Google My Business (GMB) is essentially a local business listing service that is run by Google – the biggest search engine on the internet.
A GMB listing provides basic details about your business such as name, contact details and reviews. We can optimise your listing to ensure you are found in local searches.
What Does A GMB Listing Look Like?
If someone has searched for your business name – in this case, JMF Disco -, if you have set up your GMB account, the search result on Google will show a GMB panel similar to that shown above.
It provides information about the company, that you are most probably looking for contact details, opening times, location, images, reviews etc.
GMB Listings In Local Search
Another way a GMB Listing will appear, is in a Google search for a local service – for example, if you were to search for ‘mobile disco Sittingbourne’ – the following panel would be shown on the first page of the Google search results:-
Well done to JMF Disco for optimising their GMB listing well – top of the ‘three pack’ for local searches – Google picks out the best three or most relevant local listings for these services.
This is what makes a good GMB Listing so powerful – the ‘three pack’ listings dominate the first page of a search on Google, and in this case, JMF Disco is likely to benefit with extra clicks to their service with such a prominent listing.
What Are The Benefits To My Company Of Having A Well Optimised GMB Listing?
If you are in business, you need a GMB account.
As can be seen above for JMF Disco, a well optimised GMB listing can help your business to stand out in search results and can help people to find your business, whether it’s online or offline.
GMB is all about local search – according to Google about 50% of all search – for business in the area the searcher is in, or searches made outside of the area with the location added to the search. If you want to be found locally GMB is the way to go.
The number of searches made on mobile devices has overtaken the number made on desktop computers. A significant number of mobile searches are likely to have local intent, and as Google knows the location of those mobile devices they will serve local results on GMB to those mobile phone searches.
If your competitors have good GMB listings then it is going to be harder for your unoptimized GMB listing to be found in local searches.
If your competitors do not have well optimised GMB listings then you can take advantage of those extra local searches.
A good GMB listing makes it easier for your customer to find and contact you – which is what most businesses want!
A good GMB listing will help with the credibility of your business for customers and Google – it is a trust factor Google consider when determining the authority of your website. – helping with your SEO.
Having a three pack GMB listing, and results showing in the organic search results reinforces your search presence.
How Do I Set Up and Optimise A GMB Listing?
A GMB listing is free and easy to set up – but may take a bit more work to optimise fully.
Details of setting up a GMB account can be found here: https://www.google.com/intl/en_gb/business/
JSP Web Design can help you set this up and make the most of the opportunity if provides.
Optimising your Google My Business listing involves completing the basics – name address and phone number (often referred to as NAP within online marketing) and adding information customers will find useful including services, choosing the right business category, Google My Business photos, background information, adding posts, getting and responding to reviews, answering questions asked by customers etc.
We will release a more detailed explanation in a later article – keep your eyes open for that.
A basic GMB listing will help, but to make the most of GMB listings though, it’s important to go beyond the basics and work to create a useful and eye-catching listing that will encourage searchers to visit your stores, your website, or get in touch with you.
We can help you crush local SEO, and make your grass look greener than your neighbours! Get in contact with us today.
