Running a business is full of important things that range from having a good product, to making sure to market effectively. One of the most important parts of successfully operating a small business in the modern day is SEO. Search engine optimization is all about getting your rank higher on search engines. This is done in hopes of reaching more people who will hopefully become customers.
One of the best and most useful SEO-related tactics you can do is not only free, but also gives you a lot of control over how your company is presented on Google itself, which is the largest search engine by a wide margin. Of course, we are talking about creating a Google My Business listing. But what exactly is Google My Business and why should you use it?
With that in mind, this article is going to go over what a Google My Business listing is, and why your company needs one.
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business is a free tool offered by Google to help businesses manage their online presence. As you know, the management of the online reputation of your business is very important. Google My Business gives you a little more control over this reputation and what appears when people search for you.
It is essentially a business listing on Google that will show up next to search results when someone searches for your company. It can include your contact information, address, information about your products and services and hours.
Google My Business makes it easier and quicker for customers to find your business and learn more about your company. It can also help them see reviews and get all of the important links to learn more about what you have to offer. Also, there are companies that can help with Google my business management, so you can ensure that your profile is correctly optimized and organized. This can be especially beneficial if you are managing more than one profile.
What Are the Benefits of Having Google My Business?
Now that you know a little bit about what Google My Business is, why do you need it? Well, Google My Business is important for companies of all different shapes and sizes, for a variety of reasons specially in Inbound Marketing.
You Can Engage With Customers
In addition to helping customers find you and learn more about your company, Google My Business also allows you to engage with your customers. You can read their reviews, respond to them, set up alerts, answer questions and even let them directly message your company, too. Posts can even be published to your profile if you so choose. Engaged customers are more likely to become loyal and will certainly appreciate their voices being heard and acknowledged.
Gain Important Insights
Another reason your business could benefit from a Google My Business profile is that it can help you gain important insights. You can learn how customers found you, where they are coming from, how many people reached out to your company through the profile and several others. You can also track clicks, and even see how photos that you post match up against content posted by your competition in terms of performance.
Help Your Company Appear More Credible
When people are looking for companies to buy products and services from, they want them to be credible. Having a Google My Business profile can make your company appear more reputable and will make them feel more comfortable working with or reaching out to you. If your listing is complete and updated, people will generally feel more comfortable trusting your company compared to one with a completely blank, incomplete or nonexistent profile.
In conclusion, we hope that this blog post has been able to help you learn a bit more about Google My Business and why it is a good idea for companies to use the tool.