Google My Business Explained
Google My Business or known today as Google Business Profile is your company’s most visible asset. Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that helps businesses of all sizes get found online. It’s a listing that appears on Google Search and Maps. On Mobile searches, GMB is even more prevalent as it can be the first result of your search! Whether you are a brick and mortar business or a service based organization without a physical address, you can benefit from a Google Business Profile. Let’s learn more!
1. What is Google My Business and How Does It Work?
Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that helps businesses of all sizes get found online. It’s a listing that appears on Google Search and Maps, and it includes information like your business name, address, phone number, hours of operation, photos, and reviews.
GMB works by letting you create a profile for your business, which includes your business name, address, phone number, hours of operation, photos, and other important information. You can also use GMB to post updates, respond to reviews, and connect with customers.
When someone searches for your business on Google, your GMB profile may appear in the search results, as well as on Google Maps. This can help people find your business and learn more about it. If you have a service-based business with a home office such as piano teacher, window cleaner or other, you are still eligible for a Google listing. You can list your business profile with geographical areas without publicizing the physical address of your home.
2. Google My Business Benefits
If you have a business, we highly recommend setting up a Google My Business profile. It’s a free and easy way to get found online and connect with customers. Here are some of the benefits of using Google My Business:
- Get found online: GMB helps people find your business on Google and improve local SEO by appearing at the top of the search results in your area.
- Connect with customers: You can use GMB to post updates, respond to reviews, and connect with customers directly.
- Build trust: Positive reviews can help build relationships and trust with potential customers.
- Promote your business: You can use GMB to promote your business events, products, and services.
3. How to Create a Google My Business Listing
Here are the steps on how to create a Google My Business profile. You will need a gmail account to manage your listing. We recommend using a business dedicated gmail account for this!
- Go to business.google.com and click Start now.
- Enter your business name, *address, and phone number. *For service-based businesses, only provide areas that you service. If you serve multiple locations, include all applicable services and do not create multiple listings. If you have multiple brick and mortar locations, you can create a listing for each location.
- Select the category that best describes your business.
- Add photos of your business.
- Answer questions about your business hours, services, and more.
- Verify your business. Google will send a postcard with a verification code to your address. Once you receive the postcard, enter the code in your Google My Business profile to verify your business.
Once you’ve created your Google My Business profile, you can start managing it. You can add more information about your business, post updates, respond to reviews, and more. You can also add additional users to your account for management.
4. Business Profile Breakdown
Let’s breakdown elements of your business profile! This is where you can make sure your business name, address, phone number, hours of operation, and website address are accurate and up to date.
ABOUT
- Business Name* It is important to have a consistent name for your business across all platforms online. Consistency in name and social handles will help Google recognize your digital footprint more precisely and faster.
- Business Category Google My Business has over 400 business categories to choose from, so you can find the one that best describes your business. Here are a few examples: hotel, restaurant, carpet store, carpet cleaner. When choosing a business category for your Google My Business profile, it’s important to select the one that best describes your business. This will help people find your business when they search for it on Google.
- Description What is your business about? Google allows for 750 characters to provide a brief summary of your business on Google Search and Maps. It’s a great way to tell potential customers about your business, what you do, and why they should choose you.
CONTACT
- Opening Date, Phone Number, Website and Social Profiles are available in the Contact Section of your profile. Note, you can NOW edit your social profiles!
LOCATION AND AREA
- Location and Area refers to your brick and mortar physical address and/or service area. You can have up to 20 service areas. The boundaries of your overall area should not extend farther than about 2 hours of driving time from where your business is based.
- If you have a service-based business without a physical location, be sure to designate that so only service areas are visible in your profile.
HOURS
- 40% of Google searches occur because users are looking for your business hours. In this area, you can list Special Hours which includes national holidays or hours specific to your store. Additionally, Google offers specific hours for restaurants such as deliver, takeout, and more.
MORE
- Additional attributes include: Identifies as veteran-owned, Identifies as women-owned and others. Adding these attributes will help you attract customers with similar values.
- Accessibility: Does your store have wheelchair accessible elevator, bathroom or seating? You can list that information in this section.
- Amenities may include offerings such as Free Wifi
- Crowd, Highlights, Offerings, Payments, Planning, Recycling are additional categories available on your profile.
*Please note that options vary for different business categories.
5. Managing Your Profile
Add accurate and up-to-date information: Make sure your business name, address, phone number, hours of operation, and website address are accurate and up to date.
By keeping your Google My Business up to date, you can help people find your business, build trust, attract more customers, and manage your online presence.
- Add photos and videos: Photos and videos can help people get a better sense of your business. Make sure to add photos of your products or services, your staff, and your storefront.
- Respond to reviews: When people leave reviews for your business, it is important to respond to them promptly. This shows that you are taking their feedback seriously and that you are committed to providing a good customer experience. Remove fake reviews.
- Post updates: You can use Google My Business to maintain an active profile by posting updates about your business, such as new products or services, upcoming events, or special offers.
by Yelena Wells
Yelena Wells is a Marketing Strategist at Elite One Media. Her passion is to help keep professionals and businesses competitive, credible and connected in the digital world. Call us (616)929.8396 today to schedule your consultation or connect via email at eliteonemedia.com/contact-us.