Google My Business Listingsare fundamental to SEO
Everybody with a business presence online wants to rank high in SERPs. Consistently at the top, I might add. Well SEO is a moving target and it really varies depending on your vertical (industry) and competitive space. However, the easiest SEO improvement any business with online visibility can make is to claim and verify your Google My Business (GMB) listing. This is especially true for local geo-targeted businesses.
It is actually super easy and a big mistake if you choose not to complete it.
All those annoying phone calls about getting your business listing in Google or promoting your business in Google are usually marketers just leveraging the GMB tools. There’s no reason to spend money to have somebody else do this for you unless of course, you’re so busy you can’t take a few minutes to go through the sign-up steps. First, sign in to GMB. Besides, if you hire somebody else to create your GMB listing you're subject to having your listing hijacked. Just do it yourself.
Next, search for your listing, claim it and begin filling out all the information on all the different tabs. The more thorough you can be the better. Make sure all your business information is correct, especially your business name. You need your business name to represent exactly how it would appear on your sign. Correct phone, email, and address too.
Don’t leave any of the fields blank. Include photos, list areas that you serve(counties, towns, neighborhoods), hours of operations, services, or products that you provide. Once all this is done then move on to verify your business. This is absolutely mandatory.
Take advantage of the posting feature.
With several different post types: Special Offers, What’s New, and Events are all super useful and visible in search and maps. Using this function allows a business owner to easily blast their message right into the Google Search environment via GMB listings.
Complete a Few Extra Steps to Gain a GMB 3-Pack Spot.
The Google 3-Pack is the top three businesses shown via Google search. These listings are relevant to the location where the search query was submitted. However, the accuracy of business listing, especially in competitive industries can make or break your business presence in the 3-pack.
- Make sure your GMB listing is complete and verified.
Reach out to customers for reviews. Positive reviews are super beneficial and plainly visible within the 3-Pack.
Check your other listings on the web for information consistency. Your listing will get bumped if there are discrepancies among listings.
Use social media to promote your GMB local listing.
Reach out to relevant businesses for backlinks such as sponsoring an event or a non-profit.
Boost your SEO via submitting relevant articles, blog posts, or press releases to quality websites.
