If you run a business but don’t use Google My Business, you’re missing out on a large chunk of local sales. Over 3.5 billion daily searches are done on Google. And most of those are from people looking for local services, stores, restaurants, and others.
Listing your business on Google My Business is an essential step to ensure it appears on related local searches to give you more visibility.
But you need to fully optimize your GMB profile to maximize the platform. Fortunately, you can get help from expert Google My Business management services, who will optimize your listing to ensure optimal performance in searches.
Here’s all you should know about Google My Business and GMB management services.
As a reminder, Google My Business (or GMB) is a digital business directory designed to help local businesses increase their visibility and reach out to more customers.
When a business is listed on GMB, it will appear on related searches for the location. For instance, if you offer plumbing services in Manhattan, and you list your shop on Google my business with Manhattan as the location, it will only appear if someone searches for plumbing services in Manhattan.
It wouldn’t appear for “plumbing services in Austin or Sacramento or any other locations, except you optimize your GMB profile for those locations.
Any company or Small business can use GMB, even if you don’t operate a storefront. Examples of entities that can list on Google my business includes:
Even if your business doesn’t have a physical address, you can still list it on Google my business to allow people to find you.
It Enhances A Company’s Reputation
A Google My Business profile enhances a company’s reputation. Customers are 70 percent more likely to visit a company that has a Google My Business listing.
Also, companies with complete Google listings are twice as likely to acquire client trust. When it comes to making purchasing decisions, trust is crucial. When a customer trust you, they’re inclined to buy from you. Consumers are 38 percent more likely to visit your store after hearing about it via Google.
GMB reviews also aid in the development of trust. According to a study conducted by Think With Google, 88 percent of online shoppers trust internet reviews just as much as personal recommendations.
It’s Completely Free
Just like most Google services, GMB is free. You can easily create an account and list your business from the GMB account page. Ensure to first check whether your business is already registered.
In that case, you won’t need to create an account. Just follow the prompts to reclaim your business.
It Enhances The Visibility Of Your Business
GMB puts your business on a local map, making it visible to people searching for related services or products. Without Google My Business, you would be competing with similar businesses or service providers on the global range.
Listing on GMB increases your chances of being found by people close to you who may need your products or services.
When someone searches for your business on Google Search or Google Maps, your listing will show where and how to visit your shop, regardless of whether you have a website or a physical location.
GMB allows you to easily update your business information so you can keep your customers informed of any changes. You can update your company website, address, phone number, social media accounts, and more.
Because Google business accounts have strong local SEO, the information you share will rank higher than that of other websites.
Misinformation can result in negative customer experiences and possibilities being missed. Imagine how disappointed a customer would be if they went to your store only to find it closed.
Or maybe you are available, but the customer wasn’t sure and went with a competitor. gMb allows you to keep your customers informed about any updates.
Google My business allows interested searchers to contact your business directly from the Google map or search results. Potential customers can call you or message you via your GMB profile.
For those into consultancy, searchers can book your services right on your profile if you add those features to your page.
Google my business allows you to add photographs and videos of your store or product to your listings, which is a great way to build your credibility.
You can add photographs of the inside your office or store, events, awards, employees, happy customers, and more to visually attract customers.
Search Engine Land discovered a substantial correlation between the number of Google My Business photos and search success.
Customers can post ratings, reviews, and photographs on your Google My Business listing. Consider it a more personalized and current version of Yelp.
This is beneficial since satisfied customers can tell others about their positive experiences. However, angry and dissatisfied customers can also drop negative reviews about their experience.
Google My Business provides you with lots of data you can use to understand your customers and improve your business.
The insight focuses on how people find your listing on Google Search and Maps, as well as what they do once they’ve found it. It may show the number of views your listing got, where and how your listings are found by customers, customer interactions, and the activities they perform on your listings.
Still unsure about the benefits of GMB to your brand
Now that you know how beneficial GMB can be, let’s look at how Google My Business management services can help you maximize the platform.
