Did you know that, on average, a Google My Business Profile with over 100 images gets 520% more phone calls than one with fewer than 100? 

Getting set up on Google My Business might seem like a daunting process, but if you’re serious about SEO, it’s a vital resource that you must take advantage of. Not only does it allow you to consolidate important information for your business (address, phone number, services and products, menu, photographs and more), but a well optimised Google My Business (GMB) profile will also boost your authority in Google’s eyes and increase your rankings on the SERPs. It’s also free, so win win. 

Outside of the obvious, a well optimised Google My Business page has an array of benefits. Let’s delve deeper into why you should take the time to ensure your Google My Business is well developed and maintained.

User Experience (UX)

It may seem strange to begin with the user experience, but remember that all good SEO practice starts with the user. Whatever we do – whether it be content marketing, on-page SEO or web page design – should be done with the user in mind. 

The same goes for Google My Business. By collating all of your important details into one profile, you’re giving the user access to any information they could possibly need. Remember, it’s Google’s priority to ensure the UX is as strong as possible, and Google My Business is their way of enhancing this process.

By filling out your listing as extensively as possible, you’re more likely to match with keywords users might use to discover your business. Therefore, if you play by Google’s rules and put time into expanding your business profile, you’ll get yourself a big green tick and a big advantage in the SERPS!

Knowledge Panel

Having your business listing feature in a knowledge panel for a particular query is a guaranteed way of dominating the SERP. Knowledge panels appear on the right hand side of the SERP and provide the user with a tonne of information Google deems to be relevant. Think of knowledge panels in a similar way to featured snippets, only they offer information that’s directly related to your business such as NAP details, photographs, products you offer and more. The information on the knowledge panel is pulled directly from your Google My Business profile, so without proper optimisation, there’s no way for Google to give the user your all important contact details.

Indeed, if you’re looking to rank in your local area, a knowledge panel is invaluable. If you own a Turkish restaurant in Huntington, you’ll want your restaurant to appear on the SERP as a knowledge panel for users who input ‘Turkish restaurant’ in the Huntington area. If it does, that’s Google voting massively in your favour, automatically giving your business an advantage over the competition. Think about it – Google is practically telling users to go to your restaurant because the other ones aren’t worth a knowledge panel. A user can simply tap or click your telephone number and be connected to you right away. That’s powerful.

Map Listings and Local Search

The relationship between a well optimised Google My Business profile and strong local SEO performance is massive. Algorithm updates like Pigeon and Possum honed in on local searches, directing Google to list relevant business related to both queries and geographical location. Every time a user searches, Google amends what it shows the user based on their current location.

We alluded to this in the previous section – it’s never been more important to have an brimming GMB if you want to rank in the local area. When Google recommends nearby businesses, it uses Google My Business listings to identify relevant companies to the user based on categories, products, services and location. If a similar company down the road (or even on the other side of town) has a business listing and you do not, you may as well say goodbye to a good chunk of your custom. 

If you haven’t got a listing, you won’t appear on Google Maps. Seeing as 86% of users look up the location of a business on Google Maps, it’s imperative that you’re appearing as part of these results. If your business doesn’t appear on Maps, it essentially does not exist to the user. Chances are that users will simply just look elsewhere.

Take Advantage of Valuable Data

There’s a vast amount of useful data available from properly optimised Google My Business profile. At a glance, you can gain valuable insights about how many people viewed your business, how they discovered it, actions taken as a result of your listing and much, much more.

With Google My Business insights, you can:

• View the queries users searched to find your business. Understanding this information can help you with your digital marketing strategies.
• See how customers search for your business, whether that’s finding your business listing directly or through related keywords. This can help you understand who’s returning to your business and who’s discovering it for the first time. It also helps you measure the impact of your SEO strategies.
• View the number of users who viewed your listing, broken down into both search listings and map listings.
• View the actions users took on your profile, including visiting your website, requesting directions and calling you. This is massive for helping you understand the tangible benefits that your listing brings to your business. Actions can be broken down further – you can, for example, see the areas users requested directions from. This helps you better understand the demographics of your customers.

Active Internet Marketing (UK)

Creating and maintaining a Google My Business profile can be quite time consuming. Here at Active Internet Marketing, we specialise in optimising your GMB to ensure your business ranks better. We can look after it completely, even creating bespoke posts each month ensuring your listing stays fresh and authoritative. We report valuable data associated with your listing directly to you every month, which clearly breaks down insightful information that has tangible benefits to your business.

If you would like to find out more about how we optimise Google My Business, or any other of our digital marketing strategies, don’t hesitate about speaking to one of our friendly team on 01604765796 or fill in a contact form today.