What are the benefits of Google My Business? Oh, for the easy days of phonebooks and directories. It was all so simple. Except, it was also limiting – restricting your customer base to your local area. Even local businesses struggled to attract customers from the neighboring city.
These days the phonebook has had a major upgrade in the form of Google My Business. It’s a one-stop shop for all your customer’s needs – meaning finding your business has never been easier.
Not convinced?
Below we are answering your top question: what are the benefits of Google My Business? If you’re a small business skeptical about registering with this global giant, we’ll explain just what the benefits of GMB are. And we’ll also provide a few details regarding what Google My Business actually is.
What is Google My Business (GMB)?
Google My Business, or GMB, is a free internet-based virtual phonebook. As the name suggests, it’s for customers who Google your business to find your info. Your business information like your phone number, website, address, email, review ratings, hours and more is all ready and waiting in one simple location.
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Sounds pretty handy, right?
It is. In fact, 97% of people learn about a company online compared to elsewhere. Plus, with 46% of all Google searches having a local intent, even a small local store can benefit. You don’t have to be a globe-spanning mega-corporation. Google My Business is for everyone!
Let’s dive into the benefits of GMB.
What are the benefits of Google My Business?
Below you can find the top benefits of Google My Business. Read on below our bullet-points for more detailed information on the benefits of GMB.
- Google My Business is free
- Put your business on the Google map
- Become a part of Google’s 3-pack
- Build trust and credibility
- Increase your traffic
- Learn more about your customers
- It’s the ultimate first impression
Benefits of GMB
1. Google My Business is free
As a benefit of Google My Business..it’s free! Who doesn’t like a free service? Even better if that free service can make you money. GMB is one of the most straightforward Google services to sign up for. Just go to google.com/business and click start now. Type in the name of your business and see if it’s listed. If not, create a listing and fill in the relevant information.
Voila! You can now be seen by tens of thousands of people in your area.
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2. Put your business on the map
Think of the last time you looked for a local business. I bet you scrolled through Google Maps. It let you know what was local and what wasn’t.
As a benefits of using GMB, you can pin your location in Google Maps, so customers can always find where you are. This serves two purposes. First, it’s a passive form of advertising directed towards local people. Second, it helps customers actually get to your store. Suppose you’re the best guitar shop in the area. In that case, you don’t want customers struggling to find where you are based on the address. Not when they can find you on Google in just a few clicks.
3. Become part of Google’s 3-pack
Another benefits of Google My Business is that Google’s local search results show organic results in a first-page preview. Searchers are presented with a local 3-pack, i.e., the top three businesses in the area. If you register with Google My Business, you boost your chances of being included in Google’s local 3-pack.
The result – more search hits, more views, and more sales. It’s a major boost to your impression share, and it’s really simple to do.
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4. Builds trust and credibility
Like it or not, Google is a trusted website. If you feature in their results, it’s a sign you’re trustworthy, too—it’s one of the critical benefits of GMB.
In fact, businesses that appear in Google are nearly three times more likely to be seen as reputable by consumers.
There’s a good reason. Because Google verifies all businesses using Google My Business, your customers can search safe in the knowledge all listings are reputable and reliable.
5. Increase your traffic
Just as SEO can increase traffic through blog content, so too can benefits from Google My Business by increasing traffic to your site. It’s a challenge for a lot of smaller businesses. But, with GMB, you can pull in up to 35 percent more clicks to your website.
Such traffic also translates to the real world.
Impressively, having a listing and appearing in local searches in Google increases potential customer in-store visits by 70%. It’s yet another benefit of GMB.
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6. Learn more about your customers
Ever wonder about the demographics of your customer base? How they’re engaging with your business.
Well, coming with one of the benefits of Google My Business, you generate accurate and reliable information about your customers. Such valuable analytics would typically cost a fortune in surveys. Google offers it 100% free. Harness this wealth of analytics to tweak and improve your marketing. It may further boost your sales.
What insights do you get?
- Views. GMB shows you how effective different marketing campaigns were. You can see the number of your views you’re generating for your profile, photos, posts, and more.
- Search queries. You can generate a report to understand the keywords customers input to find your listing. You can hone in on long-tail keywords with that info, significantly increasing site traffic and attention.
- Audience. Find out about the age, gender, and country of your profile’s visitors.
- Engagement. You’ll find out which posts customers shared and what comments they’re leaving. It provides a better idea about your business’s success and reputation.
Related blogs: How to Create a Content Marketing Funnel that Converts and How to Use Google Data Studio.
7. It’s the ultimate first impression
If you’ve got fantastic Google reviews – flaunt it. If you’re proud of your store – showcase it. You can captivate customers with photos and videos of your store or products through Google My Business. Try to add at least 5 to 10 photos and videos – just make sure they’re high-quality.
You can also provide a business description. So, there’s no confusion about who you are and what you’re about.
Reap the benefits of Google My Business
Would you like to enjoy the full benefits of Google My Business? Contact Clicta Digital today for a free consultation. Our Local SEO and Google My Business experts understands what it takes to get your business ranking first on Google!