Do you know Google My Business? Perhaps your listing exists without you even having created it or knowing it… Yet, even though it may seem trivial, this company listing offers many opportunities for a company and an exceptional presence. It is mainly dedicated to stores or companies that have a local or national activity. Well managed, it can significantly increase the visibility of a website and your business on Google searches. The created profile helps the company to have a status and to appear more easily in Google searches, but also allows to be visible on Google Map. It is a powerful way to share and retain your customers, and also to highlight their testimonials and positive reviews. This will make your company all the more attractive to potential prospects.
Google My Business page: creation and optimization
However, to get started, let’s explain what a Google My Business (GMB) listing is. It is a virtual business card that allows Internet users to have all the key information about your company at their fingertips. They will be able to find :
- Your business address and telephone number
- Your products or services
- A link to your website or internet site
- Your opening hours
- Your customers’ opinions
They will also have access to the posts and photos that you will put on your page regularly (new products, information about your company…). They will also be able to contact you directly by sending you a message or a request for a quote.
The information on your Google My business page can therefore allow your future customers to know you better, but also to know what your customers think of you.
Why and how to create a Google My Business listing?
Is it necessary to answer after what we have just said? Just like a Facebook or Instagram page, having a GMB listing is essential for local SEO for your business or store. It will be visible on Google search results and Google maps. Thus, if Internet users search for your activity near the place where you are located and your page is well optimized and regularly updated, there is a good chance that you will be found quickly. A way to attract a lot of potential customers since the card also integrates customer reviews.
As such, studies show that 90% of French Internet users use Google and that nearly 80% of consumers trust peer recommendations with an impact of around 65% of online consumer reviews on purchasing decisions.
So, it is obvious that a Google My Business listing can be of great help and have a significant impact on the development of your business.
Creating a GMB page: how does it work?
It is clear that creating a GMB listing is very beneficial for a local company or business. However, it is important to understand that the work does not stop with the creation of this form. We must also work on its visibility and attractiveness. But how to optimize your Google My Business listing? Simply create an attractive description. On your page, a space is offered to you so that you can describe your activity as well as your products or services. On that note, you need to be precise and realistic to best attract the attention of your main targets. It is also necessary to integrate simple keywords, in accordance with your activity and your values. Note that this presentation must be clear and impactful as it should not exceed 200 characters! The choice of words is therefore essential for good visibility! It is therefore necessary to be concise and a professional will know how to best express what you want to say while respecting this constraint.
How to choose your categories?
When you create your GMB record, you will have to choose categories. These are used to describe the facility and the various activities offered. The first step is to choose a main category. This is the trade category that should best fit your business. It determines your display on the Google Maps according to the searches of the Internet users. This choice must therefore be particularly relevant. If you want to further optimize your Google My Business listing, you will have to select secondary categories in a few clicks. You can select up to 9, which gives you some leeway. Your file can therefore appear on various queries. However, you should choose categories that are relevant to your business.
Some tips to manage the attributes on your Google My Business listing
Speaking of Google My Business listing, we are talking about a brand new feature. Indeed, it is now possible to add attributes to your GMB records according to your categories. The attributes consist in integrating the maximum amount of information about the company. This way, you will have the opportunity to add other elements to = demonstrate the efficiency and reliability of your establishment. These are visible at the top of the form. This is an effective way to make the record more relevant and reliable. In addition, they also appear as a pictogram on the GMB website and on Google Maps. Unlike the description of the listing, the attributes are more interesting since they show customers what the establishment offers. Without forgetting that they have a strong impact on the referencing of your file, but also of your website.
How important are the attributes?
The attributes of your Google My Business listing serve two specific purposes. The first one consists in including the services proposed in addition by your establishment, it can concern the accessibility for the people in situation of handicap or of a swimming pool for a hotel for example. These attributes allow your potential customers to know exactly what will be offered on site. The second is to improve the positioning of the file on search engines. It therefore plays a major role in the optimization of your local SEO. Of course, the attributes already included in your file can be modified at any time. You can update it if you offer new products/services.
The different types of attributes
There are several types of attributes that can be customized according to your goals and needs. Accessibility attributes are for example important to indicate the means to access your agency. Here you can indicate the parking and the elevator. If your restroom is wheelchair accessible, you can mention it in this attribute. Other attributes concern the means of payment that your company can accept: check, credit card, bank transfer, etc. There are also activity attributes that the company provides. For a hotel, the establishment can also indicate that it offers bike rental, gym, boat rental, spa, pool, etc. In addition, we also find the customer attributes that allow the company to define its target customers: families, men, women, children, seniors, etc.
Creating a GMB file: steps to follow
Creating a Google My Business listing is extremely simple. Just follow the instructions. First of all, it is important to go to the Google My Business site. For those who don’t know yet, this feature is 100% free. It is still necessary to log in with a Google account. After that, all you have to do is fill in the form to create your establishment’s file. Some information must be filled in to validate your form: address, activity, contact information, etc. Google will then evaluate your listing and send you an activation code by mail to validate your establishment.
How to fill in the form?
At first, you can limit yourself to your main category. You can fill your form little by little with your secondary categories, description and attributes. Indeed, there are some elements that must be done with care to improve the brand image of the company. It will also be an opportunity to stand out from the competition.
However, regularly managing the Google My Business listing can be complicated and time consuming. Therefore, it is better to rely on an agency that will be able to provide you with the best service in order to optimize its content and visibility. The agency will also be able to manage comments and customer reviews, positive or negative, in order to respond as quickly as possible. You should not leave any kind of review without comment, as this would damage your image. Finally, as for the other social networks, the agency will be able to propose a calendar of posts that contribute to capture the attention of your targets.
Optimize your Google My business page and gain visibility
After creating your business profile on Google My Business, you then need to optimize it. To begin with, you must carefully fill in all the information that may be of interest to your customers. Include a cell phone number, preferably local, that your customers can easily reach when they need help, information or simply to book or make an appointment. Include a direct link to your official website. In your description, focus on quality content with relevant keywords. It can also increase your notoriety in the SERPs. For the categories, focus on those that really correspond to your activity. Don’t mislead customers with a category that has nothing to do with your products or services.
Your Google My Business listing will also be more visible on search engines if you include high-resolution photos. Most Internet users are attracted by images. You can attach to these images the link of your website. This way, when a visitor clicks on the image, they will land directly on your website.
Also, don’t hesitate to ask your customers to leave a review on your Google My Business page. To encourage them to do so, why not offer them a discount or a gift, for example? The more positive reviews you have the more potential customers will contact you. And above all, don’t hesitate to respond to both positive and negative reviews to resolve any misunderstandings.
So, if you want to better reference your company or business in search engines and be visible on Google, create a page or business card on Google My Business is part of the acquisition levers essential to find new customers and increase its visibility. Google reviews are also a way to generate notoriety thanks to a quality content with a judicious choice of keywords, to stand out from your competitors in your catchment area and to generate traffic on your website. Just like other social networks, it allows you to maximize your visibility on the web and improve your natural referencing.
Want to know more about our SEO strategy to improve your visibility on social media? Altosor Communication is your reference partner for your print and digital communication! We help you create a website that reflects your image and set up relevant campaigns to acquire traffic.
