How to increase local visibility on Google My Business

Since its launch in 1998, Google has become a household name. In 2018, Google dominated 92.42% of the search engine market, making information in Google search results highly influential.

Google My Business, part of the G-Suite programmes, is a powerful and free tool that allows entrepreneurs to control the information their audience sees in Google search results. While a keyword search on Google may produce a link to a specific page result, a well-optimised Google My Business listing can provide a comprehensive overview of everything you want users to see and attract those whose needs your websitebusiness meets. The more information you provide in your Google My Business listing, the more often your listing will appear for related keywords and location-based searches.

Be found on Google Maps

Current statistics show that nearly half of all Google search queries are location-based, making it more important than ever to ensure your business appears in local search results. For mobile searches in particular, one-third of mobile searches are location-based and 88% of users who performed a local search on a mobile device, such as “near me”, visited a related business within 24 hours. A verified and fully optimised Google My Business listing, including contact and location information, provides Google with the necessary data to display your listing and business web pages in nearby searches ahead of other businesses. If you have multiple locations, you can create a unique listing for each, giving your business the opportunity to appear in location-based searches across multiple service areas.

Increase brand visibility

Businesses have the opportunity to rank in two places: organic search and the top 3 Google Maps results that appear in Google search results. Ideally, your company’s SEO strategy should be optimised for both organic and local search rankings, but there are always factors that may cause a business to rank higher in one area than the other.

With a properly optimised Google My Business listing, your business can appear in the top 3 Google Maps results for local searches, even if your website currently ranks poorly or beyond page 1, allowing you to be found, build brand visibility and drive website traffic while you work to improve your organic search ranking.

Boost your online presence with a one-page website

If your business is relatively new and you have yet to set a budget or hire a developer to build your website, creating and verifying a Google My Business listing allows you to establish an online presence with the one-page website tool. After optimising your Google My Business listing with all the information you want potential customers to have, you can create your website with a single click and drag to design the layout. Unfortunately, Google’s one-page websites offer only one hyperlink, but you can keep your Google My Business site active even after launching your permanent website and use it to channel website traffic.

Put your best foot forward with customer reviews

From a consumer perspective, spending money with a company you’ve never interacted with before can be daunting, especially if the product or service requires a significant investment. A HootSuite study found that 84% of consumers said a positive customer review has the same power to build trust as a personal recommendation from a friend. Google My Business listings include a tool for acquiring and displaying reviews, which also helps improve search ranking. The more positive reviews a business has, the higher it will appear in local search results and the more likely it is to feature in the top 3 map results.

How to fully optimise your Google My Business listing

There are several sections of a Google My Business listing that are essential to complete to show Google and potential customers that your business is relevant to their search and can meet their specific needs.

Business description and short name
Service offerings
Locations and contact information
Photos and posts
Custom questions and answers
Reviews
Service areas

To compete with other businesses offering similar products and services and operating in the same service areas, simply providing the above information is not enough. How you write this information is crucial for Google’s search criteria to rank well in search results and the 3-pack, and ultimately to be discovered in your target market. A BrightLocal study found the average Google My Business listing receives over 1,000 monthly views, with 84% of these views coming from “discovery” searches. This includes researching who your target market is to understand their search and purchasing behaviours and populating your Google My Business listing with content that not only meets current Google search algorithm criteria but also appeals to users performing these searches in the service areas you cover.

Build a stronger brand reputation with Google My Business listings

We offer a digital marketing service where we create strong and engaging social business profiles, including your Google My Business listing. We have the tools and expertise to create content that ranks well in online searches, attracts customers and reviews, drives qualified traffic to your website and strengthens your brand authority.