How to Setup and Optimize Google My Business to Improve Your Ranking

When a customer wishes to search for a particular product or service, the first thing they would do is open up Google and type in the search bar. With that being said, if your business doesn’t have a Google My Business profile, you’ll be losing out on many opportunities for sales and conversions. As long as you setup and optimize your Google My Business properly, you can improve your SEO rankings and gain visibility for customers to find your business. If you’re unsure how to setup or optimize Google My Business profiles, in this article, we wrote a complete guide to help you drive results to your business: 

What is Google My Business? 

For those who are new to the digital world, Google My Business (GMB) is a tool created by Google to help businesses build trust among their customers online. Since most customers tend to refer to Google for certain products or services, businesses need to stay on top of their game by ensuring their Google My Business profiles appear on search engines. 

With GMB, businesses can display important information such as opening hours and contact details to make it easier for customers to make a decision. 

How does Google My Business help to improve my rankings? 

The process of optimizing your website to appear on the first page of Google is known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). To increase your ranking positions on Google, making use of Google My Business does wonders for your business. 

Here are several ways on how Google My Business can help increase your rankings: 

• Boost engagement: When customers interact with your GMB, these are good signs as Google takes it that your business is popular. Thus, increasing your rankings. 
• Increase Click-Through-Rates (CTR): If your GMB profile is visible to others on search engines, customers are more likely to click it, which increases your CTR rate. Since CTR rates are one of the factors of rankings in SEO, it’ll boost your rankings as well. 
• Improve visibility on Google: A well-optimized GMB will appear on Google’s top search results such as local pack or Google Maps. These are usually located at the top of Google, so they are the first thing customers see. Your business could also possibly appear on the organic search results with a good GMB profile. 

How to setup Google My Business the right way 

1. Create a Google Account for your business 

It’s highly recommended to have a dedicated Google Account just to manage your business. If you don’t have one for your business, you can quickly sign up within just a few steps. 

2. Add your business 

Next, you can head to Google My Business’s main website page to create your GMB profile. But if your business already has a Google My Business, you could claim the listing and own it. Fill up the name of your business as well as choose your business categories. 

3. Choose your business location and address 

Then, you’ll have the option to choose whether you’d like to add your business location or not. You have to choose ‘Yes’ as it’s crucial for businesses to have their location on their Google My Business to improve your rankings. 

After that, continue the steps by filling in your business address and selecting your location pin on Google Maps. 

4. Enter all your relevant business details 

Once you’ve entered your business address, there will be certain information needed such as home deliveries and contact details to be filled up. Follow along the next steps accordingly. 

5. Verify your Google My Business profile 

You’ll be required to verify your Google My Business profile with your contact number. Ensure you enter an active number so that you can verify it successfully once they send a code to your phone. 

6. Optimize your Google My Business profile 

After successful verification, you can proceed to enter your other business details such as WhatsApp contact, website URL, photos, posts, and so on. Be sure to update all of the information so that you have a complete Google My Business profile.

How to optimize Google My Business to improve rankings

If you wish to improve Google My Business rankings, here are some useful tips on how to optimize it well: 

1. Ensure your Google My Business is mobile-optimized 

Since most customers these days use their mobile devices when searching for a product or service on Google, it’s best if your Google My Business is optimized and looks good on mobile too. You can take a look at how your Google My Business appears on mobile devices to ensure everything can easily be read. 

2. Upload posts regularly 

Google My Business also has a feature where businesses can regularly post updates such as the latest events or special promotions. These posts also allow businesses to include a call-to-action (CTA) at the end, so be sure to leverage those too. 

3. Gather more customer reviews 

Reviews are crucial for businesses to maintain regular customers and attract new ones. Besides that, to improve Google My Business rankings, regular reviews will signal to Google that your business is reliable and trustworthy which helps with your SEO ranking. 

4. Use keywords within your business description 

Just like how you would optimize your website content for SEO, you can also optimize your Google My Business profile by inserting the relevant keywords within the description. Try to avoid keyword stuffing and create content that sounds attractive and makes sense. 

5. Maintain accurate information 

One of the worst things a customer can encounter would be inaccurate details or information about your business. For example, if your contact number isn’t updated, then the customer will be frustrated because they are unable to contact you. On top of that, you could also lose potential sales. 

If you change any of your contact information, be sure to update it on your Google My Business as well. 

6. Update quality photos consistently 

Customers love it when businesses update the latest pictures of their services or products on their Google My Business profiles. This shows that the business cares about its image and ensures customers are viewing only the latest updates of the business. 

For instance, consider uploading photos of your team as well as the interior or exterior of your premises. 

What an Optimized Google Business Profile Looks Like 

If you’re not sure how an optimize Google Business Profile look like, here’s an example: 

BrandSwift’s Business Profile has a website link, reviews, category, photos, opening hours, contact number, products, a brief summary of the business and social media links. 

If the Google Business Profile is not optimized, it will be almost empty with no information. 

Conclusion 

All in all, Google My Business is extremely beneficial for any business that wishes to boost its online digital presence. As long as you learn how to optimize Google My Business profiles effectively, you can increase your sales, improve your SEO rankings on Google, and gain a closer bond with your customers. Check out our article ‘How to Increase Your Website Visibility and Ranking in Google Search’ to learn more tips for higher ranking positions.