Google My Business, also known as GMB, is a free service from Mountain View that allows you to manage your search engine presence for geolocated queries. It is a solution that brings together old solutions, such as part of the options offered by Google Plus and Places, and over time has become a decisive element of any Local SEO effort. The reasons for this strategic centrality?
- You can list your business on Google Maps.
- You have the opportunity to position yourself in the local pack.
- You create your official business tab in the serp.
In summary, a business open to the public or a freelancer with a specific location for their business has every interest in registering on Google My Business. And to take care of every detail of this service. Do you want to find out what are the decisive details to optimize for good SEO-side results as well? Read on to learn more about the details of your presence on this SEO tool.
What is Google My Business, definition
This is a free service that allows you to promote geolocated businesses on Google. Thanks to this tool it is possible to create tabs related to the individual business, which must be claimed if already present. In addition, GMB acts as a system to insert itself and position itself on Maps.
Put another way, Google My Business is the fundamental reality of being present on search engines for geolocated queries. Whether branded or navigational or informational. To wit:
- Business name.
- Business name + business hours.
- Type of business near me.
- Type of business open on Saturdays.
To rank in these cases there is a need to have a tab on Google My Business. Or rather, all the rules for website SEO optimization and off-page activity always apply.
But having a recognized and optimized tab on this service is the starting point that no entrepreneur or freelancer, with a physical location, can afford to ignore.
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Why it’s useful for local SEO
With your Google My Business listing, you can appear in three strategic fields – local pack, maps and dedicated business card space – following the three basic rules to improve your ranking in the serp for geolocated searches. The ranking factors are official and clarified:
Relevance: usefulness of an activity with respect to a query.
Distance: how far the business is from the searcher.
Evidence (prominence): brand awareness on the web.
Through Google My Business you can clarify who you are and what you do with the utmost precision, including indicating geographic targeting and lending a hand in fulfilling the first two points. For example, on the board you can clarify whether or not you offer certain services, whether or not you accommodate certain needs. And this information flows into the search engine. Just like the ones that influence the last point: evidence.
That is, what in English is called prominence and includes all the signals that allow you to understand whether your brand has a certain notoriety or not. In this list – citations, mentions, inbound links to the site – we also have the reviews left on the Google My Business tab. The relationship is clear:
“More reviews and positive ratings can improve your business’ local ranking. Your position in web results is also a factor, so search engine optimization (SEO) best practices apply.”
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A high number of positively rated reviews leads to improved local ranking. It seems fair, then, to remember that signing up and optimizing your Google My Business tab is a key step for those who want to be found by their audience at the right time.
How to create a profile and sign up
Generating a Google My Business tab is very easy, just go to the official section and follow a set of basic directions. This is a procedure designed for the general public, you do not have to be a web marketing professional to create a profile and start the recognition process.
The only hurdle to overcome is verification: for security policy, the way to start this procedure in Italy is via regular mail. Once you send the request to create your Google My Business profile you have to wait for a postcard with your personal code to arrive at your physical address.
Actually it all depends on the type of activity you have recorded. Verification can also be done via SMS, video recording or email without forgetting your phone. Select the solution that suits you best and see if you are among the lucky ones who can start GMB optimization right away.
Optimizing the Google My Business tab
Let’s get to the most interesting point: how can you improve your Google My Business presence to increase the likelihood that it will become a key focus of your local SEO efforts? I’ll leave you with a rule of thumb before going into specifics: complete with useful and available information. Don’t invent but don’t leave out. Anything could be useful. That said, how to work for local SEO?
Add basic data
Aim toward a complete and precise presence. Every point you have to write it in a way that matches what is on the site with the Google My Business tab. Name, address, phone number but also portal and opening hours with closing day and any vacations. Everything needs to be clear.
Having conflicting, incomplete or wrong information on this service is not a good idea, invest time to complete the basic data (the famous NAP: name, address, phone) and add all the tags to best describe what you do, what you offer and what services you provide for the customer.
Enter a good visual experience
One of the key features of Google My Business cards: the backend allows you to insert images with great precision for albums. For example, you have the ability to upload photos:
- Of the owner.
- Of the customers.
- Of the identity.
- Of outsiders or insiders.
- Of the team.
Then everything changes according to the characteristic of the business. For example, for a restaurant there are photos dedicated to the dishes, food and drinks or the menu. Finally, don’t forget the possibility of including videos.
Manage reviews in Google My Business
I have already mentioned that reviews are key to improving local SEO. And that on Google My Business you can get customer input. Invite those who have tried products and services to leave their opinions, naturally. Respond to testimonials, especially critical ones.
The art of increasing reviews on Google My Business comes from getting a link to share on the website or social – but also via chat or in emails – to take the user to the field that welcomes text and photos to witness the experience. How to get the direct link to Google reviews? Just go to the dashboard home and select the Get Reviews item (located at the bottom of the page) and a form appears with several options and share buttons.
Add extra content (tabs, posts…)
One of the most interesting solutions of Google My Business, although not directly related to ranking but still useful to optimize the presence on the search engine: the possibility to enrich the brand tab with extra publications. For example, you can insert posts that appear in the queue.
If, for example, you have a corporate blog, you can relaunch posts in this area. Also-most important for online sales-you have the option of adding product tabs with links to landing pages. Insert images, description, price and button with call to action to complete the task.
If, on the other hand, you manage a hotel or restaurant tab, you can add a reservations section to include a key touchpoint to the user’s customer journey.