Google My Business is a free and user-friendly tool that lets companies benefit from a presence on Google and Google Maps. A Google My Business listing gives prospects everything they need to know about your company: your opening hours, address, website, plus info on your products and services.
Known as GMB for short, Google My Business is perfect for sectors of all kinds—restaurants, clothing and grocery stores, health professionals, and more. The only criterion is you need to have a physical location that is open to the public.
When used properly, GMB makes for a fabulous local SEO tool with returns that grow over time.
What is Google My Business?
Linkeo Montréal’s Google My Business listing
These days, it’s rare that you’ll walk into a store or restaurant without checking the Internet ahead of time for the address, directions, business hours, phone number, and services.
So you want to give your clients as much information as possible.
Create your GMB listing with photos of your business, products, and services. Include pictures of your menu itemsif you’re a restaurant. You can also add a link to your website and even a call button.
If you offer Click and Collect, a link to your online store is an extra bonus. Internet users can check to see if the product is available and reserve it online before showing up in person.
Build Your Natural, Local SEO
Creating your listing can boost your business’s visibility in search results, especially for mobile users.
Google favours local results for searches conducted on smartphones. So to boost your SEO, you want to indicate your local presence.
Google My Business pages also appear in Google Maps to make it easier for Internet users to find you.
Linkeo Montréal’s GMB page on Google Maps
Google My Business and Your E-Reputation
Your Google My Business page is a great place to publish and respond to customer reviews.
It makes your brand seem legit and helps you connect with your clients and prospects. You’ll get people to click on your site and encourage other call-to-actions—call now, book an appointment, place an order.
But make sure you respond to any negative reviews to avoid damage to your reputation.
Customer Review from Linkeo’s GMB page
Connect with Your Customers
In addition to general information about your business, you can also post your latest news and promotions.
You can do so directly on your page to the right of your search results. Take advantage of this feature to promote an upcoming event, new products, or a special offer.
Google My Business is a free resource with all kinds of benefits—it helps you manage your e-reputation, improve your natural, local SEO, and promote your products and specials. Let’s look at how to make your page.
Create a Google My Business Page for one or several companies
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- Open Google My Business’s webpage. In the top right-hand corner, click on Manage My Profile.
- Connect to your Google account or create a new one.
- Enter the name of your store and click on Next. Your business may already exist in Maps. If this is the case, your name will appear in a dropdown menu and you can select it out of the suggestions that appear.
- Enter the address and click on Next. If it is not yet geolocalized, you can pin it on the map.
- Select the category that matches your main business activity. It is possible to create more than one category if you need to (e.g. children’s toy store).
- Enter the phone number and website URL. Click on Next.
- To confirm, click on Continue.
- Select a verification option. The easiest one is via email. We recommend you choose verify by email and use your business address. Once you’ve received the code via email, you can enter it to confirm you own the business, and proceed as the page’s admin.
- Once you’ve verified the ownership, you can log in and manage your page. From your Google My Business dashboard, you’ll find a menu on the left with all your options.
The Statistics tab includes data on how your Google My Business page is performing.
How can I make changes to my Google My Business page?
To modify the info on your GMB page, you need to log into your Google account, and then open the My Business tool. You can also search for your business’s page in Maps and click on “Info.” Some changes are subject to verification and Google may take several days to confirm the new info.
💡 Did You Know?
To improve your brand’s local SEO, it’s important that you fill out ALL the information tabs in your Google My Business listing. You also want to earn positive customer reviews, boost your brand awareness, and optimize your website for search engines (SEO).
Would you rather leave your GMB page to the experts? Take your online visibility to the next level and get in touch with the Linkeo team!
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