How Google My Business Helps In Local Marketing of Businesses?

Being a marketer or a business owner, you probably spend hours, & resources on social media marketing but often ignore the most preliminary step which is to optimize your local search rankings. Until your business is not visible in the local search engine results when the queries are being made by people looking for you online, you are way too far to convert potential leads into sales. No matter how many social media platforms you have, Google search has been a popular & go-to option among many people when it comes to knowing about any products or services. 

The easiest and affordable way to bring your business to local search results is to have a Google My Business account. In this guide, we are explaining what Google My Business is and how it helps businesses boost their visibility. Let’s understand in detail:

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business (GMB) is an excellent opportunity for businesses to boost their local search presence among their target audience. 

Whenever a customer searches about your business or related services on Google, you want to make sure that all the information related to your business is visible to them before making a purchase. Here GMB helps you by displaying vital details of your business like Name, Address, Operating Hours, Website Link or Contact Details, etc.

It is a free local marketing tool where businesses can create a listing for their brands on Google & Google Maps as well as manage how their business is displayed in the local search queries. Using Google My Business Listing, the business owners can improve their visibility on Google search and can stand out from the competition in their local area. 

To create a listing on Google, you need to verify your business data or claim an existing GMB profile. Read our complete guide on Google My Business. It is a critical part of Local SEO strategy as it makes it easier for customers to find information about your business and allows them to approach you. 

How Google My Business Helps In Local Marketing?

Google My Business is a critical tool for businesses to improve local visibility. It helps customers know more about a business. If you are not having a GMB account, you are missing out on potential sales, local exposure, and revenue for your company. Not sure if you need a Google My Business account? Do you still have doubts if it’s worth it? Here are the key reasons why you need to start with Google My Business right now as your Local SEO Strategy. Let’s have a look:

1. It is Free

The very first and foremost benefit of maintaining a Google My Business is that it is free which makes it an affordable local SEO marketing tool. Whether you are a startup or a well-established franchise, it doesn’t cost anything to create a GMB profile. Though there are several other ways to promote your business and get it on the first page of Google. For example, running a Google Ad campaign where a hefty budget is required or improving SEO with a significant amount of time to build authority and ranking. 

Here Google My Business helps businesses to reach their target audience faster & cheaper as compared to Top SEO tools. Creating, verifying, or claiming your GMB profile costs nothing.

2. Increases Visibility on Google Search, & Google Maps

Another benefit of using Google My Business listing for local marketing is that it helps improve businesses’ visibility on the web. For example, when a user searches about your business or related services, the first three listings that appear on Google are usually Google Ads, followed by Google map with local 3-pack (Top 3 local businesses based on the searcher's location), and then the organic results appear. Google always tries to provide users with the most relevant results of their queries. 

Here, a well-optimized & maintained GMB profile helps you increase your chances of getting noticed by people. How? When customers look for you online with your company’s name, you get visible to the right side of the search results with necessary information. Plus, they can also find you on the map. Just keep your profile updated & make your business more visible on Google.

3. Boosts Local SEO

Just like Google has algorithms for ranking its ads and website, similarly, it has algorithms for ranking business profiles. Let’s understand this with an example: when you search about the “best places to eat near me”, Google provides you with a list of three locations based on your current location. These three businesses have maintained their GMB profiles and thereby Google has shown them in SERPs. Without a GMB account, they would not have been shown. Got it? 

This is how Google My Business helps in Local SEO. It shows potential customers every detail about your business that you have listed in your GMB profile during online searching. No doubt it is an important SEO tactic for local SEO & marketing.

4. Shares Information With Potential Customers 

Never let your potential leads face a dilemma about your business’s important information or leave them to go to other sites to know more about you. Make sure you provide them with every detail about your business which they need before purchasing from you. And Google My Business makes it possible for you by letting you display contact information, business hours, websites link & other essential details in your GMB profile. You can also share news, updates, announcements, deals & offers & many more things with leads. These posts show up in Google searches and maps, allowing your customers to keep in touch with you.

5. Communicates With Customers In Real-Time

Another benefit of Google My Business is to conduct real-time communication with customers. Let’s say a potential lead comes across your business through search results looking for a customized order to place. Now, how will he communicate with you directly from the search list? Here, Google My Business enables you to chat with those searchers directly in real-time and answer their queries promptly through its messaging feature. You can either activate or turn off the messaging feature as per your preferences. After a customer leaves a review, you will have the chance to respond to it.

6. Boosts Customer’s Trust With Google Reviews

Google reviews are one of the most influential factors while customers are making any purchasing decision regarding your products or services. Many customers read online reviews to verify the quality & reliability of the local business and usually go with the products having the highest reviews. Here, Google My Business allows customers to leave their reviews & feedback on our GMB profile for the services they have availed from a business. Potential customers read those reviews, boosting their trust in our brand as well as making us aware of whether things are going right or wrong. Google My Business is an important marketing tool to get referrals and feedback.

7. Generates Leads & Sales

As per the study, businesses get 70% more leads from local search results if they have a well-optimized Google My Business listing which means further fueling traffic & sales. Since setting up a GMB profile goes through multiple verification steps before appearing in the local search results, it creates trust among customers, and ultimately, they approach you. Plus, many people search with the phrase, “Near me” and Google always displays relevant GMB profiles. This is why it is important to create and maintain a Google My Business profile that users can find, visit & purchase from without getting distracted from the long list of searches. So, hire SEO services now and increase your chances of getting visible on the first page of Google. 

8. GMB Images Create Great First Impression

Having a well-maintained Google My Business profile typically adds a digital-savvy touch to your brand as it shows customers that you are willing to connect with them. This doesn’t end here. A good Google My Business profile helps attract potential customers to your brand by letting you upload captive & high-quality photos & videos of your store or products. This would help them setting their minds on whether to avail of your services and can contact you directly by asking a question through the real-time messaging feature incorporated in your GMB profile. You can post at least 5-10 photos and videos of your store, teammates, local surroundings, CEO or MD, awards and events or testimonials, etc. Help customers to get a deep insight into your business.

Google My Business is the Future of Online Local Marketing

Now you know how beneficial it is for businesses to get their brand listed on Google. Google is constantly expanding and improving its algorithms & features when it comes to rank businesses during online searches. Any company looking to boost its local search, visibility, and sales should be using Google My Business now. It is a free & easy to use Google tool for companies of all types as their online marketing strategy. The benefits of Google My Business are vast and companies who invest more time & effort to maintain their GMB profiles are more likely to gain clicks and sales from nearby customers. Don’t let the opportunity go out of your hands. Hire SEO services and create a GMB profile now to boost your local search visibility.