Local businesses need more than just a website to succeed—they need a strong online presence, and that’s where Google My Business (GMB) SEO comes in. Google My Business is a free tool that allows businesses to manage their online information across Google Search and Google Maps. Optimizing your GMB profile can significantly boost your local search visibility, making it easier for potential customers to find you when they search for relevant services or products.
In this blog post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Google My Business SEO, including the importance of optimizing your listing, common mistakes to avoid, and actionable tips to ensure your business gets noticed.
What Is Google My Business SEO?
GMB SEO is about optimizing and managing the GMB listing of a company to get more exposure to its products within Google local search results. Filling out business information correctly and in full increases the probability of appearing in the Google Local Pack, Google Maps, or a local search on the web.
The strategies adopted include
- using business description and the relevant keywords,
- regular updates,
- replying to customer feedback extract and appropriate images.
These works contribute positively to the ranks in local search results, generate more orders and visits to the web and offline business, respectively, and improve the presence on the Internet. GMB SEO helps unlock many features, enabling local customers to be reached while using various forms of interaction with the customers.
Why Do You Need Google My Business SEO?
Suppose you want to rank your business on the local search engine results pages (SERPs). In that case, optimizing the Google My Business (GMB) page is vital to local search engine optimization, hence enhancing your operations towards gaining visibility among local clients for more customers and even higher engagement. Here is what makes GMB SEO very important for your business:
1. Increase Your Audience Reach
Nowadays, expanding audience reach through GMB is the norm, and it is one of the best ways to furnish the audience with more information about a business. GMB also connects users actively searching and interested in your service or product; unlike conventional advertising.
After monitoring its searches, Google indicates that the number of mobile inquiries using phrases like “where can I buy” or “near me” increased by more than 200% from 2021 to 2023. In doing so, you will avoid the risk of losing business opportunities because your competitors will appear in the relevant searches even when they don’t have optimized GMB profiles.
Users get all the information they desire from a single platform with business descriptions, pictures, views, as well as locations such that it increases their chances of becoming converted customers out of mere searching.
2. Strengthen Your Position as an Expert
A well-optimized GMB profile includes the business considering it as an expert in the area. Google aims at ranking companies based on some parameters regarding the industry’s popularity through local search.
By collecting reviews in anticipation of satisfactory service from their businesses, a company can submerge in the hierarchy with friends showcasing them as dependable and trustworthy.
Statistics demonstrate that as many as 75 percent of consumers will place confidence in a business with more GMB reviews, while 70 percent of the users of online GMB services claim that the reviews also play a major role in selecting the service being sought out.
More than that, a well-crafted profile also improves your reputation towards potential clients, making you stronger than those without a reputation.
3. Make Interaction with Clients Easy
A GMB profile is an important platform for communication because it helps you communicate with customers more easily. Maintaining an active GMB page with current contact details, pictures, business hours, and services on offer makes it easy for the clients to reach out to you.
Research shows that 69% of consumers who search for local businesses use the Google My Business platform and look for phone numbers of the companies, while 62% of users of mobile phones call businesses directly from the platform.
With such ease, you stand an even better chance of converting searches into sales. Additionally, answering reviews and questions from existing and potential clients earns you credibility, increasing the loyalty levels of your current clients and prospects.
4. Increasing Foot Traffic and Revenue
It’s not only the online presence that is enhanced with a well-optimized GMB profile but also the amount of foot traffic to the brick-and-mortar location. Statistics indicate that GMB listings receive an average of over 60 actions every month, such as phone calls, direction requests, and clicks to websites, among others.
These actions promote more customer interactions and, ultimately, more sales. Potential customers can make informed decisions by informing the customer of the necessary information, such as reviews, business hours, and products offered.
Consequently, the chances of them coming to your business or buying from you increase. When you optimize your GMB profile, you increase the conversion rates and bring the prospects deeper into the sales funnel.
5. Use local optimization strategies to capture more clients
The most common reason to pay attention to GMB SEO is to improve your local search rank. With an optimized GMB profile, there are many chances to appear in Google’s Local Pack, which includes three of the best business listings in local searches.
Bearing in mind that between 70 and 90 percent of people click on links found on the first page of the search results, appearing there can be very important to your business.
By properly using up-to-date information, relevant keywords, and engaging your audience, you can greatly enhance your profile and increase in positioning to get more potential clients. The fight is hard regarding local searches, so having an exceptional GMB-optimized profile works in your favor.
How to Optimize Your Google My Business Listing for SEO?
Heres the detailed process of oftimizing the GMB listing for SEO.
Claim and Verify Your Business
The most critical step in optimizing your Google My Business (GMB) listing is to claim and verify your business. Verification is important because it signals to Google that you are a real business, improving your local ranking.
