Why You Need a Google My Business Listing

One advantage of being listed in Google My Business (GMB) according to Google, is that at least 50% of cell phone users searching for local businesses will visit that business within a day of their search; and of those, 18% will actually make a purchase. Doesn’t this sound like something that can be a great addition to your business and something that your business should be a part of? You bet it does, and GMB has even more to offer.

Here are 10 Important Advantages To Having A Verified GMB Business Listing:

 Firstly, it is completely free. As in – NO CHARGE from Google.

 It is the ultimate Business Directory online and includes all the pertinent business information that is instantly and easily accessible to your current and/or potential customers.

 All of the information in your verified listing is clickable. Customers may click your phone number to call you directly from their mobile phones, or tap your domain name and be redirected to your website.

 All of the information is properly displayed on any device, including smartphones and tablets.

 It’s available to both local and online businesses.

 You can (and are encouraged to) post photos and videos about your business or services directly to your listing page.

 You have access to Google metrics that will show you how many people are looking for your business and finding your site.

 Your listing drives targeted traffic to your website.

 Customers can read reviews and add their own reviews.

 And you work from one centralized dashboard, with access to Google+, Insights, Reviews, Hangouts, and Google Analytics, plus any other tools Google has available.

Why GMB Is So Important to Local Businesses: There are a great many options to aid you in promoting your business online whether through directories or any of the social media sites. This can be very challenging and confusing for small business owners who have limited resources and little if any, knowledge or the “how-to” to be able to choose the best way to allocate their time, money, and efforts. In order to maximize your expenditures and efforts, it is vital that you weigh all the benefits of using various platforms against your specific business requirements, considering such criteria as “how many people can be reached?” and “is your target audience aligned with the ideal customer you want to attract?” Regardless of your goals, the one most important platform that a local business should not overlook is “Google My Business.” Once known as Google Places, GMB offers the best single location to list all of your business information, while displaying images and videos of the business. Plus, it also helps your local business to appear in search engine results, Google maps and Google+ pages, and searches. Why Google? Because it is where most people will go to find your business! Google Biz / MBA Rank estimates that there are in excess of 1,600,000,000 unique visitors every month.

Also…

 Google is the most visited digital media property online

 92.59% of mobile, worldwide searches use Google

 66% of desktop searches are through Google

Here are more compelling statistics for local businesses:

 4 out of 5 consumers use search engines to find almost all local information

 50% of local mobile searches resulted in a store visit within a day of the search, and

 34% of computer & tablet searches also resulted in a store visit

Google My Business listings differ from actual website visits because they offer more opportunities to appear in multiple locations within the general search results. Plus, when your website is Search Engine Optimized (aka“SEO”), this can help your website move up in the search rankings, mainly because Google gives GMB pages an extra boost via better, and more effective placement on the search engine results pages, (aka “SERPs”). Google also inserts them into other frequently used Google tools such as Google Maps.

Additional Ways That Google My Business Is An Indispensable Tool For Local Businesses: You, or any business, is in charge of the information entered, responsible for making certain that all of the information is correct and also consistent across all the listings. That is probably the most important contributing factor in helping a business climb to the enviable “top” of Google Local Searches. Since Google is considered a “high value” Directory, when you claim your business listing, you need to make certain that every citation (listing) for your business contains the EXACT SAME INFORMATION.

Even small differences such as using South Main Street on one listing and S. Main St. in another directory will have adverse effects on your site’s listing and resulting rank. GMB also gives you the opportunity to shine a light on your business or your company offers in a positive manner. You can highlight details such as menus, product lists, business hours, as well as showing acceptable methods of payment, and other special features like photos, videos, and reviews. And since Google My Business pages give your business a wide variety of tools, you can use them to attract and educate local customers, as well as add coupons and other special offers.GMB Pages also allow you to learn more about your customers via the additional analytics on the various platforms, such as Google Maps and allows you to learn more about the people who are searching for and finding your business. For instance, when someone requests directions to your location from Google Maps, you can see the location where the request originated. This info could be very useful should you want to add a new location or offer special services to other areas. You can also use a correctly verified local listing to maximize your resources. You want to get the highest return for each dollar you spend on your marketing, so it’s important to consider the best platforms that give you the most reach among all your current and potential local customers. Directory listings in sites like Yellow Pages, Yelp, Manta, Superpages, and such may also be useful to help you evaluate all your options and take smart steps to achieve the highest visibility in your local area and in searches on Google.