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The Importance of Google My Business
And How It Can Get You More Customers

Do you want to get more visibility on Google but have no idea where to begin? Well, look no further. The first thing that you should have is Google My Business (GMB). Since Google is the world's most visited website holding more than 92% of the search engine market share, it is crucial to ensure that your business has some type of interaction with it.

But why is visibility so important? Well, Google's number one goal is to collect and analyze your business data and push it out to the web. This enables you to get better local search optimization if done correctly. Meaning that it will automatically filter out the keywords that you use to find you the correct target market. In order to do this, you need to make sure that the information that you are adding is the most accurate and relevant according to your business today. However, to make the most out of your profile, you MUST optimize it. 

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business Profile is a free listing profile that allows you to provide details about your business. This includes photos, location, services, products, hours of operation, and reviews, and more. 
Creating this free profile is a necessary step in your marketing. Your profile will help you increase your online presence by sending your information to Google Search, Google Maps, Google shopping, and sometimes Yelp. 
Although it sounds great, your Google My Business profile is only for businesses with a physical location or for businesses that provide services for clients that require you to meet with them (construction, plumbing). Therefore if you have an online business, you would have to utilize Google's other tools such as Google Ads or Google Analytics.

How Can This Be a Marketing Tool?

Since we now know what a Google My Business Profile is, now let's see how we can utilize it as a marketing tool. 
The first thing that can help you be discovered is Google Maps 
 Google maps is a GPS- like system that allows you to find directions. This could be used in two ways. Physical directions such as walking or driving directions or this could be web traffic. Web traffic is users that visit a site. Google uses location data to connect you with people in your local area. This can help your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as well.            
Using Google My Business to optimize your profile

Since Google ranks on three factors (Relevance, Distance, and Prominence), you need to make sure that you are maximizing your score for all categories. When you maximize your score, your business will appear higher on Google’s search results. This means that you should be using keywords that describe your business. Keywords also help eliminate bounce rates from your listing because the closer on topic that the webpage is, the more likely the visitors Google sends will also be on topic with what they expect to find on your page.
Another way to use google my business is through full control of your business information - anywhere, anytime you want

 You can manage your business contact information, business hours, and business posts. This is useful if you have an immediate closing or holiday hours. You can also add images to your profile. Such as work that your business has done or even your employees or a logo. Since you will be updating your information through Google, this will allow you to rank above your competitors who have out of date details or business information. 

REVIEWS, REVIEWS, REVIEWS

 Your Google My Business Profile will have the reviews that your customers have given your business. This helps you maintain credibility with potential customers and helps you maintain a more trustworthy page.  Any customer can leave reviews. This includes the good and the bad - although it sounds scary, it is always more credible to have real, raw reviews. Another cool feature is that you can respond to all reviews. Although you can not delete a review, it is nice to respond back to acknowledge the customer's experience.

Direct Messaging
In a recent update, google has allowed businesses to enable direct messaging. This means that any potential or existing customer can message your business directly, 24/7. This allows you to answer any questions that they might have and it can create a better environment for existing customers by providing help for them whenever they might need it    Steps
These are the steps to take to create your Google My Business Account
The first step is to go https://www.google.com/busines... to either sign in to your google account or to create one
Once you do that, search for your business. If you can not find it, go to add your business. If you already have a GMB page, all you need to do is simply login
After finding or creating your business location, you will need to confirm that you are an authorized user to manage this business
Then, you need to verify your business. This typically involves receiving a postcard by mail to verify your location and business listing
Once that is complete, all you need to do is update your business information. Add pictures, review your phone number, business location, and operating hours, ensure that you are in the correct business category, and add in links for social media, your website, and things like appointment URL’s.

Completing all elements is important. That is because customers are 2.7% more likely to consider your business if you have a reputable Business Profile Listing. Once you have your account created and optimized, you can start to gain key insights. That means that you can see how customers are finding your platform, a breakdown of the actions that they took on your profile, and how your profile is performing compared to your competitors. 

In Conclusion
In conclusion, having a Google My Business Profile is a necessity. Now that there is a clear understanding of what it is, how it works, and how to use it, you should now start taking advantage of everything that Google My Business has to offer. If you would like to learn more about marketing with Google My Business, contact us today for a free 30 minute meet and greet. We are the preferred end-to-end marketing solution for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs.  Learn more about your online marketing score and our recommendations!