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Aro Digital SEO Series #4 - Google my Business
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What is GMB?
This week's SEO focus is Google My Business (GMB) – a tool that helps turn your Business Profile into an effective SEO and lead generation tool.

A Google My Business Business profile is essentially your Google business listing, which appears in Google Maps and in the local results of Google Search. GMB allows you to manage the information that appears here and make sure that it’s correct and optimised.

GMB is central to building a local search strategy. When consumers search for businesses in their area, it allows you to take advantage of the high priority positions that Google gifts to Business Profiles.

With almost half of Google searches based on local intent, optimising for local search with GMB helps to drive traffic to your site and generate huge results for your business.
 
Why is it important for customers?
GMB enhances the customer experience by giving them easy access to key information about your business.

This includes:

  • Opening hours
  • Location and directions
  • Contact information 
  • Your website
Your Business Profile provides you with ample opportunities for customer engagement, including the ability to leave a review or post promotions. This helps to build trust in your business, especially for new customers. 
 
Why is it important to the business owner?
Asides from essentially providing free advertising, the greatest benefit of GMB for business owners is it’s impact on the visibility of your business.

Optimising your Business Profile increases the likelihood that it will appear at the top of the search results page, therefore increasing its traffic opportunities. 

The platform also has an analytics tab that gives you access to valuable consumer insights. This helps you to discover how customers are finding and interacting with your listing and inform any future optimisations.
 
Set up and management
Now that you know the benefits of having a Google My Business account, you probably want to know how to unlock them, right? So, here’s the nitty gritty of how to get your own GMB account off the ground.
  • Claim your Listing - Log into or create a Google account that you want to be associated with your business and go to google.com/business. Click the “manage now” button in the top right-hand corner and add your business’ name, location, contact details and website. Choose the categories that you want your listing to belong to, keeping in mind that choosing the right ones can help you rank for related keywords. 
    • Is there an existing listing? - Many pharmacies have an existing listing with out of date information. To change information, or claim the listing from the previous owner, simply find the listing on Google Maps, click 'Manage this listing' and select the method to receive the verifications code!
  • Verify it - Google won't display your listing until it has been verified, making this step crucial for maximising visibility. It's super simple though, with Google providing a handful of verification options including e-mail and phone.
  • Add Photos - Google will prioritise listings that include photos because they give searchers something to interact with. They're also a great way to showcase your products, services, people or environment. A cover photo provides customers with a first impression, so be sure to spend time choosing this wisely.
  • Optimise your listing - The more relevant information you add, the better. It's essential to include a short description, business hours and a website. There’s opportunity to take your listing’s SEO power even further by including keywords or phrases.
  • Respond to reviews - A major feature of the tool is that it allows you to respond to Google reviews left by customers about your business. This interaction is awesome for customer relationship building.
  • Be active - Maximising the value of GMB requires consistent management and maintenance. Make sure your profile remains the best reflection of your business by making regular updates to the listed details.

 
Local SEO & maximising your GMB visibility
So, you should now have an understanding of the power of using GMB to maximise the visibility of your business and push valuable traffic to your site.

In the next blog we’ll dive into Local SEO - how can we enhance the effects of your newly set up GMB profile.
 
Keen to learn more about SEO?
Find out more about Aro's SEO offering here!


 

Keywords: google my business, aro digital, aro digital seo series, lead generation tool, google my business gmb