Google My Business Is The Top Tool For Local SEO Marketing Strategy

Google My Business is going to be the most important when it comes to attracting business from the internet. Your 2020 and 2021 digital marketing strategy needs to include business citations. Not sure what citations are and how Google manages them?  If you have a small business, then this read is not a waste of time.  Did you know it is becoming more and more apparent that Google wants to keep its traffic within its platform? In the last couple of years, the amount of  no-click searches is topping close to 50%.

Yes, 50%! So why doesn’t the largest search engine want their visitors to leave? The reasoning is simple, and I guess through their research, they have found that the longer visitors stay in search-land. The more users click on paid ads. Hello! That’s more revenue for Google! Wouldn’t you do the same?

Not sure what Google My Business is or what experts refer to as GMB? Well, in this excellent article, I will be explaining that, along with other tips for business. In general, this information is essential, and I am giving you resources to make it easy for your business to have a successful profile on the most significant,  most visited website in the world www.google.com.

So you have never heard of GMB?  Essentially it is a business listing within Google Maps and the Google web search. When it launched, it was simple. However, in the last year, it has changed dramatically, and users love it.  The amount of functions to represent data about your business is fantastic. Your community will find all the information they need to decide on your business services in one spot. Hence the no-click search. Pretty cool, right? With all these new features, there is much more to understand. That is where my GMB help comes in. Allshouse Designs has the tools and know-how to help you gain all the resources and make appropriate changes to have a successful listing.

So your GMB  profile is not showing up for 90% of the people out there.  Welcome to the journey, because that’s what it is. It takes time, and you are typically dealing with people in your industry, striving for the same thing. Patients, dedication, investment, and, most of all, a well thought out strategy will make success. It is not an easy path without education or an experienced guide. As the no-click searches surpass 50%, you will be losing out if your listing isn’t showing up.

It’s visual! It’s tied to the map in the middle of the search. The results page is excellent. So when I do searches, I usually see only three businesses pop up. Why is that? It’s known as the local three-pack . The best of the best companies are in the top search result. How is that? Well, they have completed all of the GoogleMybusiness data points. But that is not all that needs to happen. If you wish to be in the three-pack, you will need an on-going strategy in place.

You can click more results. And then you’ll see all of the Google My Business profiles for that search result, but yeah, that’s the cream of the crop that shows up in the local three-pack. All right. So let’s look at Google My Business in action. Let’s go to Google.com. Type in “dog groomer in Phoenix Arizona” and hit return. Hence, the first thing that you can view is the local three-pack. Google has indicated that the top three results are most optimized for the search term, “dog Groomer Phoenix Arizona.” So let’s jump into the first one to see what it is.

What’s so great about this profile? Other than the name, website link, phone number, and address. Remember, you now know how to get a hold of this business without clicking onto their web address, which is a no-click search. Do you see that they don’t have hours of operations? But they are in the top three, and they don’t have the profile filled out correctly. In this example, it proves that there is more to showing up than just filling out everything. However, this is an opportunity that needs to happen to stay on top. Having someone looking and managing your profile will make sure that you are taking advantage of every aspect. Now, if you dig deeper into the profile, you’ll see that there are a ton of photos of groomed dogs. So cute, I guarantee you will be spending time looking at those. Hint, hint, the more time spent on a profile, the more your business will stay in the top three.

I don’t know how many places I’ve driven past, and how it can become a wild goose chase trying to find any given location. It is evident that the maps app makes it super easy for everyone to find a business, and the beautiful thing about GMB maps you can easily find everything about the company to make the right decision.

It is monumental that you need to create your profile, claim your profile, and optimize it. So what does an incomplete profile look like and how people interpret a listing on GMB.  Here’s an example right here: All it says is “dog grooming,” and there’s no information. It just has the location. Most likely, there was a user that just came in and said, “Hey, I’ve had my dog groomed here.” So basically, the user added the business to Google Maps. Now a grooming place exists, but, as you can see, it will have no information. Other than the zip code, literally nothing. So there is a button that says own this business question mark. You can click it, and that’s how you can start the process to claim the profile. Allshouse Designs will add your business and optimize it. If I were this dog Groomer, I would for sure do this right away because there’s so much information about my business – that’s not here, and people are looking if anyone goes and sees an unfinished profile. They are going to think it doesn’t exist, and they will move on.

Why should businesses set up a Google My Business account? It gives you so much more visibility to your local market, 90 % of the worldwide search. Traffic goes through Google, So if you don’t have a Google My Business profile. You’re, just not showing up for 90% of the people out there, who are searching. Poof and, like I said before, having A Google My Business profile, it essential going into 2020 and 2021.

Shop for your customers to learn everything about your Business; Everything They love clicking on the pretty map, and they click on your business, and they get your name,  phone number, address, hours of operation, review star ratings, and photos. Your customer gains knowledge about your business so quickly.

Data is critical when it comes to digital marketing. Analytics is a powerful tool to help you guide you through what you need to do to gain more clients. You will be able to track what your clients are looking for and doing on your profile. These resources will let you know where to poor your marketing dollars. It is a real key to success to be able to understand your profile’s analytics. In a nutshell, without them, you are flying in the dark, and flying in the dark is expensive.

So, How do we get started? There are two paths to choose on how to get started.  You can do it your self or hire an SEO expert. Doing it yourself can be intimidating, but it isn’t that difficult if you know how to work a computer and you understand internet terminology. So let’s get started. The first step is that you will need to sign up for an account with Google. If it free, so just the cost of your time.  Then Google, “Google My Business,” and it should pop up on the first search page of results. Follow the instructions on the page. It is effortless. You will need an address, and it can not be a PO box. It has to be the address that your business resides or registered. The reason for that is that Google will send a postcard with a verification number. You will need that number to verify it. Do plan an hour of your time and have all your business information at your fingertips, because you will need it.