Businesses need to have targeted Google visibility in order to be successful today. Most marketers know that this means optimizing their Google Ads and website, but what they may not know is that their Google business listing also needs to be optimized.
Your Business Profile on Google is a powerful listing that can help potential customers learn about your business and quickly engage with you. However, most businesses don't take full advantage of its features. The problem is not the Google My Business platform; it's likely due to the fact that they don't realize how powerful this listing can be.
That's why the Marketing SEO Agency In Los Angeles put together a list of seven hacks to help you crush it with Google My Business.
Complete All Elements of your Profile.
If you're looking to increase your business' reputation, it's important to ensure that your Google Business Profile is complete. Doing so will make your business more visible to customers, and they'll be 2.7 times more likely to consider you reputable.
In order to make sure your profile is complete, be sure to fill out all of the following elements:
- Business name and address
- Description of your business
- Choose the right categories and sub-categories
- Optimize your Google My Business Photos
- Make sure that the services listed are correct
- Add the correct opening and closing business hours
Make sure to keep your information up-to-date, as well. If you change your phone number or website, be sure to update your information in Google My Business. It will ensure that customers can always find the most accurate information about your business.
Also, note that Google says that businesses with accurate and complete information are easier and quicker to match with the correct searches, which helps improve your relevance score.
Keep in mind that filling out your profile can help boost your business' relevance score with Google, making you more likely to show up in search results. So make sure all of the information listed above is included on your profile, and keep it updated as needed. You don't want potential customers searching for you online and not finding the correct information!
It only takes a few minutes to fill out everything, so there's no reason not to do it. Get started now and see the difference it makes for your business.
Verify your Business Location(s).
In order to make sure your business is accurately represented in Google Maps and search results, it's important to verify your location(s) using Google My Business. Google Maps is the most popular mobile navigation app in the United States, and it's a critical part of local search results on smartphones and desktops.
When people search for businesses near them, Google will usually show a list of local results. Verified business locations typically appear at the top of this list, making it more likely that customers will find your business.
To verify your location(s), you'll need to go through Google's verification process. There are two ways to verify your location(s):
- Online: Verify your location by phone or postcard.
- By mail: Receive a verification code in the mail. It can take up to two weeks to arrive, so be sure to plan ahead.
Make sure to verify your business location with the same phone number that you use for your AdWords campaigns. Doing so will link them together and drive calls directly from ads (click to call) as well as impressions within search results or maps.
Also, set up a local landing page on your website specific to each of your locations. This way, customers can easily find directions, store hours, etc., not only from AdWords but also through organic search advertising efforts such as search engine optimization services and social media marketing strategies like Facebook Ads or Twitter Promoted Tweets.
Ensure your FAQ Section is Optimized
Google My Business allows you to add FAQs that are specific to your business. This can be a great way to answer common questions about products and services, as well as provide additional details for customers who want more information before they make a purchase decision or go with another company.
There are several benefits of adding an FAQ section within Google My Business:
- It can help improve your customer service.
- It can help you convert leads into customers.
- It can help reduce the number of support tickets that you receive.
- Customers who are looking for information about your business will be able to find it quickly and easily.
To add an FAQ section, go to Google My Business and select the "Info" tab. Then click "Add your question or answer." You can also add multiple questions at once by clicking on the "+ Add another question" option under each new entry box that appears after typing something in it.
Each FAQ should be keyword optimized, so that people searching for answers to their questions will find them on Google My Business.
Power up the number of your reviews and ratings
Google reviews are important for businesses of all sizes. Having positive reviews on this platform can help you attract more customers and grow your business. Keep in mind that the first thing many people do is check out online reviews because potential customers want to know that they can trust the company they're considering doing business with.
4 Reasons why Google reviews matter today:
- Google reviews help improve your local search ranking.
Google reviews may help you improve your local 3-pack ranking. It's an important element of local SEO that will assist your company compete with others in the neighborhood. So, how can people select your business if they can't when looking for it?
