Google My Business
The Importance of Google My Business
Having a solid presence in Google is key to a business’ success, not least because it is the most used search engine in the world. In fact, as of December 2018, NetMarketShare reported that 73.62% of all searches were powered by Google.[1]
Considering this, how can businesses compete better in Google?
One way is to ensure that you have a detailed Google My Business listing set up which is a tool for businesses to create a presence for themselves in Google Maps. When you search for a local service in Google, paid adverts are displayed at the top, 3 Maps results (Google My Business listings), known as the ‘Snack Pack,’ follow, and Google’s organic search results appear last.
Important Information to Include in a Google My Business Listing
- Business name
- Business type
- Address/areas served
- Opening Hours
- Phone Number
- Business Description
- Google Reviews
- Google Posts
What are Google Posts
Google posts can be used to promote your services and offers in Google. They appear in your listing and last for 7 days, so it is important that you are making at least 1 post a week to make potential customers engage with your business. In the example below, we have posted an explainer video and a link for people to book a web-demonstration of our customer reviews platform, but you can post about anything you like!
Local SEO Advantages with Google My Business
In November 2018, Moz published an article on the 2018 local search ranking factors survey which made clear that Google My Business signals account for 25.12% of your ranking in the Snack Pack which is a 32.14% increase from 2017. Google reviews account for 15.44% and Google Posts account for 2.82% of your local Snack Pack ranking.[2] Not only this, Google My Business signals, Google reviews, and Google Posts account for around 19% of your organic Google rankings so it is vital to a strong local SEO campaign.
Ensure that you fill in your business information in full, collect positive Google reviews, make regular posts about your work and offers because Google will reward you by returning your listing in the Snack Pack and in organic search more often than businesses with poorly filled out listings. This increases the chances of people using your business when they are searching for a service or product that you offer locally.
BizWizUK partner with TRUSTist and not only do we use their services, we recommend them to our clients too! We’re delighted that they have written a guest blog for January. TRUSTist is the market leader in generating sales for “local” businesses, by optimising Google+ Local pages and generating a constant flow of high quality Ratings and Reviews on Google, resulting in greatly improved positions on Google Local Search results.
To find out how TRUSTist can help you with all of this and more, please feel free to book a free web-demonstration with me by following this link.
[1] https://moz.com/blog/2018-local-search-ranking-factors-survey
[2] https://netmarketshare.com/search-engine-market-share