Today’s digital landscape is constantly changing and at a rapid pace. So, for businesses, it’s important to maximise their online presence. With so many tools available, Google My Business (GMB) shines as a beacon for local and global visibility. Here at Mirage and Mole – an award-winning marketing agency, we understand its importance so in this blog we delve into the intricacies of GMB and answer the crucial question: Is Google My Business worth it for your business?
Unveiling the Power of Google My Business
Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool offered by Google, serving as a cornerstone for businesses aiming to enhance their online presence. This platform allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including Google Search and Maps. Businesses can create a listing that provides vital information to potential customers – business category, the type of goods or services offered, hours of operation/opening, contact details, and customer reviews. After creating a listing, a business needs to verify its information through a verification process to confirm its authenticity.
One of GMB’s biggest advantages is its ability to bridge the gap between local and national or even global visibility. For local businesses, GMB acts as a digital storefront, helping them reach nearby customers looking for products or services in their area. Simultaneously, for businesses targeting national or global audiences, GMB helps to establish credibility and visibility across various geographical locations. GMB has a lot of tools and functionalities that businesses can use to improve their online presence. These features include creating and updating business information, responding to customer reviews, sharing posts and updates (similar to social media platforms), showcasing photos, and sharing news, events and promotions. It also provides detailed analysis and tracking of how visitors interact with the business listing as well as the search queries used, the number of views and actions taken, and audience demographics. All this will help businesses understand their audience better.
The SEO Game Changer: Benefits of Google My Business
GMB listings are crucial elements that contribute to local search engine optimisation (SEO). Optimised and verified GMB listings have a higher chance of appearing in “Local Pack” or “Map Pack” results helping you attract local customers. This will boost your business’s visibility and showcase your services to potential customers searching for relevant products or services in the area.
Once your potential customers have found you it’s important that they see an engaged and responsive business. There are several engagement features within GMB, such as customer reviews, Q&A sections, and posts. These provide businesses with the opportunity to interact with their audience directly. Interacting with customers through the Q&A and Posts will increase engagement with customers which not only builds trust but also fosters a sense of community around the business. Customer reviews with personal and specific replies from a business will instil confidence in potential customers. Being able to display legitimacy and credibility are crucial factors in the decision-making process for any new customer.
So, they’ve found you, they like what they’ve seen now you need to convert them into a customer. GMB can act as a potent tool for driving conversions. A well-optimised GMB profile will drive users to the business’s website, increasing its web traffic and potentially its conversion rates. From initial discovery to final purchase, businesses can guide potential customers through their sales funnel. By ensuring there is the essential information required, or by creating simple and UX-friendly customer journeys from the listing. Using compelling visuals, useful and encouraging positive interactions.
Best Practices for Maximising GMB
Here are our top 5 tips for ensuring that your investment in a Google My Business is worth it and to ensure it’s delivering the best possible return:
1. Accuracy.
The fundamental aspect of GMB optimisation is maintaining accurate and consistent business information across all platforms. It’s crucial to ensure that your business’s name, address, phone number, website URL, and operating hours are correct and consistent with EVERY online listing. Inaccurate information will confuse potential customers and also have a negative impact on search engine ranking.
2. Optimised Keywords and High-Quality Images.
Optimising your GMB listing involves using relevant keywords that reflect exactly what your business offers. Include primary and secondary keywords naturally in your business description, the posts you make and the news updates you provide. High-quality images can showcase your products, your services, or your team and using high-resolution photos will significantly improve your visual appeal and credibility.
3. Encourage and Engage with Customer Reviews.
Customer reviews play a pivotal role in building a business’s online reputation. Satisfied customers should be encouraged to leave positive reviews. But it’s important to respond promptly and professionally to all reviews, whether positive or negative. By engaging with reviews a business can demonstrate its responsiveness, its interest in its customer feedback, and builds trust among potential customers visiting your GMB listing.
4. Use all its features.
Make the most of GMB’s features by regularly posting updates, events, offers, or news related to your business. Utilise the posts feature to share engaging content that keeps your audience informed and engaged. Regularly review GMB insights and analytics to gain valuable information about how users interact with your listing. Insights provide crucial data on user actions, search queries, and audience demographics. All of this information can be used to help decision-making for future marketing strategies.
5. Keep It Current and Relevant.
It’s important to update the business information to maintain relevance and accuracy. Any changes in business hours, services offered, new or changes in locations, or contact details, should be promptly updated. Not only does this ensure you are providing accurate information to your customers but it also lets the search engines know that your business is active and engaged.
How Mirage and Mole can help
To ensure that Google My Business is worth it, we provide a detailed guide on setting up a GMB profile from scratch, emphasizing the importance of accuracy, completeness, and consistency in business information. We can even do the entire process for your business. For existing listings, we offer practical tips and strategies to optimize GMB profiles effectively. Or we can manage the profile on behalf of your business. We have helped businesses experience remarkable growth and success after optimizing their GMB profiles. These stories span various industries and highlight how GMB played a pivotal role in their success stories.
Understanding GMB insights and analytics is crucial. We guide businesses in interpreting GMB metrics to track performance, assess audience engagement, and derive actionable insights.
The Bottom Line: Weighing the Investment Against Returns
All of this might sound time-consuming, so this investment for your business needs to deliver tangible results. We conduct a cost-benefit analysis, evaluating the investment required to maintain and optimise a GMB profile. We then weigh this against the potential returns and benefits that can be achieved. By analysing tangible returns, such as increased website traffic, higher conversion rates, and improved customer engagement, we help businesses gauge the ROI achieved through effective GMB utilisation.
The power of Google My Business lies in its unparalleled ability to amplify your business’s online presence and drive tangible results. At Mirage and Mole, our commitment to crafting inclusive marketing strategies aligns perfectly with getting the most out of GMB’s potential. Whether you’re a local business in Staffordshire or aiming for global outreach, harnessing GMB could indeed be a game-changer for your business. so, as an Award-Winning Marketing Agency, we would love to invite you to embark on this journey with us. Is Google My Business worth it? Let Mirage and Mole guide your business toward new heights of success. For help in creating, optimising or getting more from your Google My Business profile or crafting a holistic marketing strategy, get in touch with us today!