With verification, chances are that your business will appear in the Google Local Pack, and neither will it be listed on Google Maps, thus limiting your reach to potential customers.
Verification also ensures you obtain and publish accurate business information by controlling it.
Completing this step improves the chances of appearing in the local searches, making it easier for people to search and gain trust in your business. This, in turn, increases the traffic and engagement.
Fill in All Details Of Business Information
Ensuring every aspect of your business information on Google My Business (GMB) is complete and correct cannot be stressed enough because it improves local search visibility.
These are details such as your business name, address, phone number (NAP), website, hours of operations, and services offered.
Up-to-date, basic information makes it easier for potential customers to locate you and reach out to you. In this case, it is prudent to have consistent information about your business across all online platforms, like your business website and social media pages.
Business details that are not consistent may cause the customers to be confused, weakening local SEO.
In addition, reproduced and stable information within GMB increases the level of trust and overall GMB results compared with the geographic search results you receive.
High-Quality Photos And Videos
How does it help To build trust and engagement on his Google My Business (GMB) profile, visual content is fundamental.
Because this type of content offers business prospects insight into business and its products or services, high-quality pictures, and videos make your GMB profile more entertaining and authentic.
Any ‘eye-catching’ visual elements in the profile help catch attention and gain trust. Search engine optimization of images also requires pertinent images, quality or high resolution, correct naming with keywords, and compression.
Your business location can be further linked to local SEO through additional geotagging of your photos.
Select Suitable Business Category
Selecting appropriate business categories for your Google My Business profile is crucial in enabling Google to understand your business’s activities and place you in proper local searches.
Business categories mean there is a primary business category that describes your business most and secondary categories that describe other products or services you offer in addition to the primary one.
When you operate a café that sells coffee and has baked items for sale, “Café” is the primary category, and “Bakery” will be a secondary category.
Picking the right categories affects how your business shows up in the search and, therefore, has an easier time being found with services that they wanted to look for.
Incorporate Keywords into the Description of the Business
Adding local SEO keywords to your business GMB business model description is one way to optimize your ad ranking.
Naturally, include keywords that your target audience might search for businesses, such as the business’s geography and similar industry words.
Most people, however, will not put the keywords unnaturally throughout the text and will concentrate on creating an easy yet interesting description of the advertisement.
The exposure of the description, with outstanding and optimized written content, is an an advantage to the business to promote goods and services on more local searches.
Encourage and Respond to Customer’s Review
Customer reviews are also fundamental in increasing your Google My Business (GMB) SEO score. Google considers the reviews when ranking a business locally, and the more positive reviews a business has, the better it is likely to perform in local searches.
Getting reviews from happy customers enhances your reputation, and you are more likely to get many more clients.
Equally, answering reviews – whether negative or positive, shows that you care about your customers and thus boosts customer engagement.
Only when you answer reviews will you be perceived as an active business, which will enhance your reputation. When this happens, customer retention is built, and even more, it indicates to Google that companies like yours are legit and credible.
Post On Google My Business Regularly
Another significant factor in business SEO, which should always be noticed, is ensuring active posts on a GMB listing. Updates, offers, announcements, and newly offered services help marketing and create retention in consumers’ minds.
Fresh posts also show Google that the business activity is still operational, which can enhance local search visibility. Also, GMB posts, since they are reasonably short, allow keywords in them, which benefits the SEO of the profile.
Such posts attract the target audience’s attention and motivate them to communicate with the business, resulting in visitor traffic and sales.
Managing the Google My Business page effectively and posting items regularly helps generate an increased online presence and more local customers.
How Will You Verify The Google My Business Listing?
Google My Business (GMB) is an essential tool for local businesses to feature their business in local search results and Google Maps. One of the most important features of a GMB account is Business Verification, meaning you must have permission to manage this business. However, you must verify your GMB listing before you can do that. Here is how to verify your GMB listing:
1. Postcard Verification
This is the most common method. Google will send a postcard to your business location address within 5–12 days of setting up your GMB profile. This postcard will have a verification code that you will need to enter in your GMB account to complete the process. This verification method validates the address of your business; once verified, you can edit the profile to include all of its contents.
2. Phone Verification
Some businesses may be eligible for phone verification. If this option is available, Google will send you a code via an automated call or text message. When encouraged, select the phone verification option, and the code will be entered when you receive it. This method is quicker, which is why most businesses prefer it, although it is unavailable to all businesses.
3. Email Verification
There could also be the option of verifying a listing via email, as Google may let you do so. A verification code will be sent to your account’s email, which you can later enter into your business’ GMB dashboard. Make sure that you provide and have access to the correct business email.
