Why Google My Business is important to your business.
Remember when you developed your website? All that time and effort and money that went into making it the most beautiful, useful website in your industry You were positive that you would undoubtedly get millions of visitors and it would deliver new customers to your doorstep.
Times have changed!
Don’t get me wrong websites are still important, relevant and necessary. Websites make you look like a legitimate business and provide valuable information to your visitors.
However, there’s a new sheriff in town. Five years ago, the geniuses at Google launch a FREE platform called Google My Business (GMB for short), which allows users to quickly gather information about a company without ever leaving Google to go to that company’s website.
You might think ‘Yea, okay. So what? ‘
Here’s the kicker: your company’s GMB page gets at least quadruple the impressions of your website.
Yea, you read the right — 4x as many visitors see your GMB page as see your website. That might not sound significant, but that could amount to thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions of impressions on your GMB listing— making it the most important tool in your digital marketing toolbox.
To put it bluntly, your GMB listing is a valuable piece of real estate.
Today, there are more than 150 million GMB listings that show up in Google search either on the right side of your screen for a single location or in the Maps section if the company has several locations or listings.
Over the past five years, Google has introduced a myriad of functions to the GMB listing that optimizes the user experience and makes it easier than ever to do virtually everything within the listing itself. The user can read customer reviews, see photos, get offers, book a reservation and so much more.
Earlier this summer, Google announced new GMB features available to businesses that will undoubtedly attract more eyes and clicks including welcome offers for customers who “follow” its GMB listing, company logos and cover photos, the ability for users to purchase items directly within the profile (like tickets to the ballet), and a “Local Favorite” badge for companies in the top 5 percent of their specific category.
And just a few months ago, Google hinted at potentially monetizing listings. In a survey to select local companies, users were asked how much they would be willing to spend each month for certain features, many of which would be new features like automated review responses and the ability to remove ads from your listing. Google is exploring charging businesses anywhere from $25 to $60 per month depending on the option selected, according to this survey. If this ends up being implemented, it will have a significant impact on what information about a company is provided in the GMB profile when users do a search.
When it comes to attracting new customers and generating revenue, your GMB listing should be priority number one. Make sure you’re leveraging all of the available features that will help connect you with potential customers.
If you don’t prioritize GMB, you can bet that your competitors already have.
If you need help setting up your Google My Business listing, contact us. We can set it up for you and ensure it is optimized so that your company gets the most benefit from it.
