Google My Business is a free tool available to businesses and organisations, which allows them to manage their presence online including the Search and Maps features.
A verified Google My Business page allows you to edit your company’s information to help customers find you, and quickly view basic information such as opening times and contact details.
4 in 5 consumers conduct a local search on search engines such as Google. If you do not have a Google My Business listing, you will not appear in the results when a local search occurs, therefore missing out on potential leads and sales.
Having this listing enables you to become visible within search and on Google maps.
Customers have the option to leave you reviews about your business, products and services. By verifying your Google My Business listing, you are able to respond and thank customers by replying to reviews or dealing with any complaints. The ability to respond to reviews is great and essential from a customer service point of view.
GMB allows you to enter your own business details such as opening hours, address, phone number and website URL. This ensures they are accurate and you can update that at any given time. Even on the go if you download the GMB App.
54% of smartphone users look for business hours to check when you are open before visiting. 50% are looking for a local store address so they can visit and buy in-store. 45% of computer/tablet users want to know product availability in a local store before setting out.
From these statistics, it’s clear how important it is to have the correct information showing on your GMB listing and to have all the necessary information available.
Having a GMB page is free advertising for your business. For example, if you are a small pizza business, and someone searches for ‘pizza places’ near your location, your GMB page will appear in the local results. If you don’t have a listing, people may not know you exist and go elsewhere.
The reviews section shows off how your business is perceived as a consumer. If you link your Google+ page to your GMB page, you can publish posts including promotions, content and competitions.
Local search is becoming more and more prominent and using many methods of searching. Your Google My Business listing can provide insights on how your page is performing – how people find your listing, how they interact with your listing such as visiting your website or requesting directions. You can also find out the locations people are searching from so you can create targeted ads. You can see what Google has on offer within the insights section of GMB.
If you would like to find out more about Google Local and how it can help your business or if you would like us to setup your Google My Business page then please get in touch.
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Please note: all statistics within this article are taken from Google’s study into local search behaviour. The full study can be found here.