4. Instant Verification
If your business has already been verified with the Google Search Console, you may have the option for instant verification. This method skips the postcard or phone process, utilizing a much quicker process and gaining the ability to manage one’s profile simultaneously.
Explaining Google’s Local Rank System
Image Description: A visual representation of Google’s Local Rank System, highlighting the key factors of distance, prominence, and relevance in local search rankings.
Google Local Rank uses three primary factors for various local rankings: prominence, distance, and relevance. These elements act as a triad to provide the most relevant local search results based on a user’s search inquiry.
1. Distance
Distance is the space between a business and that of the searcher or the business specified by the searcher. When users do not share their location, Google uses the available information to derive the distance. Although distance does matter, there are instances where a far-off business can be rated higher because Google ranks it as more suitable to what the searcher is searching for.
2. Prominence
Prominence looks at the reputation or popularity that a business commands, on and offline. Businesses with a higher image are likelier to do well than those with lesser images because of their brand recognition. Business prominence is also affected by the quantity and quality of reviews, mean ratings, and online buzz, such as links or articles from other sites about the business. The more prominent and talked about your business, the easier it will be for you to promote it, boosting your local rank in the process.
3. Relevance
Relevance refers to the degree to which a business profile will likely fulfil the user’s intent. Users can enhance the chances of Google associating their listings with relevant searches by providing appropriate and complete information such as business services offered, products and even working hours. This means the more relevant the business is to the specific search, the greater the chances that the company will be at the top of the local search results.
Tracking Data from Google My Business Page
Image Description: An analytical dashboard showcasing Google My Business Insights, including metrics like views, calls, and customer actions on a vibrant screen.
Image Alt Text: Dashboard displaying Google My Business data and insights.
The Google My Business page has an interesting analytical feature named Insights that helps businesses monitor their listing performance in local search results. Knowing how to interpret this data and put it into practice will likely improve the local SEO performance of the business and the marketing strategy. GMB Insights is very large and is divided into different sections, most of which contain valuable information regarding customer interactions.
Google Places Where Customers Can Find You
This section aids businesses in measuring how clients obtained access to their listing through Google Maps or Google Search. Insights recommend Maps Views and Search Views to elicit the frequency of people viewing the listing via a particular platform.
Businesses can track these impressions over time, ranging from daily views to quarterly views. For instance, should it be noted that a significant number of impressions about a particular restaurant come from Google Maps, then the restaurant may consider implementing strategies that will enable them to derive increased foot traffic by enhancing the profile on the app.
Gaining insight into how customers are finding your business allows you to concentrate on promoting those platforms for improved results.
Call and Telephonic Conversations
From your Google My Business listing, Google tracks telephone calls made directly to the business. You can also use the time-series data for call activity to know when customers are calling, the day of the week, and the day.
This data can be used to schedule customer service representatives during peak hours or assess whether more staff is needed to handle inquiries.
For example, if there are a lot on one or certain days or hours, you can prepare your team so that they always have a chance of getting a call from customers.
How Potential Clients Discover Your Profile
The Discovery vs. Direct Searches section of the GMB Insights holds notable value as it explains how a certain client came to your profile.
Direct searches happen when customers search for the name or address of the business and are typically performed by clients who are already familiar with the company.
In contrast, the discovery search is carried out where prospective customers want service within a specific category, such as “a coffee shop close to my house” or “plumber close to me.” Understanding the most effective type of search could help your local SEO efforts.
For example, if most of your website traffic comes from discovery searches, enhancing your profile by adding relevant keywords and categories such as “coffee shop” may increase your profile’s ranking for more generic searches.
Asking For Directions
Another important information recorded within GMB Insights is the number of requests for directions. This measure reflects the extent to which customers request directions and from what places such requests come. You can even see the ZIP code, city, and state information of users requesting directions, which helps determine your customer’s geographic reach.
The exact places identify where businesses’ offline advertising is effective and if there are domains where local advertising should be actively deployed. In case of high requests for directions, consider enhancing your GMB listing by adding clear indications about parking possibilities or public transport.
Customer Activities
The Customer Activities section of Insights gives you the number of customer activities your clients perform after seeing your GMB profile. These actions often encompass visiting your website, looking for directions to your business, and phone inquiries.
Such information can assist you in spotting which section(s) of your business require shoring up. For instance, if a high ratio of website users takes action after visiting your listing, your focus would be conversion optimization. On the other hand, if many customers seek direction, ensure that your profile has appropriate address details and consider offering some incentives.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Google My Business SEO
Grieving and optimizing the GMB is undoubtedly one of the best practices that helps improve the business’s traffic and increase local searches. Below are seven common GMB SEO mistakes that marketers should eliminate:
Not Claiming and Verifying Your Listing
Arguably, the most important feature in setting up the GMB profile is claiming and verifying the business within the profile. Pictures will only be visible on local searches and Google Maps with verification, limiting your photographs’ exposure. Some companies tend to believe that their listing verification happens automatically as soon as either listing is created; however, missing this step comes with lost chances. Establishing verification of GMB listing goes a long way to ensuring full control of the information regarding the company and management of reviews and updates, among many other features.
