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5 Reasons To Claim Your Business on Google
While Google my not be considered a social media platform, it is still and integral part of a success digital marketing presence. Google comes into play in a variety of ways including SEO and paid ads. Did you know that Google My Business can make an enormous difference in traffic to your site? Today, let's take a look at five reasons why you should create or claim your business on Google.
You'll Increase Your Visibility On The Search Results Page
In case you're unfamiliar with Google My Business, here's a quick rundown. Essentially, GMB is an area of Google that showcases an individual business. It can have links, business details, contact information, reviews, and more! As you can see in the image, Google My Business pages are triggered by search terms and locations. Your business will show up in a side column just like this that is filled with your information. As you can see, we have a description, photos, reviews, links to our website and social pages, posts, and so much more. GMB profiles are very simple to set up and allow you to input all the valuable information you need to bring in new customers/clients. Humans are naturally more drawn to colors and visuals than they are to text, so having your profile displayed like this puts you at a huge advantage over the other text-based search results. In many cases, your Google My Business profile will be even more popular than the very top slot which is usually held by a paid ad. As we all know from experience, consumers want things to be as convenient as possible. Nothing is more convenient that compiling all the highlights of your business into a tidy column right on the search page of Google. From one location, potential customers can see visual depictions of your business, easily access important links, find your hours and contact information, and see what their peers have to say about you. It's a great way to stand out from competitors and it's nearly guaranteed to catch someone's attention as they search.
You Can Create Posts/Offers
When you own a Google My Business account, you have the power to change it as you please. Add contact information, business hours, links to your website, details, and even create posts! That's right; Google My Business lets you create posts, updates, and special offers that can (and should) include visuals. As we said previously, the visual aspect of GMB profiles is sure to garner attention of whomever is searching for your business, product, or service. Keeping your profile filled with posts is a great way to draw the eye and send a message. Unlike other social media platforms, Google My Business posts do not exist indefinitely. While the poster can see all posts, they are only visible to consumers for a maximum of 7 days. After that, they disappear and you'll need to replace it. Of course, you can post more frequently if you'd like. What do posts look like? We're glad you asked! Your digital marketing agency is likely already producing content for your social pages. You can ask them to simply duplicate this content on Google, or you could work something out to get Google-specific posts. You want the content on your Google My Business profile to send relevant information at a glance. If you are a restaurant or eatery, you want to showcase your food with high-quality images. You can also post your menu or any daily/weekly specials you may have. When creating posts, you are given the option to create a COVID-19 update, an Offer, an Update (general post), an Event, or a Product. Choose the option that is best for the message you want to portray. GMB will track each post and let you know how many people saw it as well as how many clicked into it.
You Can Manage Reviews
One of the most important aspects of Google My Business is the review platform. Google Reviews are extremely popular, and more than half of consumers turn to reviews before making any type of purchase decision. Think about the last time you purchased something online, or searched for a new restaurant to try. Did you read the reviews? Most people say "yes!" While receiving negative reviews is almost inevitable, there are ways to maintain your good reputation. Unfortunately, if you don't claim your business/create an account, the reviews will sit there for the world to see with no response from your company. Reputation management is crucial in any industry. When the time comes that you have an unhappy customer on your hands, it's important to respond to them. Consumers respect businesses who will face up to their mistakes and take criticism. When a bad review is left unanswered, it sends a few messages: A) that you do not care about feedback from unhappy customers and do not plan to fix issues B) you are not active online meaning you never see feedback from customers and do not wish to converse with them C) you value other aspects of your business more than the happiness of your clients. As you would imagine, all three of these messages are not well-received by the public. If you claim your Google My Business account, you or your digital marketing agency can keep an eye on reviews and respond as needed. You might not think that this makes a significant difference for your business, but we promise (from lots of experience) that it really does.
It Makes You Look More Official
How many times have you looked for a company online only to see that they don't have a strong presence? More importantly, how much value do you place on verifications, awards, and accolades that a company has? If your business does not have a Google My Business presence, potential customers may think that you are not as professional. It may be quite a dramatic conclusion to jump to, but consumers expect solid digital presence from brands these days. For digital marketing agencies specifically, it will reflect very poorly on us if we are not active on any and all digital sites/platforms possible. If someone is searching for BusySeed to run their digital marketing campaigns, how could they trust us with their GMB if we don't stay on top of our own? Not to mention the fact that if you aren't showing up, someone else could. Much like ads, this can make people believe that your competitor has beaten your out of the profile spot, and they could make the snap decision to work with them instead. Your Google My Business profile lets you control the narrative that people searching for you see. That's a lot of power to have and it requires professionalism and finesse to do well. It's vital to own your profile and keep it up to your business standards. As they say, you only get one first impression, so you want to make sure it screams "we know exactly what we're doing and we will be a great asset to you."
You Get Access To User Insights
User insights are always extremely useful to companies. As with any social media platform, Google My Business will provide insights in a variety of ways. You can use these to determine your reach, the efficacy of your posts, the search terms surrounding your profile being displayed, and so much more. Your digital marketing agency can collect this data for you and make sense of it, or they can hand it off to you to translate yourself. From these insights you can better your posting style, learn more about the users who are interested in your business, and come up with a plan to increase traffic to your site or store. Google provides businesses with so many insights. Here are just a few of them:
- How Customers Search For Your Business
- The Actions Customers Take
- Direction Requests and Locations
- Phone calls
- Popular Times
- Photo Views Compared to Competitors
- Photo Quality Compared to Competitors
- And More!
Considering that Google My Business is a free service, the details they provided about users is astonishing. You could identity new keywords, expand the location of your target audience, or update your posting schedule based on how you stack up against competitors. These insights are obviously useful on GMB for future reference, but they can also come in handy for Google Ads, social media ads, and digital marketing in general.
As you can see, Google My Business is not a platform that should be overlooked. It may not be a stereotypical social media site, but it is seen by millions of people every single day. Use Google to the fullest and claim your profile or create one. Post pictures to build interest in your brand, highlight special offers to increase sales, respond to reviews to boost your digital reputation, and watch your business grow. If managing Google My Business is too much for you to do alone, get in touch with a digital marketing agency like BusySeed! Our Digital Marketing Experts will handle the entire platform for you from posts to responding to reviews. We'll make sure that your profile expresses the personality and professionalism of your brand to get you more customers. We also offer a wide range of digital marketing services including content creation, social platform management, SEO blogs, web development, influencer management, and more. Contact us at (888) 353-1484 to get started. We look forward to speaking with you!
