Optimising a website for search engines is an important part of the digital marketing strategy for any business with an online presence. Your SEO efforts are going to dictate whether your website gets the visitors you are targeting or not. No matter how good your products and services are, it will be very hard to sell them if no one can find them.
In this blog post, we will focus on Google My Business and why it’s such an important step in your off-page SEO strategy.
What Is Off-Page SEO?
Off-page SEO refers to all the measures you take outside of your website for search engines to include you on the search results page. Many business owners who are just starting to learn about SEO are focusing on keyword research, design, and content at first. While on-page SEO is crucial as well, it has to be complemented by off-page tactics.
Some of the most important off-page rankings are:
- Building backlinks through high-quality content, long posts, email outreach and guest posts with relevant anchor texts linking to your own web pages;
- Increasing organic traffic with brand mentions and searches by being active and engaging on social media, YouTube and other channels;
- Focusing on your website’s E-A-T score (expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) by being referred to by trusted, valued websites.
Google My Business is a tool that puts you on the map for people searching for businesses in your industry, especially when they do local searches.
What Can Google My Business Do for You?
Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool by Google that enables business owners to list their contact information, manage their reviews, and publish their most relevant information in a listing that appears in organic searches and Google Maps.
You have surely seen it work when searching for local businesses nearby, like restaurants, banks, or any type of establishment. The search engine retrieves companies in your physical area that are ranking higher and gives you a preview of Google Maps, where you can instantly see the results on the map.
Statistically, GMB is a tool that will definitely be used by a large portion of your potential customers, which is why you want it to work to your advantage. Google Search gets you more customers if you optimise your business well enough for local SEO. It also lets you manage your reviews and be in touch with your existing clients. As a bonus, you also get a free website from Google when you create your GMB account.
These functions are primarily designed to promote small and medium businesses that would otherwise be lost in the forest of information one can find on the web.
How to Set a Google My Business Profile
Entering your business information on GMB is easy and intuitive, but you should go beyond your contact information and operating hours. Having a rich GMB profile is going to impact your revenue by bringing more foot traffic and online visitors to your business.
For starters, check if there already is a Google My Business listing associated with your business. If so, you need to claim it and verify your account, so that only you can edit the listing.
Once you have claimed your business listing, make sure that your Google My Business account includes all the information needed – aim for a 100% completed profile. Regularly check that your info is updated and accurate. Don’t limit yourself to publishing the NAP info (name, phone number, and address), but also add business hours, service descriptions, pictures, and relevant posts.
You can start promoting your products and services by publishing content about what you do, offers and promotions you have available, or any information that will help visitors solve their problems or answer their questions.
How to Optimise Your Google My Business Profile
Your Google My Business Profile is evaluated by Google based on several ranking factors. The accuracy and detail level of your information together with how you choose to present them are the factors that will influence your search engine rankings.
To optimise your GMB profile, use relevant keywords wherever possible, without overcrowding them just for the sake of having more. Posts that you can publish are a great way to use multimedia and get creative. That can determine Google users to click on your business instead of competing websites.
Your GMB posts are published on the search result page for 7 days before they are pushed down by new content, so try to come up with new content at least weekly. Your old posts will still be available on the Google-powered website you have received with your GMB profile.
Publish announcements, offers, engaging messages, events, sales, blog posts, and keep an eye on your reviews. Investing time and effort in your Google My Business profile will actually pay off, as it helps you appear in the top results on SERPs. It also gets you easy conversions, as the user’s intent is already clear when they input their search query.
Last but not least, it’s important that your GMB data is in line with what’s on your website. Check that your site has accurate information that matches the info on Google, as discrepancies can be penalised by the search engine. Just remember: make yourself easier to find than your competitors and focus on what your target customers need and want.
Need Help Building a Fabulous Google My Business Listing?
If you don’t have time to do it yourself, or you have doubts about what will work best for your audience, contact our Search Engine Optimisation Expert at Australian Internet Advertising to get expert advice. We can help you build and maintain a My Business profile that will bring more customers to your door and increase your revenue in the long-term.
