Set Up Google My Business To Help Your Small Business Grow!

A study conducted by Google revealed that an impressive 46% of all the searches made on the search engine have local intent. This gives a peek into the immense opportunities that Google provides for small and local businesses via its search engine and which several businesses fail to take advantage of. 

Small and local businesses can enjoy several perks by choosing the free to use platform Google My Business (GMB). 

What Is Google My Business (GMB)?

Google My Business is a free-to-use business tool and app that provides entrepreneurs with the ability to list their business location on Google Maps and be visible for local search results. Along with making their business visible online entrepreneurs can display important information regarding the business such as the contact details of the business, the opening and closing time of the business/shop, the link to the website as well as allows posting upcoming events or links to articles related to the business. 

Google My Business aids businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including Maps and Search while allowing them to make effective use of the ‘Around me’ searches. 

What Are The Features Of GMB?

The Google My Business page has several features that help businesses reach out to the audience searching on Google. These include-

• Business Information
• • • This feature lets the entrepreneur set up Google My Business page for their business while entering important information related to the business such as the location, business description, service areas, website link, working hours, etc.
• Product Catalogue/Service Listing
• • • The platform allows a business to list their products or services via a catalogue which includes the product description, information and link to avail the product or service. This feature eases product or service management while facilitating customers to find everything about the business on Google.
• Google Posts
• • • GMB allows businesses to upload posts related to the business along with links, just like Facebook.
    • Along with posts businesses can even add photos and logos to their page.
• Google Business Website
  • • This feature allows the business to create its website from the templates available thus making the business more visible and easily discoverable. 
• Appointment Bookings 
• • • The page allows customers to book appointments which can be a boon for service businesses such as healthcare services, restaurants, salons, etc.
• Question and Answers/Reviews
• • • Through this feature, customers can ask questions related to the business and its products and services, and can also leave reviews for the business which can help others to stay informed about the business too.
• Insights
• • • An important feature of GMB is that it allows businesses to access the insights into the business’s GMB page. Businesses can view useful information such as the number of users searching for the business, how are the users discovering the business, what are users searching for, the user’s location and many more which can be crucial information for the business.

Which Businesses Can Consider Google My Business?

Any small business that has an online presence,  whether a website or any of the social media platforms can be on Google My Business, irrespective of whether they have a physical shop or not. 

Google My Business is the future of online marketing and a must for small and local businesses that want to be Social Champ and enjoy the benefits that digital marketing has to offer. You can get your Google My Business page set up with our Online Starter Pack. 

What Are The Benefits of GMB?

The decision to set up Google My Business by entrepreneurs for their small business has several benefits. Some of them are –

•  GMB Makes Business Visible In Google Map Searches

One of the chief benefits of Google My Business is that it makes the business visible to audiences looking for businesses in their vicinity and locality. For instance, if a searcher is looking for a beauty salon, they are searching for salon options close to their location. Salon business owners who are on Google My Business have the advantage of appearing at the top of the search list. 

Therefore, small businesses that set up Google My Business have the advantage of being easily visible to users on the search engine by simply listing the business via an easy verification process. Through Google My Business businesses benefit from being instantly visible to users searching close to their location and the likelihood of the user visiting the business increases manifold.

• GMB Helps Build Customer’s Trust 

Data analysis has revealed that users greatly trust Google and its search results, and are in fact 2.7 times more likely to consider the brands or businesses shown by Google as reputable.

This means that when a business name pops up on the search ranking after a search, the user is bound to trust that business and click on its link. And this is the kind of trust that businesses that set up Google My Business can build when they sign up for the platform. This trust is earned and justified too as Google makes the businesses go through multiple verification steps before the business appears in local searches.

• GMB Boosts Traffic And Sales For Businesses 

One of the major hurdles that businesses face is maintaining quality traffic to their website, which converts into generating sales. This concern can be addressed via the set up of Google My Business listing for the business. Data has shown that businesses listed on GMB are 70% more likely to attract traffic to their website and have a higher prospect of making a purchase too, thus affecting the business positively.

• GMB Increases Engagement

Another one of the crucial benefits of Google My Business apart from it helping businesses become visible and boosting the traffic is that GMB helps increase engagement. This means that by being listed on the platform businesses can open the door to opportunities to connect with customers clicking their website or even calling them or leaving a review. This opportunity to connect directly with the customer helps businesses gain insight too along with increasing engagement.

• GMB Establishes Consistency

When a business opts to set up Google My Business for their particular business they can routinely update their location if they are moving to another location or they can update their contact details if they have changed their numbers or can even update other items on the page such as, maybe a restaurant can add about the updated menu or a spa can add about updated services provided. This ensures consistency and relevancy that the customers appreciate and can help make the said business a preferred choice for the customers.

• GMB Helps Gain Insight 

When a business sets up Google My Business for themselves, along with the increased visibility, traffic and engagement, they even gain valuable insight about the business, the customer feedback and work on the results to improve themselves. The GMB insight is related to how consumers find the business- via searches or on maps, and what actions do these visitors take further or how to they interact. Along with this, the insights also provide data on how many views the business listing had, how did customers find the listing, and what actions did they take on the business listing. 

These insights help the businesses understand their problem areas as well as the positive sides and helps them improve.

• GMB Improves SEO Ratings

Search Engine Optimisation or SEO ranking is the position of the websites in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) and is vital for the business visibility and its ability to reach out to a wider audience. SEO ratings of any business can be greatly improved if they set up Google My Business as the more Google verified and approved the business, the higher the ranking. Along with being listed on Google My Business, the business also needs to be consistent, and accurate with its information. 

Apart from these benefits of Google My Business, the platform also offers an official website for the business, thereby completing the business’s Google profile and creating a great impression for the customers who are on the platform searching for similar businesses.

How To Set Up GMB Page?

The process to set up Google My Business page is relatively easy but requires a few verification processes. The steps in brief include-

• Download the Google My Business app from PlayStore or iOS or visit https://business.google.com/create
• Select ‘Add your business to Google’ and follow the steps suggested
• Next, Google verifies the business by sending a verification code via post to the business location
• The page is set up and can create a service listing or product catalogue

These are the steps in brief, for detailed information and assistance in listing the business on GMB entrepreneurs can sign up for Social Champ program to explore the benefits of digital marketing, including various platforms such as GMB.

Digital marketing is the future and the Google My Business platform is an essential part of it which can help businesses expand their reach and make the business grow. Entrepreneurs must avail of the benefits that Google My Business has to offer and can get detailed information and assistance for the same from deAsra Foundation, to expedite their digital journey towards success!