Google My Business is a powerful tool developed by Google that shows your business in many ways across the platform, allowing you to manage how the information is displayed.
It’s a free tool that every local business owner can (and should) use in their digital marketing strategy, adding massive value when used to its fullest ability.
If your online traffic isn’t where you want it to be, consider making some quick and easy changes to your Google My Business strategy to optimize your listing. Not sure how to get started? Read these step-by-step instructions on How to Set Up Google My Business.
Why business owners should use Google My Business
After a painful 2020, business owners are focused on nailing down a successful local digital marketing strategy. The best first step is to optimize your Google My Business listing.
In fact, 46% of all Google searches are looking for local information. Of those searches, 72% of consumers that did a local search visited a store within five miles, says HubSpot. Still not convinced?
88% of consumers who do a local search on their smartphone visit or call a store within 24 hours.
A strong, local SEO strategy is critical when driving customers to your brick-and-mortar or online business.
Don’t pull your fur out at the thought of getting started. Swing on into a strategic and optimized local SEO strategy with Google My Business (it’s pain-free – ape’s honor).
Using Google My Business to beat the competition.
Every business owner’s goal is the same — to be on the first page of search engine results pages (SERPs). Yet, this isn’t determined by having an awesome website (although that definitely helps). Google also factors in the business’s online presence, including social media profiles, backlinks, directories, blogs, and you guessed it — Google My Business profiles!
Claiming and optimizing your Google My Business listing increases your chances of showing up in the highly coveted Google “Local 3-Pack” like below.
Even though Starbucks, a popular coffee powerhouse of a brand, is in the “Local 3-Pack” search results, two local, family-owned shops are right up there with it because of their effective Google My Business strategy. Let’s break down what they’re doing right.
Filling out product information
This local coffee shop, Brick House Coffee, has their best products featured with photography that’s easy on the eyes. They provide customers menu information they need, from product to pricing, to make the decision to visit their store over the Starbucks down the street.
Creating Posts for holidays, special offers, and promotions
This business also has a solid strategy down for creating Posts. By reminding their customers they’re closed on holidays, they are still capitalizing on the holiday to draw awareness and traffic to their brand. This keeps customers up-to-date on their operating hours and prevents anyone from showing up to a closed shop!
Managing and responding to reviews
Their system for managing and responding to reviews gets an A+ from our team. They have a system in place to solicit reviews from customers and boast an impressive 4.8 star rating. The owners make a point to respond to every single review and thank their loyal customers!
Tip from the Gorilla: Responding to positive reviews is as important as responding to negative reviews. It makes your loyal customers feel valued and appreciated!
Let us help
Once you’ve decided to take the plunge and develop a GMB strategy, you also need to upkeep it with regular maintenance. A certain amount of resources and expertise have to be devoted to it to beat out competitors.
With our simple onboarding process, our team is already saving business owners an average of 18 hours a month. We empower you to take control of the process by dictating how much we interact with your listing.
