WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GOOGLE MY BUSINESS LISTINGS

Google My Business (aka GMB) is considered to be one of the most important listings out there, and the one the is crucial for proper SEO strategy. It is integrated with Google Maps and contain reviews, addresses, links and a “mini blog” for updates, amongst other features.

The GMB listing looks like this:

GMB is Google’s way of generating user content and staying in control of the information it stores and displays. As such, Google strives to have the most recent and up to date sources in order to display the most accurate and relevant information. For that matter, Google created a portal that gathers the information of local businesses and displays the data on the search results or on the maps, and other related apps that have a Google-powered search.

BUSINESS INFO AND REVIEWS IN ONE SPOT

Google My Business listing displays the business information, its location, hours, reviews, products and services and a ‘news section’ where a business owner can post short posts with links to their website.
Every business owner must make sure that their business appears on the listing accurately, and that all data is consistent across all listings.

GMB is also used as a review platform, which helps greatly with local SEO on top of being a trust-building service. Encourage your clients to write a review for your business (provide some incentives!) on Google My Business listing.

GOOGLE MY BUSINESS AND LOCAL SEO

In short, having a well-maintained GMB listing along with a good number of reviews is a must-have for proper SEO strategy, for both eCommerce and non-retail brands. It is a very strong signal for Google that indicates on local activity and that is, in-turn, the main purpose of local SEO. Obviously, having that single piece optimized and praying for SEO results won’t deliver the goods, but needs to be part of a strategy.

GOOGLE MY BUSINESS AND PPC

The main advantage of having an accurate GMB listing is the seamless integration with Google Ads, and its assistance in improved visibility of the ads by displaying Location Extensions. I would suggest managing all of Google’s properties under the same account or email since it all can get quite confusing.

BOTTOM LINE – INVEST IN GMB!

It would be considered a high priority for every local business to have a well maintained GMB listing, and try to have as many reviews as possible. It helps with better organic performance and attracts new customers. Make sure the NAP is accurate and everything is as compelling as possible.

Have questions about your Google My Business listing?