GOOGLE MY BUSINESS TAKES ANOTHER STEP FORWARD

Google My Business is a valuable tool. Be sure to make the most of it. Your Google My Business (GMB) listing showcases your business in Google search results when people search for your business. It’s like a mini website that you can claim and then control. Google automatically generates many of these listings, so many businesses have a listing whether they want it or not. If you have one and haven’t claimed it, be sure to grab it.

Why It Matters

A GMB listing enables people to see important info on a search results page – your phone number, opening hours and your website link. Use it to showcase current offers, promotions and events. It also shows your Google reviews. GMB is particularly useful for people on mobile as they can get the info they need super fast, without leaving the Google search results page – plus they don’t have to wait for a website to load or to spend time looking around to find what they want.

How To Use It

Add photos of your business, products and services. You can make posts, in fact the posts are increasingly like social media posts, with a photo and text. Posts stay up for a week and are ideal for time bound events. It’s currently free but, who knows, maybe it’ll eventually become a paid service, like Google Maps is now. If you have a Google My Business listing and login, then it’s a good idea to keep it up to date and post weekly, even if you recycle posts, but it’s best to make a new post weekly. If you see a listing and can’t log in, then you’ll need to claim it.

New Feature

In August 2018 Google announced new features including Offers and Promo Dates. This is ideal for promoting offers and events, see the image on this blog.

Website Alternatives

The primary purpose of your website is to grow your business. But there are other ways to deliver some of what your website offers, and sometimes potential customers will choose one of these other options – your Google My Business Listing and your Facebook page. While you might prefer that everyone  goes to your website to find out about what you do, the fact is that both Facebook and Google now provide enough info in quickly accessed, mobile friendly formats, that some people choose not to go to your website at all. They can find what they want on your Facebook page or your Google My Business Listing. And if they use Google search and see what they want without even leaving the search results page, that’s very appealing, especially on mobile. So – it’s essential that you make the most of these free tools and use them for both info and conversion.

The Google Toolkit

Tips Keep all your Google tools on one login, ideally a Gmail, and link them together whenever possible.
  • Google Analytics
  • Google Search Console
  • Google My Business
  • Google Maps
  • YouTube
  • Google Search Ads
  • Google Display Network – also used for Remarketing
  • Google’s global site tag for Analytics and Remarketing (similar to the Facebook pixel).
We offer both Done for You  and DIY  solutions for installing and integrating Google tools. We also offer DIY training on how to optimize your Facebook business page for conversion and how to use your personal Facebook profile for business without breaking Facebook’s rules. Find Out More