What is Google My Business

Google My Business (GMB) 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.

To really make your GMB profile work for you, you have to optimize it. Here are a few quick and easy ways to do that.

A Google My Business account lets you show up in search results when people are looking for you online. It’s free, which makes it an affordable marketing tool for small and big businesses alike.

This comprehensive guide will show you how to get your account up and running and offer tips on how to get results.

Why you need a Google My Business account

Not sure if you need a Google My Business account? Here’s why you may want to consider one.

Be discoverable

Search is digital. Even if you run an old fashioned brick and mortar shop, your customers and prospects are online. And that’s where they’ll typically start their search for your company, products, or services.

Whether you’re looking for foot traffic or web traffic, Google is the ultimate search referrer. A Google My Business account ensures that when someone looks your company up on Google Search and Google Maps, they find it. Once they do, your listing shows searches where and how to visit your shop, whether you have a web or physical address.

GMB accounts also improve your local SEO. So when someone searches for you, you show up on page one—not page two or worse.

Even if you already have a web presence, a Google business account ensures you get top results. Accounts also provide access to analytics, allowing you to fine tune your paid and organic advertising strategies.

Keep customers informed

Don’t leave customers guessing about your business’s important details or leave them up to other review sites over which you have no control. Make sure that when someone searches for your business, they find legitimate information, straight from the source.

Your Google My Business listing includes contact information, business hours, and other essential details. You can post updates to share that you’ve expanded services, temporarily closed, or fully reopened. Google business accounts have strong local SEO, so the information you share will rank above other sites.

Misinformation can lead to bad customer experiences and missed opportunities. Imagine the letdown a customer feels when they make a trip to your store only to find that it’s closed or maybe you are open, but a prospective customer chose a competitor because they weren’t certain.

A Google My Business account lets you keep customers informed.

Boost consumer confidence

A Google My Business profile lends credibility to your company. Customers are more likely to visit businesses with a Google My Business listing.

Another study found that businesses with complete listings on Google are twice as likely to earn trust from customers.

Trust is a key factor when it comes to making purchase decisions. The more confident a consumer feels, the more likely they are to buy. Credibility gained from Google is enough to sway people to be more likely to visit your store, to buy something.

Google My Business reviews help build trust, too. Google finds that consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.