Google My Business is a platform that has been around for a number of years, yet there are still many small businesses who haven’t claimed their business listing on this platform. As a small business owner, have you set yours up yet? It is definitely worth doing as it can help a lot when it comes to increasing your businesses online visibility. If you are looking to build your digital presence, and increase your local SEO, then GMB can be a good way to do just that. Google is a search platform that the majority of people use, and it is free to use! So it can boost some more results than a lot of paid alternatives. Here are some of the reasons small businesses need to set up and manage a GMB page for your business, to help you to get noticed in search results.
Google My Business is free and cost-effective
As mentioned, Google My Business is free to use. Not only that, but it is free to use on the biggest search engine out there! Having a Google My Business profile means that you are putting your business out there, and in front of a number of potential customers in search results. You can use other business and industry listings and directories, but these all come at a price. Having a Google My Business profile means that you can give key information to potential customers, such as contact details, your website, and opening hours, all at no extra cost. This makes it such a cost effective option. People coming across your profile from their search results can also see how far away you are or how to get to you at the click of a button; a really useful tool.
Having a Google My Business profile will help potential customers to gain a quick insight into your business, by checking out the hours that are the busiest or seeing customer reviews and ratings. Budget can be limited for small businesses, so having a valuable resource like this, that is free to use, means your resources can be put to use elsewhere.
Increased visibility on Google Search and Google Maps
A massive benefit of having a Google My Business profile for your small business is the prime space that it can take up in search results. Google My Business profiles can appear as a local listing, as well as appearing in Google Maps results. When someone is searching on Google, there are usually some listings that come up first, which are typically paid search ads. Then you will usually see a map, with some local results that have been highlighted. Then there are the other results, ranked according to relevance.
Having your business in a highly visible space, such as appearing in the local listings can be so beneficial. The information that will be used there will be from your profile. You don’t pay to appear in local map listings, so it just shows how vital having a Google My Business profile is. It also shows another aspect of how affordable it is compared to paid ad options, that would only get you a little higher up the Google search page.
Without having a Google My Business listing, you will be missing out on some critical steps for your local SEO strategy. Being found locally, and appearing in Google Map searches is important. Google My Business profiles help to show key company information to potential customers, and helps to give a quick overview of what you are all about.
Summary
In short, GMB is essential for and small to medium sized business that wants to increase its online presence locally. There are number of ways that you can optimise your profile to increase visibility and we’re here to help.
Digital D is here to help your business thrive in the online world. Contact us today and arrange your FREE 1-hour consultation and let’s grow your business together.
