Google My Business (or GMB) is an extremely useful tool on Google that many businesses are not taking advantage of. With a bit of work, it can give you a significant advantage over your competition. Why is Google My Business so useful? Because it’s owned and prioritized by Google, by far the most dominant search engine.
If you decide to use GMB, your GMB profile will be the most visible search result for your company. Your business name will be at the top of search results because your GMB will give the Google search engine enough information to make quicker and better decisions. Additionally, it will also rank your business in Google Maps, making it easier for potential customers to find you. With all of these benefits and no financial costs, there is no reason for your business to not utilize this.
Search Engine Results Page
Search Engine Results Page (or SERP) has changed significantly over the last few years. While SERP was once a list of links, Google prioritizes many results over links, such as instant answers, GMB, knowledge panels about brands, products and facts, video and media files, “people also ask” (a list of similar search results) and a large amount of ads. SERP can be best utilized through GMB, as your GMB profile offers the most input and highly visible features for your business.
A GMB profile includes over 800 SERP features, such as images and videos taking up more space on the results page, and information about your company info, logo, contact info and address. Keep in mind that search results will only show this information if you have made it available, so be sure to optimize your profile so all this information is available to GMB.
The GMB Map Pack
A GMB map pack is the location based results that people will see on Google if they search your business. The map pack includes your businesses phone number, address, ratings open hours, website link, location on map and directions button. Google want to answer the search question as fast as possible, and all of this information helps Google find your business. This also immediately informs people where to find and contact your business.
If nothing else, you absolutely must have information on your company name, address (with spaces and abbreviations) and phone number. This essential information must be consistent across all sources where your company information can be found. Otherwise, Google will have a harder time finding your information.
Ranking Factors for Google My Business
GMB ranking factors are based on relevance, distance and prominence. The farther away your business is, the harder it might be for people to find on their SERP. Expertise, authority and trustworthiness are also important, and this is where customer reviews can be helpful. To get high rankings, it is essential to add original photos to your profile. Google can recognize a stock image or meta tag, and this gives your profile less attention.
It’s also important to make sure your photos can be seen in any format. The photo should be 5cmX5cm to be visible on both computers and phones. Using keywords or phrases to describe photos will also give them relevancy to search results related to your company. Having GMB will help you rank on Google, but these tips should allow you to get the best results from your GMB profile.
Click here to see more blogs from us!
Note: This article was created from a presentation given by David Hills, at a LevelUp conference shown on YouTube.
David Hills has worked in social media for over 8 years, including platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. After his friend’s business struggled, Hills was able to help him by utilizing GMB to get his company exposure. Hills now advises small business on why GMB is important and how to fully capitalize on it.
