Google My Business: What it is and How to use it

Google My Business (GMB) is a free, feature-rich business listing that allows local businesses to control their visibility on Google Search and Google Maps. Google My Business is similar to listings on online business directories such as Yelp, except that it is accessible immediately from Google and Google Maps search results, and therefore does not need a visit to a third-party website.

As we'll explore later, Google My Business has changed well beyond a simple business listing and is now considered a critical component of local SEO due to its abundance of features and services.

Google defines Google My Business as follows:

“Google My Business is a free and easy-to-use tool for businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. To help customers find your business, and to tell them your story, you can verify your business and edit your business information.” - Google

When a local search is conducted, Google My Business listings may appear in a variety of places. The following section of the article will discuss how GMB listings appear and where they appear.

1. Check To Verify Whether You Already Have A Google My Business Listing

To begin, you must locate your GMB listing. This may be accomplished by doing a branded search for your organization's name. If none appear, you can enter your current address or phone number in the search box.

If many listings are displayed, you should claim the one with the most reviews. Following that, you may combine or delete the remaining ones to avoid consumer confusion.

2. Click to Claim the Business

When you locate your listing, you'll see a section labeled "Claim This Business," "Own This Business?" or "Manage This Business." To begin the claiming and verification procedure, click on it.

4. Verify Your Business

Google must verify that you are an employee of the business you wish to manage. Verification might take place by mail or telephone.

The most often used way of verifying a listing is by mail. Google will send you a postcard containing a code. Once you've entered the code into your GMB dashboard, you'll have complete access to your listing.

Phone verification is only available if your Google My Business listing has already been validated and includes a phone number. Google will contact you at that number and provide you with a code to enter in the Google My Business dashboard.

5. If There Is No Listing, Create One

You may discover that your business is missing a GMB listing, particularly if it is relatively new. You'll need to enter your physical address and contact details, followed by a verification of your business.

1. Make Sure Your Data is Correct

Customers are irritated by inaccurate information about a business. According to one research, 80% of consumers lose faith in local companies when they see inaccurate or inconsistent contact information or business names online.

You must ensure that your Google My Business listing has accurate, up-to-date information about your business. This contains your name, hours of operation, physical address, and telephone number. This also applies to seasonal hours; make careful to notify Google if your business is closed for a holiday or if your hours change.

You'll want to track down and remove any obsolete information – such as an old address or phone number – off the internet. This also applies to duplicate Google My Business listings; conduct a search for your previous name, phone number, or address and report any former GMB listing as moved or no longer active.

2. Select The Most Accurate Business Category And Subcategory

You may add categories to your listing inside your GMB profile. This provides Google with more information about the sort of business you operate and the services you provide to your clientele.

While your GMB listing can have up to ten categories, the first is the most critical. Google prioritizes the major category over the others, so be sure you select the correct one first. We recommend being as precise as possible when creating your first one (for example, "Patio Builder" rather than "Construction Company").

Tip: If some areas of your business are busy at particular periods of the year, ensure that those areas are prioritized throughout that season. For instance, HVAC contractors should prioritize "Furnace Repair Service" in the wintertime and "Air Conditioning Repair Service" in the summertime.

3. Set Your Service Area

If you have a physical location or showroom that consumers may visit, include the address in your GMB listing. But what if you don't want your address to be exposed - for example, if you work from home or have a warehouse?

While Google does require a physical address to authenticate your location, service area businesses can hide this address by defining their service area instead. You can choose which towns, cities, and counties you want to serve this way.

4. Define Your Services

The option to specify the services you offer is a recent feature to GMB. Under each category, you can describe the services you offer, as well as include a price list and a brief description.

We propose outlining the services you provide and those you do not. For instance, you may like to focus exclusively on installation and avoid dealing with repair work. Alternatively, you may deal exclusively with residential clients and not with commercial clients. The more transparent you can be online, the less work your employees will have to perform throughout the phone prequalification process.