- Google reviews promote customer trust.
According to statistics, about 55 percent of online consumers read at least four reviews before purchasing a product or utilizing a service.
According to an online statistic, almost 27% of customers trust goods with review counts between 11 and 50. In contrast, only 5% of consumers say they trust items with more than 500 reviews. As a result, although the amount of reviews is critical, having numerous evaluations does not always imply receiving more consumer confidence.
When you have Google reviews, especially good ones, your company will stand out from your competitors in the local search results. The evaluations will demonstrate that you provide a high-quality product or service, which may encourage many people to select you as their provider.
- Google reviews influence the decisions of potential customers.
People read Google reviews for a variety of reasons. They are looking for confirmation that selecting you is the correct decision, and reading happy consumers' comments is a good way to get it. These internet evaluations show how satisfied customers are with your product or service, which is exactly what your potential consumers want to know.
- Google reviews boost your CTR metrics.
Google reviews can help boost your click-through rate, which is a crucial metric for SEO. The higher this number is, the more likely it is that you will attract new consumers and increase revenue. Encourage your customers to leave genuine and positive feedback as part of an online reputation management plan. This will not only improve customer loyalty but also help your business' visibility in search engine results pages.
Our study after inspecting 1,217 reviews
We looked at 1,217 reviews to provide you the most comprehensive review data available.!
We've audited 8 of the most competitive business niches in the United States, such as: remodeling contractors, attorneys, vets, surgery/beauty clinics, and dental clinics. Then we took notes on the following:
The influence of keywords in top 3 Google's reviews appears to be decreasing over time. Google is cleverly utilizing bolded keywords to draw attention not just to corresponding search terms, but also to related words associated with the sentiment surrounding them. Because certain important phrases are almost certainly going to result in higher user engagement, I noticed that Google has given greater prominence
In fact I’ve noticed that Google AI is pulling out keywords from customer reviews to create a list of what I call “service keywords”.
🧠The new feature highlights which services the single review pertains too and after inspecting multiple listings, it became clear how this update will impact.
👉It will help consumers find what they're searching for, which will have a positive impact on their engagement and click-through rates.
👉Google has been demonstrating time and again that they are the greatest at identifying genuine connections between what a business appears to be doing on the surface level and how customers feel about it.
👉This is beneficial to Google in that it allows them to categorize and label the reviews in a more effective manner. Because each review has a better probability of becoming its own piece of material, with unique keyword combinations, semantic keywords, and so on; this makes classifying easier for search engines like Google who require clear patterns based on data sets.
👉User-generated content is changing how people interact with and obtain information. From time to time, replicating the entire outcome of a listing may be more difficult as numerous elements such as blog posts, reviews, and published photographs are in users' hands. These components have an essential function when Google validates what was initially submitted by them on first sight in order for them to trust information that goes into ranking criteria.
Tips to get reviews
Local businesses may benefit greatly from Google Reviews, especially in terms of local rank. They can help your Google My Business account gain confidence from customers.
High-quality reviews can even help customers make a decision.
If your review collection process is not working the way it should, consider these few tips:
- Customers might leave Google reviews on your Google My Business account page by providing a direct link.
- As a result, you'll want to do it as soon as possible and verify/update your Google My Business information. When you communicate with your consumers and respond to their comments, you can build consumer confidence and improve your online reputation.
- Encourage consumers to submit Google My Business reviews. Explain that it takes only a few minutes and is painless.
- Consider all Google reviews to be vital, regardless of whether they're negative or positive. Respond to the customer review in order to demonstrate that you care and that their comments matter.
- Share your review link in a number of ways to encourage customers to submit reviews. You may include it in your 'thank you' emails, on your receipts, or put the invitation on the location where people can find it.
Local Citation Building.
A local citation is generally a local business's online reference, specifically its name, address, and phone number. It is a quintessential search engine ranking factor, particularly when it comes to the 3-Pack.
