Updated 18/07/2024
For every day that they’re up and running, thousands of local businesses compete online for the opportunity to provide customers with a product or service.
Google My Business, now called Google Business Profile, is a free service that allows businesses to list their business location on local search results and Google Maps. Google Business Profile helps businesses reach more customers, manage their online presence, and stand out amongst competitors.
From your business name to your street address to your business hours, a Google Business Profile listing includes essential business information that the people searching will likely want to know.
Local SEO involves making optimisations so that your business appears in local searches, and having a Google Business Profile can also impact your local search engine optimisation (SEO) efforts.
So, why is Google My Business important for local SEO?
Google My Business is important for local SEO to maximise your visibility to ensure your business can be easily engaged with and found by the people searching for the type of business you own or the service that you provide.
As ‘the most visited website in the world’, thousands of customers use Google search to find local businesses every single day. In fact, ‘46% of all Google searches are for local information’, highlighting the important opportunity Google My Business offers.
When a customer searches for a business in a particular area, Google will deliver local results first, meaning that businesses with a physical location in that area will have a higher chance of appearing in search results.
Optimising your Google My Business profile with keywords that are relevant to your business and services helps you to earn higher rankings for local searches on Google, enabling you to attract new customers to your business.
The more people that can find your business, the more potential you will have to drive traffic to your site and business as a result of your listing.
As such, Google Business Profile is an excellent tool to help you improve your business’s local SEO.
The Benefits Of Using Google My Business
Aside from being a free tool, there are numerous benefits of using Google My Business.
These benefits include:
1. It Increases Your Visibility
One of the biggest benefits associated with using Google My Business is that it increases your visibility on Google, which cannot be underestimated for smaller-sized businesses.
Competition has never been fiercer for businesses online, so it’s crucial that customers are able to find you easily and efficiently.
Google My Business allows you to appear in Maps and Google Local Pack listing, which is the first thing any user will see after they type in their query. If a customer searches for your business, and you have a Google My Business profile set up with the information they need, this automatically increases how visible your business is.
Listing your business on Google means that your business will be visible amongst other important information, such as where it’s located on the map as well as your business’ contact information.
This increases your online visibility whilst minimising the likelihood of missing out on business opportunities.
2. Google My Business Allows People To Leave Reviews
Another significant benefit of Google My Business is that it allows people to leave reviews.
Why Are Google Reviews Important?
Businesses with multiple positive Google reviews are naturally seen as more reputable than those with no reviews at all, emphasised by the fact that ‘93% of customers will read online reviews before making a purchase’.
Having multiple positive reviews on your Google My Business profile can significantly bolster your listing and contribute to building brand authority and loyalty.
Additionally, Google reviews are important for SEO in that they can increase your click-through rate on Google and increase your exposure via voice search amongst other reasons.
In turn, then, reviews can help to drive more people to your business whilst contributing to your SEO efforts.
3. It Improves User Experience
Another benefit of using Google My Business is that it improves user experience.
When searching for a business on Google, customers don’t want to waste precious time, and an up-to-date Google My Business profile eliminates the need.
From being able to access your business address to your opening hours to your contact details, a Google My Business listing enables customers to accurate and relevant information with a quick search.
This, in turn, simplifies user experience whilst maximising the chances of customers engaging, contacting, and visiting your business.
Not sure where to get started with your Google Business Profile listing? Our experts at Lumen SEO can help.
Get in touch to find out more.
4. It Provides Important Insights To Help You Analyse Your Performance
Lastly, a benefit of using Google My Business is it provides important insights to help you analyse your performance.
The ‘Insights’ section contains a range of metrics to measure your success as a business.
For instance, you’re able to see the number of views that your profile, photos, as well as your posts, are receiving.
You can also see specific search queries to learn what people are searching for to find your listing and see how your audience is interacting with your listing.
Armed with this data, you can analyse your current strategies and see what you need to improve on to reach your goals.
How To Optimise A Google Business Profile
A few ways you can optimise your Google Business Profile include:
- Complete all fields – Ensure you’ve included your business name, address, phone number, website, business category, hours of operation, and more. The key is to offer as much value as possible.
- Respond to reviews – This offers an opportunity to engage and shows prospective customers that you value feedback, good and bad.
- Write a compelling description – This allows you to tell people who you are, what you do and provides you with an opportunity to incorporate trending keywords.
- Add high-quality images – This should include exterior, interior and product shots.
- Keep your information updated – Whether you’ve changed your opening hours or your business address, making sure your profile’s information is up to date is key as users can only use the information you provide them.
How We Can Help
We at Lumen SEO know how complicated SEO can be in the beginning.
If you need help optimising your Google My Business profile or wish to learn more about the SEO services we provide at Lumen SEO, contact us today.
Alternatively, you can message us on either our LinkedIn or Instagram pages.
Written by Jemima for Lumen SEO.
