Local Listing: How to Optimize Your GMB Page
The importance of leveraging Google as part of your marketing plan cannot be understated. Google still holds over 92% of the overall search engine market share, with an average of 5.8 billion daily searches. While some of these searches are general information searches, many others are people looking to connect with companies that can fulfill their needs.
What is a GMB Page?
Google My Business, or GMB, is a directory plan that helps companies manage their online presence and how they appear in Google Search and Maps. When you search for a business, its GMB panel shows up as a card containing important information that customers want to know, such as:
- The company name
- The type of business
- Address
- Phone number
- Email address
- Website link
- Business hours
- Images
- Google Review summary and overall star rating
- A link to Google Maps for directions
This quick business summary often tells consumers what they need to know to decide whether they want to patronize the company.
Because this summary is often the first interaction a customer may have with your business, paying attention to it is critical. Suppose you aren’t leveraging all of the features of Google My Business. In that case, you may not give potential customers enough information to decide whether they want to engage in business with you. In these instances, they are much more likely to select one of your competitors. Optimizing your GMB page is a great way to stay ahead or keep up with the competition.
Why You Should Care About Your GMB Page
The benefits of optimizing your GMB page include:
- Greater visibility: Optimizing your GMB page increases the odds of your business showing up in the top results and achieving greater online visibility.
- Improved rankings: Google uses the information on your GMB page to determine whether it’s a good match for search queries. Your rankings are often much higher when you have an accurate, complete, optimized GMB page.
- Better user experience: The more information you can give customers upfront, the easier it is for them to decide if your business is what they seek. This benefit means that visitors are much more likely to have a better experience because they already know that your company can provide them with what they need.
- Better insights: An optimized GMB page can give you better data about how your site interacts with digital users, which can help you continue to evolve in a way that enables you to achieve long-term success.
Strategies for Optimizing Your GMB Page
There are many ways to optimize your GMB page. Reviewing the following items can help you ensure that your GMB page is working to help attract customers to your business:
- Complete all profile information. An incomplete GMB page can leave potential customers wondering if you can provide for their needs. Completing all fields and including photos is a great way to convey better information about your company.
- Select categories. GMB allows you to select a primary and secondary category for your business. Adding this will ensure that your company comes up when people search within a category.
- Add visual media. Including photos and videos is a great way to showcase your company’s best features and give potential customers a complete depiction of your services. Enhancing these elements is a great way to attract more business.
- Add keywords to your description. Adding keywords helps you explain in greater detail what your business does and distinguish it from others in the same industry by improving your local SEO. Working with a local SEO team can also assist you in making sure you are using keywords that your customers use in their searches.
- Use Google Posts. Google Posts is a great way to interact directly with your customers. You can share news, information, and promotions, which help bring in new customers. Posting regularly is an excellent way to keep customers interested and give them a frame of reference for your offerings.
- Add products or services. GMB allows you to click on a Products or Services tab. Including information in both fields, if you have both products and services, helps Google understand your company’s comprehensiveness, which can boost your rankings.
- Interact with the Q&A feature. The Q&A feature is an often-overlooked feature that can help you connect directly with customers, provide more information about your company, and increase your search visibility. These answers can help you make your FAQ page more complete for potential and current customers.
- Add attributes. GMB pages also let you add attributes, such as ‘convenient location, free WiFi, or pet-friendly.’ These attributes also provide a more complete description of your company, including what you can offer customers as part of your local listing.
- Leverage Google messaging. There is no doubt that the way people prefer to communicate has changed, with many preferring to send messages that make a telephone call. Leveraging Google Messenger makes it easier for customers to connect with you.
- Link your website. Linking your website is another excellent strategy to make it easier for customers to get more information or even purchase.
- Use Insights. This feature provides data on how customers interact and make decisions based on your company information. More importantly, it can tell you how to improve your local listing in a way that will result in more customers.
- Look at your reviews. Reviews are an essential part of consumer purchasing decisions. Responding shows you care about the customer experience. You can also look for review trends to help you shore up any deficiencies in your customer experience.
Optimizing a GMB page is essential in the modern era, where people constantly look for information from Google. To learn more about making the most of your GMB page, contact eGlobal Web Solutions today!
eGlobal Web Solutions specializes in marketing your business via the digital marketplace. We use search engine optimization, social and review promotion, and Email marketing for all types of businesses, from local to global. We utilize various digital marketing techniques to increase your internet presence, optimize your traffic, and generate new business.