It’s common knowledge that Google is king when it comes to the search engine world. Many businesses have caught onto this and are now investing in SEO as a result.
Setting up a Google My Business profile is a great initial step you can take to getting found online. In this article, we’re going to outline the top 5 reasons you should establish a Google My Business profile.
Help potential clients and customers find you locally
One of the great advantages of Google My Business (GMB) is that it helps potential new customers find your business when they’re searching for goods or services in your area. With an optimised GMB profile, you can appear at the top of Googles search engines results pages for localised search terms.
For example, many users look for nearby businesses and perform searches such as “lawyers near me”. If you run a business with a physical address then you can make your way to the top of Google by having an optimised GMB profile. This applies to any business with a physical address, including cafes, local tradies such as plumbers, and even doctors and dentists.
Get on the map
Many people use Google Maps to find businesses in a particular area and then navigate to them. For example, it’s not uncommon for someone to type in “SEO services Parramatta” as well as the exact name of a business that they’re looking for. With a GMB profile, you will automatically appear on Maps, exposing yourself to new potential customers and making it easy for them to find you.
Gain trust through customer reviews
Word of mouth is one of the most valued types of marketing. After all, people are far more likely to make a purchase based on a friend’s recommendation versus an ad – 5 times more likely in fact. Customer reviews are a form of word of mouth marketing, and it’s the next best thing after receiving a recommendation from a friend.
Customer reviews are integrated as part of GMB. By building up positive customer reviews, you will build trust with potential customers. Think about it. You’re far more likely to head to a restaurant your friend has raved on about as opposed to one you saw an ad on Instagram about. Also, if you’re not quite sure about the restaurant then you know that a safe place to look for accurate reviews is Google. Your customers think the same way.
On-demand information available to your customers
A Google My Business profile provides you with a way to answer customer questions without having the pick up the phone. The most common question is about opening and closing times. Though, there are other questions that your customers could ask, which could be the difference between them walking through the door or going elsewhere.
On your GMB profile, you can insert information such as whether your business is pet friendly (if you’re a café/restaurant) and if you have Wi-Fi. One of the most useful pieces of information that customers receive via your Google My Business profile is when your business has the most thoroughfare. Nobody minds avoiding a crowd, so this feature helps your customers know when the best time to visit is.
It’s free
Not many things in life are free, but a Google My Business profile is. Therefore, a GMB profile is a no-cost advertising avenue that you can explore. There are probably hundreds of people searching for services that you offer in your local area every month. By having a GMB profile, you will be exposing yourself to this traffic.
Conclusion
Setting up a GMB profile is easy and is something that you can do on your own. It also ties perfectly into SEO, helping you make your way to the top of Google. If you’re not quite sure what SEO is or how GMB ties into it then contact us using the form below. We’ll be more than happy to explain.
