How to Get the Most out of Google My Business

 

If you’re a business owner, you are going to want to have your business all over the Internet. If you’re new to online marketing, it can be an overwhelming task to know where to start. Google My Business is an easy and effective place to start gaining online exposure.

 

What makes Google My Business even better is that it is a free service. Yes, you heard right, I said free! This free service will help potential customers find your business online when they are searching for products or services you sell.

 

For example, if you search for “Dentist [your town]”, take a look at what comes up in the search results. Hopefully it is something similar to this. Your Google My Business page will help you show up in this spot- but only if it is optimized correctly. Don’t worry though, I’ll show you just what you need to do to make sure your page will show up on top.

 

 

 

• The first thing you need to do is actually create the page. Head over to https://www.google.com/business/#befound and either add or claim your business.
  • Verify your business. Google will send you a postcard to your business address with a verification code that you can enter in your account.

 

• Add all the correct details of your business. The more details, the better!
  • Good quality pictures of your logo, team members, and of your business
  • Your website URL
  • When you’re open for business
  • Your business phone number
  • A description of your business with relevant keywords

 

Once that initial set up is done, and your page has been verified, you will need to optimize your page. Here are three good ways to do that:

 

1. Join communities within your industry or within your audience’s interest area. For more information and details on how to find these communities, head on over to https://support.google.com/business/answer/2888328?hl=en-GB .
2. Create and share content regularly. Below is a screenshot of your dashboard, and this is where you will post and share your content.

 

1. Photos: Share photos with followers. These photos will appear on the Google+ stream for your page and may also display across Google on Maps, Search, and more. You can post photos you’ve already added to Google+, or upload new ones.
2. Link: Share a URL of content that might interest your customers.
3. Video: Create a new video, upload one from your desktop, or share one from YouTube with your customers.
4. Event: Create and publicize an upcoming an event from your page. You can choose who to invite or make the event public to all of Google+.

 

3. Encourage customer reviews and always respond to them. The reviews are one of the most important things you can have on your page because it lets potential customers know that you are reputable. It shows that others have had good experiences with you; so new customers can gather that they will have a good experience as well. Now, it is inevitable that you will get a few negative reviews as well. Always, always, always respond to these quickly and try to resolve any problem.

 

And viola! Now you can be a Google My Business pro!