Do you have a GMB listing, but don’t really pay much attention to it? You’re not alone. Your GMB listing is one of the most powerful tools you as a business owner can use, yet it’s one of the most under-utilised.
Google has become a trusted platform where consumers go to get solutions to problems by guiding them towards businesses – like yours. It boosts your online visibility and increases your credibility, that’s why it’s vital you take your GMB listing seriously and make every effort to ensure it’s working to its full potential.
Essentially, GMB is all about helping consumers find you and about boosting your Google ranking, and with a little time and regular effort, you can make this essential tool work for you. It can even help you reach that coveted goal of a slot in the Google 3 pack!
If you’re completely new to GMB, go read our What is Google My Business blog where we give a lot of helpful insights.
Claim your GMB listing
If you haven’t already set up a GMB listing, we recommend that you go do that, like, right now! Claiming and setting up your listing will not only give your business greater credibility online; it will also give you total control of the information contained in that listing.
Complete page set up – now not later!
We see you, the procrastinators, who start setting up your listing, fill in the minimum amount and think “I’ll finish it later”.
Go back to your listing and complete the entire set up process. You simply won’t get the full benefits of your listing if you leave it incomplete. Like anything in business, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right!
Category selection
You’d think this was pretty self-explanatory, but we’re always talking to people who don’t give this enough thought.
The first thing to do is make sure you select a primary category. This will help Google searchers for your business or a business like yours find you. The next important step is to choose as many related sub-categories as possible, to ensure you’re being found by all relevant searches. These category selections will also help your overall SEO score.
Contact details and open hours
One of the most common errors we see are contact details that are: a) inaccurate, or b) aren’t consistent with details on a client’s website. Again, this is often due to people neglecting to complete their listing set up and mistakes are made.
When you’re busy running a business it can be easy to miss some of these aspects, but it’s vital that you check, double check and triple check that your address, contact details, business hours and local phone number are 100% accurate and match what you have over on your website and social platforms.
Add photos showcasing your business
We’re always urging our clients to include visual content in their websites, and it’s just as important to post photos of your goods or services on your GMB listing, and not just your logo. People respond to imagery, and listings with photos get more attention from consumers.
This doesn’t need to be complicated or take a lot of time. Simply post photos of your staff in action, the products you produce or even your place of work.
Post videos
This doesn’t mean you need to rush out and hire a professional film crew to produce a video about you. Most smart phones are capable of capturing high quality video footage that can be easily added to your GMB listing.
Ideas for simple but effective videos include, but aren’t limited to:
- A walkthrough tour of your business
- Introducing staff
- Testimonials from happy customers or clients
By keeping your videos short and interesting, you’ll find they’re a great way to engage with your potential customers as they make you seem more approachable.
Reviews
Users trust Google reviews because they aren’t filtered, and bad reviews can’t be removed.
This is a biggie and it’s one of the main reasons that Google has become such a trusted platform when consumers are deciding where to spend their money. People are taking more notice of Google reviews, actively using these to help them decide which businesses to interact with – and which to avoid. Basically, this takes the guesswork out of which business to go with and it’s why you should always encourage your customers to review your business through Google.
It’s also just as important for you to respond to every review you receive, even the bad ones! Potential clients and customers are more likely to engage with a business that takes reviews seriously – it says a lot about you as a business owner!
Post frequently
You’ll probably have heard us say that Google loves fresh content and rewards websites that post regularly. The same rule goes for GMB listings. We recommend you post something at least once a week, but this needn’t be an onerous task. You can post:
- Showcase examples of your work
- Tips and tricks for your audience
- Answer some commonly asked questions
- Upcoming events
- Product promotions
- Covid19 updates
As you’re working on something to post, ask yourself: is it relevant? Is it current? Is it useful? This can help you make sure you’re posting meaningful content to help you capture more traffic.
GMB health check
When you finish reading this blog, you can take the following steps to assess how healthy your listing is:
- Are my contact details correct and consistent with my website?
- Have I included a local phone number?
- Do I have photos of my goods/premises/staff?
- Have I included videos related to my business?
- Am I posting every week?
- Do I encourage reviews?
- Do I respond to all reviews?
Once your listing is up and running, it only takes a small amount of time each week to make sure you’re getting the most out of this great resource.
As always, the team at Monster are happy to assist you with your Google My Business listing. Get in touch with us today and take advantage of this easy to use, free and effective business tool!
