Looking to improve your local business’s ability to be found by potential customers as well as current customers? There are lots of things you can do, but the #1 online item on your to-do list should be optimizing your ‘Google My Business’ profile.
A Google My Business profile is a critical component of local search engine optimization (SEO). It will enable your business to appear in local search results for queries made specifically for your products or services and the best part is that it is free! Google My Business uses Search, Maps, and Google Plus to make your business visible.
Without a Google My Business profile, your business won’t appear on any local map listings on the search results page that Google displays for the vast majority of local queries.
Here is an example; we did a search for a seafood restaurant in Orange County:
As you can see, Google returned a map with location results for three local seafood restaurants, plus reviews, restaurant details, and an image from each restaurant.
So, let’s discuss the major benefits of Google My Business:
http://www.searchinfluence.com/2016/04/does-my-business-really-need-a-google-my-business-page/
The Maps Pack
The Maps Pack (shown in above screenshot) shows search results presented as a map with pins representing each business. It also pulls information (website, phone number, address) from Google My Business and renders it below the map. The visual presentation of businesses on the map allows the searcher to view the geography of businesses they potentially want to visit.
Knowledge Graph
Having a Google My Business profile is also important because of the effect it can have on Google Publisher. If you have Google Publisher on your website, when a person does a branded search for your business, your Google My Business information will show up in the “Knowledge Graph.”
Here is an example of a Knowledge Graph:
An optimized and active Google My Business page allows the correct business information to show in this knowledge graph. Having a Knowledge Graph show up in search results is a great way to gain users’ trust and make them more likely to click over to your business’s website.
Reviews
Having good Google reviews for your business is essential for getting into the local 3 pak as shown in the first screenshot above. A study by Digital Marketing Works shows a strong correlation between having good Google My Business reviews and the chance of showing up in the Maps Pack in the local search results.
So, the more good reviews you get, the better chance your business has to show up in the Maps Pack search results. And, showing up in the Maps Pack means more traffic to your website.
To recap, if you’re interested in showing up better than your competitors and getting more visitors to your website, make sure you do these 3 things:
- Make sure your Google My Business Profile is optimized.
- Have lots of good reviews on Google, Yelp, Angie’s List, Yahoo, Facebook, and other reputable review websites.
- Have a useful and relevant website.
Want to ensure your Google My Business profile is fully optimized? Contact SunUp Group, Inc. through our website or call 877.609.3840. We are here to help!