While Moz says that citation signals (citation volume, NAP consistency, etc.) amount to 11%, we think that this figure is much higher.
Suppose that you have a rental business that shows up on review sites like TripAdvisor. The listing there will include details about your business, which is your business NAP (Name, Address, Business).
As a whole, the more times your website information shows up across the web; the more reliable and credible your business will be in Google's eyes.
When it comes to Local citation building, here are a few factors you should consider:
Citation consistency— Your business NAP shouldn't differ or vary from listing to listing. This trivial and unfortunate mistake might make Google prevent you from climbing the local rankings and label your business as 'spammy.'
Citation authority— Citations from highly authoritative websites are way more beneficial and valuable to your ranking. As such, aim your attention on powerhouse directories like YellowPages, Yelp, Foursquare, and other high-authority directories.
Citation relevance—Relevancy is yet another factor you might overlook. Keep in mind that relevant domains in your area ( local directories, blogs, local newspapers, etc.) will earn you a boost or increment in your local ranking.
Top SEO companies can help with all of this, as well as other Local SEO services and SEO solutions that can help your business.
Link Building.
Link building is also a powerful approach when you want to optimize for the Local 3-Pack ranking. Remember that Google has an elevated view of just about everything related to your business, including your website.
The more authoritative and credible your website is, the higher your odds of being featured in the Local 3-Pack. You may think that your business site isn't as significant when targeting the 3-local pack. But in fact, a business website's inbound link authority is one of the metrics that Google examines when creating the Local 3-Pack schema.
Of course, you will want as many authoritative links going to and fro your web pages. But this is just a short version or brief explanation because link building is a very complex topic. Here are some of the link-building factors that Google analyzes when creating the Local 3-Pack.
Inbound link authority—Link authority tells Google that the Internet users find your website credible and valuable.
Inbound links from locally relevant domains—Links from near relevant sources are important when optimizing for the Local 3-Pack. And because Google gives local relevance to links from nearby sources, you must look for ways to link your business website to the most relevant pages in your area.
Link quality—The more high-authority links your business website earns, the more authoritative and credible it becomes to Google. You can build authority and credibility with Google by deploying guest blogging and affiliate networking strategies to generate high-quality backlinks.
Link diversity—The Google Penguin algorithm update has changed the way that search engines factor backlinks into their ranking algorithms. As of now, the best way to get your business listed in the 3-Pack is through acquiring links from as many sources (both locally and globally) you can.
Start Gmb Posting.
Once the initial optimization phase is over, it's time to give people updates from your GMB listing. Please note that Google deletes or removes your post after seven days to make sure you're sharing fresh, new content.
According to our findings, Google seems to favor business listings that frequently update their information via GMB. It means that if you want your business to rank higher in the local search engine results pages, you need to start using GMB to post updates about your business. To post an update, you can go to the action menu (top-left corner) and click on Posts.
GMB posts are a great way to advertise your business to people who are already looking for businesses like yours. As a business owner, you should take advantage of this free advertising opportunity and create GMB posts that highlight what makes your business unique.
Sure, they don't reach as many people as a sponsored ad, but they might help drive more conversions by allowing consumers to check out your products and services.
The key is to maintain consistency and post regularly. It will show Google that you're an active business, which is something they look for when ranking local businesses.
Conclusion
Google My Business is a powerful tool for local businesses of all sizes. These seven hacks will help you get the most out of Google My Business and crush it with your digital marketing efforts.
Make sure to claim your business listing, optimize your profile, add photos and videos, create a Google+ page, use keywords in your posts, engage with customers, and measure results. You can improve visibility, reach more customers, drive more website traffic, and boost your bottom line by following these tips.
We, an SEO marketing agency in Los Angeles, CA can help you learn more about ranking in search engine results, technical SEO, on-page SEO, link building, mobile app development, internet marketing, optimizing Google My Business, and more! Message us now to get the most out of your digital marketing efforts.