If you want to get the most out of Google My Business without having to spend a lot of time each month learning how to advertise on it, then a GMB management service is your best bet.
These services eliminate the headache of making sure you’re doing everything you can to dominate Google each month.
You’ll have experienced specialists doing the hard work for you to increase your business visibility.
Your listing will be optimized for your targeted search phrases and local search terms and continuously enhanced for increased visibility.
As an agency, freelancer, or SEO specialist, you can offer Google My business Management services to your clients with the RankForest Google My Business White Label Services.
RankForest white label services allow you to rebrand the report in your business name and logo, so you can present it to your clients as an in-house outcome. It’s a great way to expand your offerings and make more money.
Here’s what’s covered in a typical GMB management service.
If you don’t already have a Google My Business listing for your business, they’ll claim and verify one for you. To do this you’ll need to provide them with the information they need to understand your business. This may include the business name, address, website, location, opening and closing time.
You can also create and verify the account yourself, while the Google My Business management company walks you through the process.
GMB allows users to post reviews and questions and answers. So there’s always the possibility of attracting reviews, comments, questions, and answers; both good and bad.
The GMB management service provides 24/7 monitoring to ensure that anything that can discredit your business is handled promptly.
This will allow you to focus on other essential aspects of business without worrying about the reputation of your business on Google.
GMB has a micro-blogging element that allows you to post updates on products and services, events, offers, and other information.
When you sign up to Google my business management service, they will continuously post to promote your business.
GMB posts are similar to Facebook posts. They appear on the Google app, Map, and under the knowledge panel or knowledge card in the business information section on desktop searches. They are a great way to advertise your products and services, discounts, and offers for free.
You can easily get more visibility with GMB posts compared to normal articles on your site. It’s also a great way to keep your audience engaged.
A GMB management service will help you manage your business GMB questions and answers.
The GMB Q&A section was created to allow searchers to ask questions about businesses and get prompt responses about their inquiries.
Anyone with a Google account can ask and respond to questions on any GMB profile. Typically, when someone asks a question under your business account, you’ll get a notification. However, if you don’t answer the questions on time, any other searcher(s) can respond to it.
The problem with this is that most searchers may not answer the question honestly or provide rude answers. Some may even paint your business in a bad light, which may scare potential customers.
A GMB management service will create Q&As on likely frequent inquiries and promptly respond to searchers’ questions in a detailed and professional manner.
As mentioned earlier, Google reviews can give your company a huge credibility boost without spending a dime. But just like with reviews everywhere you are bound to get both good and bad reviews from customers. What makes the difference, however, is how you respond to it.
Google My Business management services will help you attract more reviews to your GMB profile. They’ll also be responsible for responding to all your reviews both good and bad, helping your business make the best out of a bad situation.
GMB allows you to add core images and videos showing the interior of your business, your logo, team, and others. Posting these images increases your credibility and also shows that you’re still active.
GMB management service will also cover posting images to your account. They are experts and can determine the type of images or videos that you should post to your account to create the right impression.
A GMB management service will provide you with a detailed monthly report on your GMB performance. The report will show the results and the services completed.
It will tell you how many searchers viewed your profile, how many people click to your website, how many people called or messaged you via the search result pages, Maps, and more.
Most GMB management services provide you with a dashboard that you can use for viewing your GMB profile and tracking your performance. These customized dashboards mean you can access your GMB data anytime you want without waiting for a monthly report.
You’ll be able to see searchers’ actions including requests for directions, phone calls, and clicks to your website.
The dashboards also make it easier to monitor the posts and images that are posted on your account.
Just like with your website, you have to optimize your Google My Business account with the right keywords. You can add keywords to your GMB descriptions, posts, FAQs, and reviews so your profile can show up on relevant searches.
However, you have to be careful not to overdo it, so as not to lose your listing.
A GMB management service provider will track your performance for related searches and optimize your profile to improve your ranking.
In conclusion, getting an expert to manage your Google My Business profiles will typically result in better performance and improved reach.