What is it?

Google My Business is a free service, that allows businesses of any size to create a listing for their business that will appear in Google searches and on Google Maps searches. It allows you to share valuable information about your business quickly and easily with new and existing customers.

Very importantly, it gives customers an easy way to give you feedback on your product or service via the review system. Reviews are very important following the recent changes to Google’s search algorithms. While nobody wants a bad review, we will discuss below how we can use those reviews to the businesses advantage.

Being a Google service, the listing is fully mobile friendly and there is even an app for managing your business on the go.

This service is a complimentary service for your website and allows you to link to your website from the Google search effortlessly.

Why do I need one?

As mentioned above, Google has recently changed their algorithm to focus more on local business authorities. The first step of a successful Google SEO campaign these days is to become recognised as an authority on the main business focus in your area.

A quick and easy way to build credibility is to have a Google My Business listing with multiple reviews. When combined with good content on your website, it becomes a good way to prove to Google that you are an expert in what you do.

How do I create one?

In your web browser go to https://google.com/business and click the Sign In button. You will need a Google registered email address for this. From here follow the steps and within 30 minutes you will have your listing set up. You may need to verify your business. If this happens Google will send you a postcard with a verification code on it. With the advent of Covid, we have had customers who have had to wait for up to 10 months to get their verification code.

Simple steps for getting the most out of your listing:

Now that you have your My Business listing up and running, here are a couple of easy to implement ideas on how to get the most out of your listing.

Keep it up to date. There is no point in having a listing if the information on there is not correct. In addition to making sure that the information is up to date, also make sure that you have as much of the requested information as possible filled in. The more Google and your customers know about you, the easier it is for them to recommend or contact you.

Post regularly. Share your blog and social media posts on your My Business page. It is going to give those posts exposure to people who may not follow you on some of your other platforms.

Get reviews from your existing customers and any new customers you get. This is not only good for your online brand but is an essential business tool. It is an easy way for customers to give you feedback on their experience with you.

Engage with the negative reviews. While we all wish for nothing but 5-star reviews, real-life means that from time to time we will drop the ball. If a client leaves a poor review, see it as a learning experience and engage with them to see what you can do to rectify the issue.

To leave us a Google review, click here