My Business listing for small businesses

To run a successful business, you need to use all the marketing and promotional tools available in your arsenal. These days, that includes a strong digital presence to reach the largest number of customers. And there’s no greater online presence than Google and its Google My Business feature, an excellent tool for any company’s digital marketing program.

If you’re not familiar with it, Google My Business offers businesses a simple and free way to manage their digital presence in Google applications, especially Google Maps and Google Search.

You can create or edit the information that appears after a Google search of your business, while getting full details of your business directly to potential customers. Think of Google my business as part of a digital marketing strategy for easy visibility on Google, either through traditional search or through Google Startup Assistant.

How to set up Google My Business

While everyone can get some value from Google My Business, small businesses that sell products or services locally can especially benefit by fully optimizing their company’s current profiles in the format. Start by visiting Google my business and simply clicking on the “Start Now” button.

This takes you through a series of pages where you complete important basics of your business, such as name, address, category, opening hours and contact information. You can also upload quality photos of your business and products to enhance visual appeal.

If your business was established some time ago, it is very likely that your company details will automatically appear when you enter your name at the beginning. In that case, simply flip through the pages, check for accuracy and edit accordingly.

Make sure the information you provide is the same as the detailed information on your website. A mismatch could damage your local ranking. From there, the Google Maps location is automatically created to sync with a Google search.

Exploring the features of your Google listing

After setting up your profile, immerse yourself in the many features offered by Google My Business. Adjusting these features is a way to advanceoptimize your Google online presence, while also getting information about your business and customers.

Description

The description section allows you to provide details of your business that are not covered elsewhere on your Google list. To get there from your Google My Business page, go from the “Information” section in the sidebar menu to the description field. The section allows you to type up to 750 characters, or approximately 200 words.

This is your opportunity to provide potential customers with a detailed description of what you offer, your company’s history, the outstanding qualities of your business or service, or anything else important you should know. For ideas on what to include, you can extract the language from the “About Us” section of your company’s website.

Products and Services

Companies with unique offers may find that they do not match well with any of the “Category” options that Google My Business lists. The “Services” section, which is also accessed through “Information” in your dashboard, allows you to add products or services that give customers a clearer idea of what your business has to offer. Even if your business fits a traditional category, this feature can allow you to provide important product information to your overall profile.

Messages

The function ‘Publicationnes” allows companies to announce upcoming events and sales promotions, or simply highlight particular products or services. Content appears directly on a Google local search results page. Created through the Google My Business control panel, a post can include up to 300 words, a photo, and a clickable action call button.

You can add up to 10 posts, which can be viewed through a scrolling feature on the right side of your Google search result. Note that posts are deleted after 7 days, or after an event date has passed.

Insights

Google has provided analytics for businesses on their customers’ online activity. With Google My Business, the “Insights” feature allows you to see in detail easy-to-understand details such as customer searches for your business, regional location of those users, comparative metrics and how your business compares to the competition. Use this data to modify your Google list and reinforce areas that need additional information or promotion.

If your business is not configured in Google my business however, or if your Google list needs a little optimization, it is important to make sure your information is correct and updated so that customers can accurately find all the details of your business when they perform a local search on the web.mobile, or voice search.

If you have other tips for small businesses looking to optimize their Google My Business listings, let us know in the comments.