It is impossible to run a successful business in the current era without having a strong online presence. As one of the most popular search engines, Google sees over 4.5 billion search queries every day. The algorithm uses over 200 factors to rank websites in the SERP. Thousands of results are shown for any search query, but most users don’t scroll past the first page.
Google My Business is a free service launched by the technology giant in 2014. This allows small and local businesses to target their local audience. It is a free tool that allows you to promote your business and gain visibility. We’ll cover the top 5 features that you should be using.
5 Google My Business Features
1. Google Listing
The first and foremost thing is to create a Google Listing if you can’t find a trace of your business online. Many consumers often review businesses even though they do not have any official listing. In such a case, you should first claim your Business Profile by connecting it to your Google My Business account.
You can easily create a Google My Business account using any e-mail ID you use for your business correspondence. Claiming your business online or listing it with a verified e-mail will ensure the algorithm that the business is legitimate. While doing so, it is also recommended that you add details about your business to help potential consumers find out more about your business.
You should include:
- Contact details: Adding contact details like address and phone number is a Google Maps business strategy that allows consumers to connect an online entity with an offline office.
- Description: This is a 750 characters description of your business and services.
- Logo: Adding a business logo to your Google Business account is one of the best ways to show the legitimacy of your business.
2. Analytics
My Business Insights is an excellent feature that you should use to keep track of your business’s appearance in Google SERP. The feature includes easy-to-read data charts that help you find out how many views your website is getting per day, in which search queries your website appears and how long an average user spends on your website.
This tool is one of the largest benefits of My Google Business and allows you to manage your business’s online reputation. Extrapolating the data provided by Insights will enable you to discern consumer trends and adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.
3. Photos
Uploading photos is an important task in the process of Google Listing. Not only can these prove the legitimacy of your business, but they can also provide your consumer with a general idea of the type of service or product they can receive from you. Most users go through a business’s photographs to determine whether the business quality is up to the standards they are looking for.
It is recommended that you keep your business profile updated with the latest photos of your premises or products. Factors such as lighting, image quality, and even the resolution of the image can change the way viewers perceive your product or service. This is one of the most subtle Google Maps marketing strategies that are effective.
4. Google Posts
Instead of focusing entirely on your company website and SEO, it is also recommended to focus on your Google My Business account. One of the best ways to increase traction on your business account is to ensure you’re making regular Google posts. These are similar to social media posts and can be used to let the consumer know about developments in your business.
Google local listing usually includes the general information about businesses – contact information, working hours, etc. These generally don’t include specific information like business closures for holidays, sales or promotions, company news about expanding, or events that your business will be holding.
Instead of editing your Google Business profile multiple times in a month to include this information, utilize the Google posts feature.
5. Answering Questions
Instead of answering the same question several times through private messages, use your business profile website to answer questions about your business. While this might seem like an unusual method of Google business consumer service, it is highly efficient. This is a method to engage your consumers while subtly promoting your business.
When a subjective FAQ list is slowly generated, consumers can find answers to all their questions without contacting you directly. However, Google discourages you to ‘create’ questions, and they should be generated organically.
Conclusion
There are over tens of Google Business features that you can use to build a targeted marketing campaign. And like the above five, they are created to ensure you get the highest SERP ranking. You can read our article on Benefits of Google Tag Manager to learn more marketing techniques. With Google My Business, you have an additional platform to get in touch with your consumers and generate more leads.
