Visibility is one of the critical factors that can drive a small online business to grow. Google My Business (GMB) provides precisely that. In this era, online businesses have become the new norm. It is vital to ensure accessibility to your potential customers at all times, especially when they search for something relevant to your business.
Statistics show that around 88% of local searches result in visitation to the business location within 24 hours. This means that Google My Business, a free tool from Google that provides your business profile to show up in the ranks, is literally going to increase your number of potential customers.
How effective is Google My Business? More on that below.
Create a Google My Business Account
To generate leads from GMB, you’d need an account; that much is obvious.
But how do you make one?
- Click ‘Start Now’ on google.com/business and log on through your Google account.
- Make a Google account if you do not have one yet.
- Type your online business’s name and proceed.
- Enter your address.
- If you are purely an online business and wish to hide your address, check the relevant box.
- Select your business category accurately, so Google can return your business as a search query to the right customers.
- Enter your business phone number (could be your virtual number) and website.
- Choose your verification option to verify your business.
Connect Google My Business to Google Analytics
To make this possible, you will have to use urchin tracking module (UTM) codes. This will help you determine how many visits your website gets because of the GMB listing.
You can set it up by following these steps:
- Embed the UTM tags in a link using the Google Campaign URL Builder, and add this link to your GMB account in the website field.
- Make the relevant goals on your Google Analytics account.
- Set the goals according to what you want to track. Some examples include signing for a newsletter or submitting a form.
- Track behavior and make changes based on the data received. You can find your conversion rate to improve and enhance accordingly.
Google My Business Insights
Tracking analytics through Google Analytics for conversions is excellent. But don’t forget the insights given by your Google My Business account itself.
Information has a key role in acquiring new customers. This is why you need to research Prospecting vs Lead Generation and apply both techniques accordingly so they agree with your business needs. Once you have a strategy in place, you can easily convert potential leads into loyal customers.
You can get insights into what people do to find your listing and what they do after it. Some of the insights include:
Search Keywords
You can find a list of keywords people used to search when they came across your listing. These keywords can be used in your SEO to optimize it further. You can also target specific leads with Google Ads.
Google Maps vs. Google Search
Your Google My Business account displays your business in Google maps and the search engine results page. The insight dashboard shows you exactly the number of people finding you through either route.
Customer Behavior
GMB tracks whether users visit your website, request directions with maps, or call you and tell you which aspect is the most popular. This will help you funnel your leads through accordingly based on their actions.
You can also determine when people look for your business the most, as you can see when you receive the most calls.
Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
Implementing these insights and optimizing your listing to be effective is imperative if you want your online business to flourish.
You can optimize your business through these aspects:
Don’t Leave Your Profile Incomplete
Google tries to provide local rankings as per the audience’s needs. These rankings are based on relevance, distance, and prominence. Using the correct keywords, filling out the complete profile, and constantly updating it is crucial.
Use Photos
You’ll be given the option to add photos to your listing, and you should use this option to your advantage as people are attracted to visuals. Put up professional photos of your products, your services, your location, and the entire place to draw the potential customers
Stay Updated With Information
Post your hours, address, contact information, offers and events regularly. This can be done by choosing the ‘Posts’ option. Stay concise yet be detailed.
Check for Special Features Available for Your Category
Some categories such as hotels have features like ‘class ratings’ and amenities.’ Check out what the features are for yours.
Reviews Attract Potential Customers
Ask your customers to leave a review. You can also make your own short review URL from the dashboard. Most importantly, don’t forget to respond to the reviews as this gives the customer a sense of care from your side.
Responding to any negative reviews is especially important. It shows you are serious about your online business and are looking to better your products and services.
FAQ
Is Google My Business Worth It?
Yes. If your online business also has a physical outlet, and if your online business allows for pickups from home, and you want to attract local clientele – what are you waiting for?
Google My Business is free of cost. It allows your business to rank on page one for relevant local queries. It is simple to use, so it is definitely worth it.
What are the Benefits of Google My Business?
The benefits of Google My Business were explored in the article in detail, but to summarize, this tool lets you manage your business information. This means customers can type your business name in the Google search bar, and a profile will show up.
It will contain your Google map location, phone number, address, best hours to visit, as well as reviews and ratings left by customers.
Moreover, you can respond to those reviews to show that you remain updated with your business and treasure your customers.
This tool is helpful as it provides you free insights about how often your customers view your profile, the demographics of your audience, the clicks on your website link, the engagement levels, and the search queries that led you there (which can be helpful for SEO).
Does Google My Business Help SEO?
Of course, it does. It allows your business to appear at the top in relevant search queries if you are listed with a strong local SEO. It also helps you understand which keywords to use.
The insights from Google My Business provide data on search queries. This means you can see what people were searching for when they stumbled upon your listing and that you can optimize your SEO for those long-tail keywords.
Is Google My Business Free?
Yes, Google My Business is absolutely free, which is why you should capitalize on the opportunities. It can help you generate leads from your business listings for your online business for free.
Is Google My Business Only for Local Businesses?
While you can definitely create a Google My Business account for an international business, it’s best suited for local businesses. It mainly works well if you are looking to drive local leads.
For example, if someone in the vicinity of your business searches ‘(your business industry) near me,’ your business listing will show up. Google search results will show your business’s location, business description, online reviews as well as a link to the Google map location.
Note that Google My Business is primarily for physical locations. But, if you are running an online business, you can add your address as well. This is especially useful if you allow people to pick up your products or services from your address.
Conclusion
You can do so many things for your online business to make it stand out through Google My Business. If you are interested, check out other integrations such as Google Trends to help optimize your business from every aspect.
