How to Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
2 Dec 2019 Digital Marketing
While local SEO can be competitive and difficult, there are many free platforms like Google My Business (GMB) that can be used to help your business show up both in local search and map results. For local businesses, it is extremely important to ensure that your GMB listing is fully optimized in order for it to rank in the local Google map pack. Optimizing your GMB listing can also help provide consumers with enough information for them to make a decision about your business without having to spend more time researching you and your competitors.
As digital marketing experts, the team at FirstPage Marketing knows how to optimize your Google My Business listing so that you can get the most out of it. They want their clients to succeed online. That is why they have put together a list of steps that you should take to ensure your GMB listing is properly optimized.
Learn How to Setup Your Google My Business Listing
1. Add a High-Resolution Logo
Since using the business’ logo can help make it easier for customers to identify and connect with your business online, Google recommends adding a square-sized image of the company logo to your Google My Business listing. Make sure that the logo is also a high-resolution image, so that it will appear crystal clear on all devices.
2. Add a High-Resolution Cover Photo
The cover photo, or the large featured photo at the top of your GMB listing, should be an image of something appealing and encompassing of the brand’s personality, what it stands for, and what it has to offer. Since the image will always be cropped to a 16:9 aspect ratio, it is important to choose a high-resolution image that will display well across all screen sizes.
3. Provide a Business Description
In order to properly optimize your Google My Business listing, it is important to add a detailed business description that describes your business in an engaging and authentic way. When writing your 750-character description, make sure to follow the basic rules of writing optimized content by picking one or two keywords to build your description around, ensuring that the search phrase appears near the top of the description, and using a local keyword to help boost your local search rankings.
While this text field can be a great place to tell local search users about your story, mission statement, and history, it is important to note that Google guidelines prohibit the use of promotional content and links in this space; however, you can include the company’s phone number and email address.
4. Add Photos of Your Business
In addition to adding a logo and cover photo to your Google My Business listing, you can also add different kinds of pictures that can be used to spotlight certain aspects of the business, such as images of goods or services, team members working or helping customers, the interior and exterior of the business, and other general photos that summarize what the business can offer potential customers. Using a range of different photos can help make it easier for customers to choose your business when making purchasing decisions online.
All photos used in your GMB listing should follow Google’s best practices:
- Format—JPG or PNG
- Size—Between 5MB and 10KB
- Minimum resolution—720px x 720px
- Quality—Should be in focus, well-lit, and have no alterations or excessive filters.
5. Fill Out the Correct Business Hours
While entering the correct business hours is an important part of optimizing your GMB listing, it is just as important to make sure to update the business hours whenever they change. Make sure to take advantage of the ability to customize hours for holidays and other special events. Doing so will keep your site as accurate as possible and will help keep users happy.
6. Add an Appointment Link
Businesses that rely on customers making appointments and already use an integrated scheduling software can help make their GMB listing standout by utilizing Google’s button feature. Using this feature will allow people to book an appointment with your business directly from the Google My Business listing, making it easier to get new customers because they will not have to leave Google to book an appointment with you.
Learn How to Get More Google Reviews on Your GMB Listing
7. Fill Out the Services Section
If you own a service-based business with set prices, filling out the services section for your GMB listing can be a great way to provide potential customers will all the information they need up front. The services list makes it easy to categorize and list all of the business’ services and prices, so that potential customers can see exactly what you have to offer.
8. Add Product Information
Similar to adding service information on your Google My Business listing, it is also a good idea to include information about the different types of products that you have to offer. If your products have set prices, make sure to include the pricing information for potential customers to review, as well as to update the products and services if things change.
9. Add Google Posts to Your Marketing Mix
Google Posts are a great way to share upcoming events, offers, and promotions with your audience. If your business publishes blog articles, sharing these articles as Google Posts can help increase their reach with your intended audience. With Google Posts, businesses have the ability to include an image, text content, and call-to-action button. For best results, keep the image simple and the text content to a minimum. The goal with each Google Post should be to get the intended audience to take action, whether that is a sign up, phone call, or clickthrough to the website.
Learn How to Drive More Traffic to Your Website with Google Posts
10. Track the Performance of Your GMB Listing
One of the best features of Google My Business is its insights section that provides users with important details on how customers search for the business, queries that were used to find the business, where customers viewed the business (Google Search vs. Google Maps), what types of customer actions were taken (website visits, phone calls, direction requests), and more. By tracking the performance of your GMB listing, you will be able to optimize it for the best results.
Properly optimizing your Google My Business listing can make it easier for local traffic to find information about your business online. To learn more about how to optimize your Google My Business listing, get in touch with the digital marketing experts today.
