How to Optimize Using Google My Business to Boost Brand Awareness

Making your company visible online is a great way to send a lot of highly qualified traffic your way. However, it can be challenging to be seen because of the high levels of competition involved. Google My Business is a solution that helps businesses get noticed locally when people search online for their services, helping to cut through some of the competition.

The results can be impressive, with around 49% of businesses that use the service getting over 1,000 views every month. As is standard with online marketing, however, you will need to optimize your account to ensure you get the full benefit from it.

Let’s take a look at how you can maximize your Google My Business account for optimal effect.

1. Provide full, up-to-date company details

A lot of people make the mistake of providing the minimal data required when setting up their accounts. However, it’s essential to provide as much information as possible because doing so will help make your business more visible.

It’s also important to ensure the information you give on your Google My Business account exactly matches the corresponding details on your website.

Inconsistencies between the two are one of the main reasons that some businesses struggle to get noticed. Using a local phone number will also help you get recognized on local listings.

You will also need to provide information on what your business category is and what you do.

At this point, it’s important to do your research and use the right keywords to help your listing get noticed by the right people. Choose keywords that have a good search volume and also make it clear what your site offers.

Note that Google My Business does not allow keyword stuffing, so ensure that your listing reads naturally.

 

2. Ask customers to leave reviews

Positive reviews are a potent marketing tool, so make use of them. Google My Business encourages reviews on listings and makes it as easy as possible for your customers to leave a review via a link sent by text or email.

Make sure to send a link to all of your previous customers – even those you’re not confident you’ll get five stars from.

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Perhaps just as important as asking for a review is replying to them. If somebody leaves excellent feedback, thank them and let them know you appreciate them doing business with you.

If a review is not so great, then still thank the reviewer for their review and let them know the feedback is valued. Other people will also be reading the reviews and your replies and taking into account how you respond to your other customers.

3. Update your listing with new posts

Google My Business allows you to add posts to your listing, making for a great way to keep visitors updated with news and other information like promotions and new products.

The post feature lets you add images, gifs, and up to 300 words of text. You can also add call to action buttons that help encourage visitors to click through to your website.

Your posts will disappear after one week of being added, so make sure you have plenty of new content ideas to help keep your listing fresh and relevant to the time it’s posted.

When writing your text, try and take into account good copywriting practices that will help you resonate with your audience.

It’s also a good idea to check your text for errors because mistakes can come across as unprofessional. Use a grammar checker to help you identify typos and other errors that you would have likely missed otherwise.

4. Use the Messenger

A lot of people would rather use a messenger than call directly. Google has considered this and introduced a messaging option to Google My Business.

You will need to turn the feature on for potential customers to message you – so make sure that you do. To receive and send messages, you will need to provide a phone number that won’t be shared publicly.

You can also turn the messenger on and off as needed, so you don’t get messages when you’re not available to reply.

An average response time will be shown on your listing, so it’s a good idea to turn it off when you’re unavailable to reply. You can also create a brief welcome message to let people know that you will try and respond quickly if they do message you.

Because so many people prefer to contact by messenger first, the feature is a way to answer questions from people who might have been reluctant to get in touch.

5. Make the most of the analytical tools provided

Anybody involved in online marketing will tell you that Google loves providing analytical tools that provide its users with useful information. So it should come as no surprise that Google My Business is no exception.

Google My Business offers analytics such as which actions your visitors are taking, how many people are finding your business, how they are finding your listing, the times and volume of calls, and the location of your customers.

This information can provide insights into your customers’ sales journey, potentially helping you make decisions that will improve the number of visitors you get and the percentage of conversions you make.

It can even tell you how often your images are viewed compared to your competitors’, giving further insights into what people might be looking for when they come to your listing.

Conclusion

Not only can Google My Business help to make you more visible on the internet, but it can also give you valuable insights into customers and people who visited your listing and your website.

Such information can be powerful when it comes to decision-making. Another reason to use Google My Business is that it’s completely free to use, meaning there’s no reason for you not to create your own listing as soon as you get a chance.