The Guide to Google My Business: What It Is and Why You Need It!

If you’ve been around the world of SEO for a very long, you know that Google is the center of it all. After all, their search engine has an impressive market share (at least in North America). Google has made it clear time and time again that businesses need to have a presence on their local services — or risk falling out of favor with users. 

This means creating a Google My Business account if your business is located in a densely populated area, and updating your profile if it isn’t. With so many people using mobile devices to search for things online, Google understands that most users will be accessing their service via smartphones and tablets. As such, they’ve made it easier than ever to create an account while also making sure they are at the forefront of user intention.

What Is Google My Business?

Google My Business is the hub of your online presence. After you set up your profile and connect it to your website, you can use GMB to manage your online reputation.

 Because most people rely on online searches to find businesses, Google My Business is a great way to make sure potential customers can find your business.

 Here’s how it works: When someone searches for a product or service, Google shows an “Ad” along the top of their search result pages. This “Ad” is actually a box that shows businesses that Google thinks are relevant to the search. If your business isn’t listed on Google, this box will say “Business Not Found” – which isn’t helpful to anybody.

 By creating a Google My Business account, you can tell Google where your business is located and what it’s called so that you can show up in these boxes. But that’s not all: By creating a Google My Business account, you can also tell Google what your business hours are, what services you offer, what the address of your business is, and more.

Why is it important?

As mentioned above, GMB can be used to help surface your business on the first page of Google, which is a massive boon for local SEO. 

So how do you get up there if you aren’t there already? If your business is located within the city or area where you reside, you need to have a presence on Google My Business.

If you don’t, it’s possible that your business could fail to appear in the SERPs. Although this situation isn’t likely with a nationwide company, it can happen with smaller, locally focused companies. If this happens, your business could lose business.

 GMB can help prevent this from happening. If you’re not on GMB, you simply aren’t on the map — literally. If you aren’t on Google, you aren’t receiving customer inquiries from the site.

How to set up your Google My Business account

The first thing you should do is figure out what business category your company belongs to. This can be a little tricky since most businesses are a little bit of everything. 

If you sell T-shirts, for example, you might also sell hoodies and tank tops. You also might sell tote bags and coffee mugs — or some combination of these items. 

If you’re having trouble deciding which category is right for you, don’t worry. You can change your category at any time if you decide you made the wrong choice.

 To do this, simply go to your GMB dashboard and click “edit” next to the category section. Once you’ve chosen your category, you can start the process of setting up your account. Google My Business is accessible from google.com/business Once you’re on the site, click “Manage your listing” and follow the instructions from there.

Why you should include a photo in your GMB listing

A picture is worth a thousand words and is a great way for potential customers to get a sense of what your company is about. If you’re selling coffee, for example, a photo of a nice espresso with a steaming cup of goodness would be sufficient. 

If you’re selling T-shirts, a photo of a few of your designs would be great. If you’re selling sneakers, a photo of a pair of athletic shoes would be excellent. What you choose to put in your photo is up to you, but make sure it’s relevant to your business. 

You don’t want to put a photo of yourself or your employees in the photo slot. For one thing, it’s illegal in many places to use your photos in advertising. You also want to make sure your customers are comfortable with what they see before deciding to buy from you.

Why you should include a video in your GMB listing

If you aren’t able to create a photo, or if you’re having trouble deciding what you want your photo to be, then a video might be the right option for you. 

A video is a great way to show off your business, and if you’re struggling with the concept of a photo, a video might be the perfect solution. What you include in your video is up to you.

 If your business is a coffee shop, you could show how you make coffee every morning. If you’re a T-shirt company, you could show employees printing designs on shirts. 

If you’re a sneaker company, you could show employees lacing up shoes. The idea is to get your customers engaged with your business.

Why you should include your business hours in your GMB listing

This seems like a small detail, but it’s actually pretty important. Many people look for businesses on Google based on what they want to do.

 If your customer is trying to decide what to do on Saturday night and wants to see what is available in the area, you want them to see your business. By including your business hours, you can make sure that happens.

 If you’re open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, you would put that in the hours' section of your GMB page. If you’re open until 9 p.m., you would put that in your hours' section. If you’re closed on Saturday, you would put that in your hours.

Summary

Google My Business is a great way to get your business listed on Google. If you’re not on GMB, you won’t show up in Google search. There are a lot of things you can do to help your business show up on Google. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, you can get free GMB business signage from Google.

 You can also take advantage of the free online tools to help you optimize your GMB listing. There are also paid tools that you can use to help boost your business and make it easier for people to find you online.