How to benefit from Google My Business!

Google My Business is one of the best ways for businesses to gain visibility on the web. The following article explains what Google My Business (GMB) is and what opportunities and benefits it offers for your business.

What is GMB?

Google My Business (short: GMB) or Google Business Profile is a global directory for companies. Google offers companies the opportunity to create an entry for their own company free of charge. Once the entry has been created, the company will be listed in the Google company directory.

Your Google My Business entry

creation

You can only enter your company on Google Maps with a Google My Business entry. To be able to create a Google My Business entry, you need a free Google account. After you create a Google account, you can create a business profile. Before creating the entry, you should familiarize yourself with the guidelines to avoid being subsequently blocked.

If you have logged in with your Google account, you must enter “Google My Business” or “Google Business Profile” in the Google search and click on the first result. Now you can enter the name of the company and the industry. You can then set the location and your catchment area to be displayed on Google Maps. Telephone number, link to website and photos can be stored, but are not mandatory.

deletion

If you want to delete your Google My Business entry, you can do this under the “Info” section.

If you close your business forever, you can inform your customers about the setting of the opening hours “permanently closed”. The opening hours can also be changed to temporarily closed if your company e.g. B. has to go into lockdown due to Corona.

Edit your entry

In order to keep opening times and other information up to date, the GMB entry must be edited afterwards. Sign in with your GMB account and select the appropriate location (if your business has multiple locations). From the dashboard menu, select the About section. The entries can be edited by clicking on the pencil symbol. Entire posts can be removed with the “X”. Changes must be saved by clicking on the “Apply” button. You should note that it can take up to 60 days for Google to apply the changes.

How to optimize your Google My Business entry

Getting in the top 3 GMB listings seems easier than getting in the top 10 in search results. In order to achieve one of the two placements, knowledge is an advantage. While search engine optimization should be done by SEO experts, you can optimize your GMB listing yourself. In order for your optimization to be successful, you should fill out the GMB data conscientiously, keep the information up to date and put some time into the company description. You can also optimize your entry with attractive photos and videos and regular GMB posts. The optimization also includes using the Q&A function as well as the option to make an appointment and chat with customers GMB messaging.

create shortcuts

A special feature that distinguishes Google My Business from other industry portals is that the GMB entry is linked directly to Google search. This means there is a realistic chance that your company will appear at the top of the search results for industry-specific searches.

Your GMB listing is linked to Google Maps in addition to Google Search. If you enter a specific address in your entry, your company will also be listed on Google Maps after the entry has been created. If a user is in the vicinity of your business premises, this is indicated to him by markers. The color of the marker cannot be determined individually, but is branch-specific. For example, the marker is orange for restaurants, purple for gas stations and green for leisure facilities.

Google Maps is known to most users as a navigation device that provides information for the quickest route and delays and construction sites along the way. Google Maps also offers the option of recording the location of the car and locating and locking the smartphone if it is lost. Wildfire wrapping has recently made it possible to localize and display forest fires. Google Maps thus offers far more options than navigation. The functionalities are constantly being expanded by Google.

Company data at GMB

With Google My Business, you can enter the exact address, the catchment area and the industry in addition to the name of the company. You can also add the opening hours and contact details such as telephone number or to your Google My Business entry.

Specification of a physical address

In order to be able to create a GMB listing, a physical address must be provided. However, you can decide whether you enter your private address or the address of your company headquarters. If you enter your private address, you can hide it from users. However, the downside is that your business will not show up on Google Maps.

In addition to the address, the company name and the industry are mandatory, contact details and opening times are voluntary.

Link your website to Google My Business

A little thing, but it ensures that your entry is placed higher up. If you paste the URL of your home page into Google, your business website will appear as a button on your GMB listing.

Improve visibility with Google My Business

To be found online, you have different options. You can get active on social media to get users to notice your business. But also the entry in many different company directories is a possibility to improve the visibility.

If your website can be found via Google search, it is also visible to the user. GMB increases the chance of being found better in Google searches.

In many cases, the Google search engine is the first port of call for online searches. Whether you are looking for a specialist or the nearest workshop, Google search can help. The search engine is not only used via the PC, mobile use is also increasing. Due to the increase in mobile use, local search queries, e.g. B. the search for the restaurant nearby. In order to be able to deliver exact results, the search region must be adapted to the user’s location.

Use Google SERPs

You can only benefit from the advantages of Google if you can be found in the Google SERPs (= Search Engine Result Page). The best place to find you is on the first page of the results. The problem here, however, is that the space on the first page is very limited. Because in addition to the 10 best search results, 4 search ads and 3 GMB entries are also displayed on the first page. Note that GMB listings show up pretty high between the ads and the organic results.

It can be seen that GMB is an excellent opportunity to land on page 1 of the results for industry-relevant search queries.

Contact through Google My Business

A Google My Business entry brings a company two interactions per day on average. Whether it’s a call or a click on the company website, the GMB entry results in around 60 interactions per month.

Google Business Profile

At the end of 2021, Google My Business was renamed Google Business Profile. However, the name hasn’t fully caught on in the marketing world as Google has yet to fully complete the rebranding.