10 Ways to improve your Google My Business Listing in 2022
When a customer types in a city name or a phrase like “near me” into Google, the results page displays a map with up to three local businesses highlighted. The same may be said for searches made on mobile phones. Google My Business (GMB) listings are the businesses that display. The good news is that listing on GMB for advertising is completely free.
Local SEO is the process of putting up your Google My Business listing and optimising it so that it appears in local search results for your region.
Within 24 hours, 76% of local searches made on a mobile phone visit a physical location, and 28% make a purchase. GMB is a critical tool for all companies to be visible to customers, but it is especially significant for car dealerships. Listings for Google My Business appear in Google search and on Google maps.
Complete the entire task. My Business Listing on Google
This very helpful listing, formally known as your Organisation Profile, is a dynamic portrait of your business. Consumers may rapidly engage with you from any device and discover highlights of your greatest features at a glance.
Claiming and verifying your company’s Google My Business page is the first step in any local SEO plan. Local companies may claim their free listing and show information such as their address, phone number, hours of operation, and payment methods accepted.
It’s crucial not to stop there, though, if you want to enhance your Google My Business listing. To improve your listing and attract users’ interest, provide photographs and complete all important data. One of the factors Google employs to choose the local companies that appear at the top of the search is a complete profile.
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Regularly update your Google My Business listing with new content.
Posts are an underappreciated feature that functions similarly to a social post or a short advertisement. They appear in Google Maps and the Knowledge Panel results.
GMB postings, like those on social networking sites, are a wonderful way to make announcements and promote discounts, events, outstanding blogs, and goods.
Posts aid in the optimization of your GMB listing and provide the following benefits:
- They entice customers to stay on your list longer.
- When you routinely post, they give favourable ranking signals to Google.
- Local customers are more likely to buy than those conducting broad web research, and postings may give them the information and incentives they require to make their final decision.
- Customers may subscribe to your Business Profile to receive automatic alerts when new posts are published.
Read: Digital Marketing Solutions Can Boost Your Business Sales
Add a picture and a call-to-action (CTA) with a link to your website or a customised landing page to each post. Some post kinds have a seven-day expiration date, so posting often keeps your deals and notifications in front of customers. For buyers that utilise emoji in their searches, you may even include emoji of your items or services in your listing.
In mobile searches, posts appear prominently. Posts help your website stand out among local choices as more customers purchase on their mobile phones.
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Remove any listings that are duplicates.
Avoid duplicate entries for each business or department to verify your relevance and importance to Google’s local SEO algorithm.
Duplicate GMB listings may be detrimental to your company in two ways. To begin with, it perplexes the search engine, lowering your local SEO ranking. Second, shoppers may not be seeing the most optimal version of your listing, resulting in missed chances.
There are various reasons why your company may have several GMB listings. An employee or even a consumer may have created a listing by entering some information. It’s a good idea to double-check that your business only has one listing and remove any duplicates.
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Make separate listings for different departments.
When a company has distinct departments, there is an exemption to the duplicate listings rule. A vehicle dealership, for example, would have one GMB listing for the dealership and other ones for Service, Parts, and Collision.
Because buyers don’t want to sift through a listing to locate the information they need, Google implemented this feature and declared it a recommended practise. Separate department listings improve contact speed and efficiency.
An example of a Google My Business listing for a service facility
It’s critical to make sure Google understands the link between your many listings to avoid SEO issues.
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Consistency of NAPs should be checked.
Consistent contact information across all web listings is another crucial step in demonstrating your company’s relevance and popularity to search engines. Each GMB listing should be identical to the NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) listed on your company’s website.
NAP consistency starts with your website and extends to each place on the internet where your company name and contact information are displayed. For Google’s search bots, business websites, associations, yellow page listings, review sites, and social media must all be consistent.
Consistency gives Google’s algorithm greater confidence in your company, increasing the chances that your listing will appear in local search results.
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Make an Appointment Booking
Customers may arrange service appointments through the GMB listing using their Google account instead of going to your website or calling.
Appointment booking, a recent feature, capitalises on the customer’s momentum by making it simple to achieve their goal.
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Turn on the chat feature.
Google allows companies to include a chat component onto their Google My Business page. Customers may send you a message, ask a question, or make a request, and it will be delivered to your messaging system via Google Allo.
You can disable the chat option or utilise the auto-reply tool if you don’t have customer care accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Shoppers will notice a ‘available’ indicator when your team is available, indicating that you are ready to answer.
Chat is another useful element that enhances the shopper’s experience and makes it simple to complete the transaction. What savvy business wouldn’t make the most of their Google My Business page, especially with so many valuable and free features?
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Keeping Up With Google’s Frequently Asked Questions & Answers
The Q&A section contains useful input from genuine customers. Q&A serves a number of purposes in your GMB listing. It:
- Answers to frequently asked questions
- Allows interested buyers to contact you fast.
- Demonstrates your devotion to customer service to potential customers.
Q&A works best with regularity, much like GMB posts. A quick answer engages with buyers when they are at their most receptive.
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Use the Product Carousel to Its Full Potential
GMB’s Product Carousel puts your product listings at the hands of shoppers, and it’s optimised for every device. This functionality, which was previously exclusively available for beta testing, is now available to everyone.
Companies may use the Products Editor to generate product overviews that include:
- Images
- Descriptions
- Categories
- Price points
- A direct link to the product page or a landing page is provided.
GMB product listings catch a shopper’s attention and start a conversation with them before they even leave the store, thanks to their high exposure on both mobile and desktop.
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By specifying the items or services your business provides
Google My Business Categories help you show up for relevant local searches. Categories, like all other parts of your GMB listing, have an impact on your company’s regional rankings.
The principal category should encompass the whole company. Secondary categories provide Google and customers extra information about what you have to offer. To construct a well-rounded profile, include every area that pertains to your company.
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Display Correct Hours
The hours of operation may vary depending on the season. Various timetables may exist for different departments. Fortunately, Google My Business provides businesses with the tools they need to show proper hours.
Companies might set longer holiday hours or days when they are closed. You may input the hours for each element of the business when you have a separate listing for each associated department. Shoppers will notice a link to see additional hours,’ which will take them to a page that lists the hours for all departments.