Offering Irregular or Inexact Information
Consistency is extremely important when dealing with local SEO and applies to business information. Inadequate presentation of business aspects, including NAP and working hours, creates confusion among customers and diminishes your rankings. Moreover, Google can penalize you when there are discrepancies in NAP information on your website, social media, and other platforms. Thus, try as much as possible to ensure that all your details are consistent on all the platforms and in the eyes of the search services and the customers.
Not Paying Attention to Categories and Keywords
Incorrect categorization of the business or excessive editing of the business profile without regard to keywords can stop your business from showcasing in the relevant searches. GMB lets you select primary and secondary categories for your business; therefore, informing you of the categories that best suit your business description is easy. Further, the general failure to use words relevant to local SEO, such as in your business posts and reviews, lowers your chances of getting ranked for searches that are relevant to your business.
Not Updated Business Hours and Business Details
It is common for people to remember to update their business hours and other basic important information. For example, fortifying hours may be hurtful to customers coming in for special seasons or specific events. Updating your GMB profile regularly helps potential customers plan to patronize you at the right times. Furthermore, Google promotes correctness in the information displayed, affecting the ranking in local searches. Therefore, updating your listing will help you in search engine optimization and customer service.
Disregarding Reviews and Interacting with Customers
Those focusing on local SEO must always appreciate the importance of reviews, considering how appreciative they are of any business’s prominence in search results. Never ignore any positive or negative reviews; doing so would only tarnish your business and make customers avoid doing business with you. Acknowledging comments reinforces that the business is interested in feedback from clients and is interested in the client’s concerns. Good engagement could further attract more reviews from clients, and this assists in ranking and retaining the client’s trust.
Exceeding the Limits on Presentation Materials
Visual material contributes significantly to utilizing potential customers and enhancing GMBs; thus, all businesses in GMB campaigns must employ it. When a business does not enhance its GMB listing with quality images and clips, users do not interact with it. Captivating photos of your store display or items can help enhance the perception of the profile. Further, postings that contain images usually rank higher in local searches.
Stagnation of Posts on Your Listing at this Level
Many companies will create their GMB and leave it dormant; thus, GMB needs to perform better in local searches. Google will favor listings and rankings that try to regularly add posts with the content of updates, offers, events, etc. Thus, posts help keep the listing active and visible in search results and present ways to optimize the listing for local SEO by posting promotional content to the clients. Not frequently posting will impact either the activity of the listing or the position in local search results or both.
How to Resolve Google My Business Problems – Steps to Follow?
A Google My Business (GMB) page, being a client-centric tool, is usually of utmost importance in reaching out to clients, although, like any other platform, there can be issues. Consider the following, in addition to the few pointers above, if one should keep the GMB account active and on a normal address and how to fix common problems.
Suspension Of An Account
It is important to note that, at times, a Google business account may get suspended by Google without a prior warning if any of the guidelines are being abused. Here’s what usually gets someone suspended:
- Posting illegal or inappropriate material
- Having multiple claims for one business
- A business name that is not correct
If an account is ever suspended, do not panic or stress out. The first step is to sit and read the Google community standards to determine the reasons for the suspension. Unfortunately, in this case, Google will not give you any specific details; hence, you will have to do some digging to find out the problem. On finding the reason, rectify it and ask for your account back. To avoid more issues later on, observe the GMB guidelines and have the right information in the profile to avoid unnecessary suspensions and safeguard your local search position.
Change Account Details
Google may sometimes edit your business profile details without you knowing, or there were changes made upon user suggestions. These edits may lead to inaccuracies or even duplicate listings, which may be of disservice to the business. Consequently, it is essential to carry out a periodic GMB profile check to minimize the chances of these inaccuracies. On the other hand, any changes that users suggest will build over time, and Google may accommodate them, even if they’re ridiculous. Always assess your account for any changes to prevent invasion of your profile.
Final Discussion
Optimizing the Google My Business (GMB) profile is a must for any local business that wants to grow its presence, gain new customers, and rank at the top of search engine results. It is important to keep the Google My Business profile as complete as possible (filling out sections with information and keywords, soliciting reviews and publishing the postings) to increase the chances of getting into local search results.
Avoid errors such as incorrect and untimely information, lack of reviews and responses, or incorrect goals using GMB analytics. Here are some optimization strategies for your GMB account lookup to get the visitors’ urge to call the business and encourage maximum interaction from potential customers.