5. Consider Including Products

Another feature that was just added to GMB is the ability to add items. This is distinct from the Service listings in that you can include photographs, descriptions, and connections to a product listing.

While the Product Editor is most frequently utilized on retailer profiles, there are a few ways that service companies might leverage the Product Editor in their profile. This section can be used to promote certain manufacturers/brands, highlight products you advocate, or discuss the materials you work with.

6. Add Photos

Whether you're constructing a new home, renovating an existing one, or transforming a backyard, you're engaged in some absolutely amazing work. Ensure that Google recognizes your greatest work by using images in your GMB listing.

We recommend periodically updating your GMB profile with photographs of your projects. Ensure that they are large, well-framed, and clearly feature your work. We do not advocate before and after images unless they are contained within the same image file; otherwise, people will notice only the before photograph and conclude that you did not do a good job.

You can also upload video to a GMB profile, although there are some length and file size restrictions. We recommend uploading a video with a resolution of 720p or higher and a file size of less than 100 MB.

Make a point of including your brand somewhere on the image. Thus, if the photo appears elsewhere in a Google Search, users will know where it originated.

7. Include Messaging & Submit a Quote Request

According to one study, 46% of consumers would rather book meetings with contractors via email, an online platform, or a mobile app. Google simplifies this process by including a Request a Quote or Message button in your profile.

We recommend that you download the Google Business App on your phone (available on iOS and Android). You'll receive notifications anytime someone messages you through the GMB app, and you can answer from within the app. Additionally, the app simplifies the process of responding to reviews, seeing statistics, and creating Google Posts.

8. Create Google Posts

Google Posts, which were launched in 2017, are a free addition to any GMB listing. A Google Post, like a normal social network post, may include an image or video, a few hundred characters of text, and a link. By default, Google Posts are only available for seven days and do not appear on your GMB listing. Additional posts – such as Offer or Event posts – can extend the life of the post and increase its visibility.

We advocate publishing to Google on a frequent basis, whether it's to promote a new product or service, highlight an upcoming event, or recognize a recently finished project. If you're already posting on Facebook/Instagram, it'll take only a few minutes to adapt the post for Google.

Additionally, we recommend tracking any clicks to your website from the GMB listing. This will assist you in calculating the return on investment from your GMB listing.

9. Answer Questions From Your Consumers

Each Google My Business listing has a section for Questions & Answers. Google's Q&A platform has caused much misunderstanding for both consumers and business owners; consumers frequently believe they are communicating directly with the business, while businesses who do not check their GMB may be perceived as neglecting their customers.

We highly advise any contractor or service business to check the questions people ask on their GMB profile and respond appropriately. You may flag irrelevant questions and answers to help ensure they are removed from the site, and you can upvote questions and answers to ensure they are seen by the greatest number of people.

10. Ask for Reviews

If you're like the majority of contractors, referrals from existing clients are a significant source of new business. Through your Google My Business profile, you can empower these pleased customers to have a larger effect on the success of your business by encouraging them to leave a review on Google.

After the task is completed, you should request that your clients submit a review on your Google My Business profile. This will benefit you in numerous ways: it will add another review to your total, it will help you improve or keep your star rating, and it will provide further insight into a customer's experience dealing with you.

When your listing shows in the Map Pack, it will include your star rating and the number of reviews. Thus, the more reviews you receive and the better your star rating, the more likely you are to differentiate yourself from the other businesses listed.

Make certain you respond to Google reviews. This demonstrates that you are a business that values your reputation and is actively checking your GMB listing. Additionally, you may add context to a review and rectify an error in a bad review.

Due to the significance of Google My Business listings, we recommend that every contractor and home service company spend time improving their Google My Business listing. By including images and posts, asking reviews, and verifying that all of your data is accurate, you can differentiate yourself from your local competitors and connect with potential consumers before they even visit your website or social profile.