Google My Business: How to Optimize it for Local SEO
One of the simplest and most effective ways to set up your business to be found online is to create a Google My Business listing. As search queries become more regionally specific, Google’s algorithms constantly change to consider user intent. If you want your business to get found in local searches, you must have your business listing and regularly optimize it to get seen in local searches.
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business is a free and easy way to help you optimize and manage your online presence. It’s great for small businesses as it helps manage their information on the web and reach out to customers.
With Google My Business, you can add your business location to Google Maps and local search results. Aside from your business location, you can also display important information such as your business contact details, operation hours, or a link to your website.
Google My Business is now Google Business Profile to make it simpler for small business owners to manage their online presence on Google with a single listing. Your Business Profiles appears both in the local result of Google Search and Google maps. Customers are welcome to ask and answer questions, post reviews, and add photos. Even information that Google gathers from various parts of the web could be added to it.
How to Optimize Your GMB Listing for Local Rankings
For your website to rank well for a local keyword, you need to have a GMB listing on Google My Business. Below are some basic yet essential things that you can do to optimize your GBM for local rankings:
- Enter complete data for your profile
Businesses with the most thorough and accurate information benefits are easier to find as local search engine favors the most relevant results for searches. So, don’t leave anything out. See to it that your profile explains everything that your website does, how customers may purchase the products or services you are providing, and where they can find your store.
- Include keywords
Google makes use of several signals to deliver search results just like traditional website SEO. Using important keywords and search phrases in your business profile will allow potential customers to find you more easily. Use keywords related to the location of your business in the title of your GMB listing.
- Add photos
Adding photos to a business profile helps drive potential leads and traffic. Add photos with relevant captions that show off what makes this location special or unique. According to Google, businesses with photos on their profiles receive 35% more click-throughs to their websites and 42% more requests for driving directions on Google Maps.
- Keep your business operating hours accurate
You want your customers to visit your website when it is open. Now it could be a major problem if your profile indicates you’re open when you’re actually closed.
Keep your business operating hours updated and accurate all the time. You can add holiday hours as well as alter the hours at any time.
Why You Should Make Your Listing Stand Out
Optimizing your business listing can make it stand out among your competitors. Thus, it’s very important that your business listing is accessible across all platforms, especially now that smartphones account for over 52% of all internet traffic. By using the Google Business Profile, you can promote your business online no matter how small or big your business is. You can share your business hours, images, and updates for better online visibility, more calls and visits from Maps users, more in-store foot traffic, enhanced trust levels, and more sales.
