Why Should I Care About a Google My Business Page?

Every single business wants to achieve the same overall goal: attract customers. Marketing strategies, online posts,  and advertisements can all help increase your following of customers. However, what happens when your potential customers can’t find you in a search?

That’s when Google My Business comes in. Google provides this free service to businesses that allow them to set up a brief online profile. This profile includes the business’s name, address, hours of operation, phone number, etc. When a user searches for your business online they will find all of the information you added into your GMB account. 

How Does This Work For My Specific Business?

Let’s say you own a small gym in Bemidji, MN. If you add your business name, phone number, hours of operation, and address into a Google My Business account—then whenever someone searches for your business or a business that is similar to yours, Google My Business will automatically show your business on the map in their search results. To the user, it will look something like this: 

 

Why You Need A Google My Business Page
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Why You Need A Google My Business Page 2

Google My Business analyzes the user’s location to give them the best geographical options. As you can see, you can add an icon for your website and even directions to your business. This provides users with everything they need to get in touch with you as soon as possible. 

How Can I Rank Higher on Google My Business?

The user’s search location is one of the biggest factors determining ranking. If a user searches for a gym in a location that is 20 miles away from your business, there is a good chance the nearest gym will rank higher. Google gives the user the best experience which means it will give the most geographically convenient search result possible. 

This doesn’t mean that you are always going to lose if you are in an isolated location. By filling out GMB completely, verifying your locations, adding awesome pictures to your listings, and keeping your hours and information accurate, you are giving yourself the best chance to rank higher in the results. 

Another tip is to list your business under a category in GMB. Without a category, GMB doesn’t know what your business does which causes you to lose out on customers that search broad terms such as “gym” or “marketing businesses.” Google also likes to see 5-star reviews, blogs about your business, and directories with links to your website in them. 

The more information there is for Google to find about your site, the better chance you have of showing up in the results. All of this information will be used to decide whether your business fits what the user is searching for.

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Won’t Large Businesses Always Show Up Before Me?

Large businesses often seem to dominate the search results. There are many reasons for this including people talking about them, blogging or putting them in articles, and even searching them specifically. They get mentions on social media, reviews, and are well known in their areas. The best thing is, all of these things are available to your business, too! 

Large organizations are most likely taking all of the necessary steps to rank the highest in the search results. Their large marketing teams make sure of this, but that doesn’t mean your business can’t compete!

And don’t worry, Google My Business is a free service that doesn’t allow businesses to pay their way to the top. So, the best thing to do is follow our tips and make your business the best option possible for Google and users.

Summary

Overall, Google My Business is a crucial part of an online presence. It’s also easy to set up and completely free. If you don’t have a GMB account yet, click here to set one up! 

Google is an ever-changing algorithm system that doesn’t take a day off. The correct maintenance and attention is required to keep your ranking the highest it can be. If you ever need any help setting up or maintaining your GMB account, reach out to us on our Contact page! We’ll help you optimize your account and give your customer’s the best opportunity to find you! That’s why we’re here.