There are certain basic things every small business owner should be doing to promote their business on the internet. But, if you’re not sure if you’re doing these five things (or, if you’re not doing them properly) you could be losing customers due to poor online exposure.

 

Section 1: What Is Google My Business?

Google My Business is an online profile you can create on the Google My Business website, which is free. You can do it from anywhere, including a desktop computer or even your smartphone.  What is special about this website is that it allows your customers to see your business on a map and also provides contact information for you to make it easy to contact you.  If you create a Google My Business page, it will appear on Google Maps, which is a map view that provides information and ratings about businesses in your area. When a potential customer sees your Google My Business page on Google Maps, they are able to locate you by city and ZIP code.  Many entrepreneurs think that when they create their Google My Business profile, they are done.

 

How Does Optimizing Your Listing Benefit Your Business?

In addition to ensuring that people are able to find your business online, there are other benefits of optimizing your Google My Business listing.  1. Traffic Increase  No one can deny the simple fact that people love to read the content. And, you can reach many more people by publishing a blog on your own site. But, if you can’t produce a quality blog, then you can leverage a website that lets you automatically publish your content to over 200 blogs with a single click.  2. Increased Search Engine Rankings  If your listing is optimized correctly, it will increase your search engine ranking on Google. This means that when people type in your name or a search phrase (even if the Google My Business listing is not what you wanted), your name will be found more often.  4.

 

Mistake 1: Not Having a Complete Profile

Having an active profile on a platform like Google My Business is one of the first things you should be thinking about when you’re thinking about optimizing your profile. This gives potential customers a clear and up-to-date picture of who you are and how you can help them.  But, not all small businesses have an active profile on Google My Business, and this can have negative repercussions on the success of their profiles. The reason?  Your profile is a direct reflection of what your business does, and if your profile isn’t up to scratch, potential customers will see that the business is not very active. This will cause them to choose a more active, established business instead.  To do this, you must keep a record of what you have already done for the business.

 

Mistake 2: Leaving Out Important Information

When you make a post to your Google My Business listing, it’s important that you include enough information about yourself and your business to ensure that potential customers are able to find what they’re looking for.  Start by opening up your Google My Business listing and reading through it. Ensure you include the most important keywords that your target audience uses when searching for your particular type of business. Write a brief summary and use full sentences.  If you use the wrong keywords, Google will fail to show you in search results. This can significantly damage your business’s Google ranking.

 

Mistake 3: Not Adding a Photo

Your listing is only as good as the photos you’re including. This may seem like an obvious bit of advice, but think about all of the mistakes listed above, and try to apply them to your Google My Business listing.  You don’t have to use your business’s actual logo in your Google My Business listing photo, although that can be helpful. However, you do have to include a picture. Even if it’s just a headshot. And it shouldn’t be just any picture, either.  “A picture you know, like or dislike of your business helps visitors interact with your business,” states Dabria Lindsay, Director of Marketing at RBC Business Banking. “Search engines such as Google also analyze and use information in images that you put in your Google My Business listing.”  You can add one or more pictures to your listing.

 

Mistake 4: Not Using All of The Features You’re Offered

One of the biggest things small businesses should be looking out for is what extra features are offered on Google My Business. These extras can be incredibly useful and they also tend to be free.  However, like anything in business, these free features are only as good as the time and effort you put into them. This is something Google tries to encourage you to do and there are ways to get more out of these offerings.  For instance, every Google My Business listing includes a phone number, email address, website, and Google Plus profile. However, the phone number should always be taken out unless you have a business that has the capability to take it out. If you’re not sure if your business can take the number out, speak to a business advisor that specializes in your industry.

 

Mistake 5 – Hiding Your Location

When someone is searching for something, location is very important. But, if you’re hiding your location in the Google My Business page (as many companies will do), then you’ll be losing out on potential business.  Google My Business listing is a good place for your location to be listed. This is because Google has a map feature that shows all of the places and businesses that have a presence on the internet. This feature can help potential customers find you.  But, some companies will try to hide their locations. This is because many people will only be interested in visiting or browsing your products and services if they’re near you.  Keep your address and other information visible. This will help potential customers find you more easily.

 

 

It’s no secret that Google plays a huge role in the success or failure of your business. It’s the number one search engine for most people, and it’s an integral part of Google My Business. If you want to keep your customers coming back to you, you need to stay on top of your game when it comes to SEO. However, SEO isn’t easy. You need to be knowledgeable about what works and what doesn’t, and there’s a lot more involved than just using keywords. That’s where we come in! We offer comprehensive Google My Business Management Services for small businesses like yours.