Google My Business and Local SEO

Did you know that over 80% of searches happen on mobile devices? Most of these searches are people seeking information about local businesses. Weather they are looking for the best place to eat or shop, looking for directions or trying to find the best company to hire, most people start with a Google search.

Google My Business is one of the fastest ways to reach potential customers. But setting up your Google Business page is more than just claiming your business and adding some basic contact information. Many searches begin with people looking for a particular service or product. The businesses who show up at the top of that search, or in Google maps, are likely the first to get a call or website visit.

Google also recently added Direct Messaging capabilities through your GMB page. Now customers can message you directly from Google search. We mentioned before that The Future Of Social is all about engagement and now more than ever customers look to social channels to communicate with a brand before they call or visit a website. This means it is important to have multiple channels for your potential following to get in touch with you. You should be active on Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and Google at the very least.

Restaurants have an added avenue to attract consumers through Google’s Menu Editor. Again, this is a good way to instantly attract people who are searching for certain items or services.

Google Posts are a great way to stand out. Post recent updates, accolades or portfolio items. This allows visitors to see your work, services, food or products. Showing a picture of a truly incredible burger may drive some traffic to your social channels, website or better— your restaurant. This gives you the ability to share updates about your business such as sales, events or specials. Google Posts are more visually appealing than a regular listing and encourage increased interaction.

Business owners can now directly answer commonly asked questions from within their Google My Business dashboard. If you find people asking the same types of questions you can automate a response which is great for you and the consumer.

Google seemingly rewards businesses who take advantage of their platform and by optimizing your Google My Business page you can enhance your organic SEO.

Since Google doesn’t publish it’s algothrium we can’t guarantee the impact your Google business page will have on your sites rank, but it definitely can’t hurt your website’s performance.

Looking for other ideas to boost your site’s rank on Google? We recommend updating your website content frequently. Content is king after all. So adding a blog to your site is a great start. And, be active on social media. Although social media doesn’t inherently help your website’s ranking it will send traffic to your website (if you are utilizing these platforms correctly) and the more traffic your site gets, the better for SEO. Want more information? Let’s grab a coffee.