for driving valuable traffic to your business.
#3: They are useful for sharing local content
Looking for a way to share fresh, and relevant local content with your customers? GMB Posts simply gives you that opportunity. Many digital marketers and business owners do leverage the tool to share local news and events with their customers to better engage them.
#4: Help you better engage your customers
Since your posts will be showing up on Search, it is an opportunity for you to engage with your customers right from there. The videos and photos you use in your GMB posts can come in handy to provide your customers with the solution they seek right at the time they need it – without having to look for and visit your website first.
#5: They help you generate high conversion
There is one thing certain about customers going through GMB posts. They are usually at the point of buying – ready to buy right away. That means any referral traffic you can get from your GMB Posts will produce better conversion than the ones you get from search results or other platforms.
#6: They increase your visibility and help you reach more people
GMB Posts make it easier for your business to reach more people. They increase your visibility in Google Search and Google Maps, making it easy for more people to find your business online. That would definitely mean a great deal to your business growth.
#7: GMB Posts are great for building an email list
CTAs included in GMB posts can come in handy when looking to build a reliable email list for your business. You only need to add an online registration form that will help you capture your customers’ information in your posts.
GMB Post Types: What Are They?
If you have been following this post closely, you would have noticed where we mentioned that there are different types of posts you can make with GMB Posts. Yes, GMB allows you to create a variety of posts suitable for different purposes. These could include promoting sales, products or services, events, deals, and offers.
What distinguishes one post from the other – which also tells GMB the type of post they are, is the unique CTA used in the post. To cut the story short, below are the different types of GMB posts you can create on your Google My Business profile.
Covid-19 Update
This type of post was added during the recent Covid-19 outbreak. The purpose of this was to help businesses accommodate the several business changes caused as a result of the pandemic. Covid-19 Update type of posts is used by businesses to inform their customers about their business hours and what changes they have made to their business due to the pandemic.
Event posts
Event types of GMB posts are great for promoting special events, such as a trade fair, awards, customer appreciation, and other forms of celebrations. When you write this type of post, you are looking to get people informed about the event, and probably get them to visit a particular landing page to learn more or register for the event. All you need to do is to include a link in the post that will take your audience to wherever you want them to go.
Sign-up posts
These types of posts are great for building an email list. In this type of post, you are looking to collect your customers’ information, probably in exchange for something else. That could be discount codes, freebies, or coupons. With an amazing deal as an offer, it won’t be difficult to collect the information you need, and everyone goes home happy!
What’s new’ post
These are formerly referred to as update posts. They allow you to share recent news about your locality or business. These could include special hours, new product arrival, new equipment purchase, changes in address, etc. If you are looking to generate good brand awareness online, these types of posts will be very helpful.
Offer posts
These are similar to ‘What’s new’ posts and are excellent for advertising special deals and promotions. In offer posts, you will be required to include the time the offer will start and also when it will be ending. You can also include links and coupon codes to make your offer more captivating. At the end of the post, a “View Offer” CTA button will be added automatically to take your customers directly to where they can enjoy the offer.
Product posts
These post types can be used to showcase your products. When on mobile, your customers will see the post in their “Products” tab. You can also add a description to the product as well as a price tag for better promotion.
How Long Do GMB Posts Stay Active?
When you publish a GMB post on your profile, it will only be active for a certain time – usually based on which type of GMB post they are. If you created an offer post, you should expect to have such a post active till the end of the offer. At the same time, if it is a what’s new post, it will be active for only seven days, and event post will expire at the end of the event. However, before your post expires, Google will send you an email to notify you about it.
Also, Google recently made an update to GMB posts, and the update will make your posts active on your profile for as long as possible, so far you are posting regularly on the profile. If you fail to make a post in the space of six months, then your GMB posts will all disappear from your profile.
But if you keep posting on regular basis, you won’t have a problem having something to show your customers any time they visit.
How Do You Create A GMB Post?
GMB posts are very easy to create. Whether on your desktop or mobile device, you can create a GMB post in a matter of a few minutes and without any hassle. Below are the simple steps to follow to create a GMB post for your business.
- Log in to your Google My Business account
- On your dashboard, select the location you would like to publish the post for (especially if you run a business with multiple locations)
- On the main menu, find the “Post” option and click on it
- Now click on “Create Post” to begin writing your post
- The writing panel will give you the chance to add text, images, videos, or events to your post. Use them appropriately.
- Preview your post once you are done writing
- If everything seems good, you can then hit the “Publish” button to publish your new GMB post.
Don’t forget to add the appropriate CTA to your post so it can be correctly categorized. Remember that the time of CTA you add will determine how long such a post would be active and what features are included in it.
Tips for Making the Most Out of GMB Posts
Post regularly: We already mentioned how important this is to make sure your posts stay live for as long as possible. At the same time, regularly posting will help keep your customers engaged at all times.
Use relevant keywords: Before writing any post, make sure you understand the keywords that can help you capture your customers’ attention. Also, check for keywords that can increase the visibility of your post. Then ensure to rightly use those keywords in your post.
Use high-quality media in your posts: If you will be using any media – videos or images, make sure they are of high quality and captivating. That will help attract and keep your audience to the post.
Link to relevant landing pages: Don’t just include links in your posts for the sake of it. Make sure every link you add is relevant and correct. You don’t want to see your customers being directed to the wrong destination because you added the wrong link in your post.
State the most important things first: Let the most important part of your message come in the first paragraph. Remember you are limited to only 300 words, and only the first 100 words will be visible on search results before your customers click through. So use that spot wisely.
Don’t include multiple offers in a single post: This is a common mistake many business owners commit on their posts. Create an individual post for each offer instead of trying to promote multiple offers on a single post. That can end up confusing your customers.