Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that allows local businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. By creating and verifying a GMB listing, local businesses can improve their visibility to customers and help them find them more easily. However, with millions of businesses listed on GMB, it can be challenging to stand out and improve your ranking. In this article, we will provide tips on how to improve your GMB ranking and increase your online visibility.
Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
The first step on how to improve google my business ranking is to optimize your listing. This means completing all fields in the listing, including business hours, contact information, and categories. Make sure to use accurate and consistent business information across all your online platforms, including your website and social media profiles.
Complete All Fields In The GMB Listing
When creating or editing a Google My Business (GMB) listing, there are several fields that need to be filled out in order to provide accurate and comprehensive information about your business to potential customers. Some of the GMB fields that should be completed include:
- Business name
- Address
- Phone number
- Website
- Business hours
- Categories (e.g. type of business, products/services offered)
- Description
- Photos and videos
Completing all fields in the GMB listing will ensure that your business information is accurate and up-to-date. This will make it easier for customers to find your business and make informed decisions about whether to visit or make a purchase. Additionally, Google rewards businesses that provide complete and accurate information by showing them higher in search results.
Use Accurate And Consistent Business Information
It is important to use accurate and consistent business information across all platforms, including your website and social media profiles. This includes your business name, address, phone number, and website. Make sure that your contact information is up to date and consistent with your GMB listing. This will help customers find your business more easily and improve your visibility in search results.
Include Categories And Keywords That Best Describe Your Business
When creating your GMB listing, you will be prompted to select categories that best describe your business. These categories help customers understand what your business is about and what products or services it offers. Additionally, you can include keywords that are relevant to your business and that customers may use when searching for businesses like yours. You should know how to use Google keyword planner to find out the best keywords to use in your GMB listing.
Add High-Quality Photos And Videos
Google rewards businesses that have more photos and videos by showing them higher in search results. Make sure to add high-quality photos and videos of your business, including images of your products or services, your store or office, and your team. This will help customers get a better sense of what your business is about and what it looks like.
Encourage Customers To Leave Reviews
Reviews play a crucial role in improving GMB ranking. The more positive reviews you have, the higher your GMB ranking will be. To get more positive reviews, make it easy for your customers to leave them by providing a link or QR code on your website and in-store. You can also ask satisfied customers to leave a review after providing them with good service.
It’s also important to respond to reviews, whether they are positive or negative. Responding to negative reviews shows that you are actively engaged with your customers and care about their experience.
Increase Your Online Presence
One of the key factors that can contribute to improving your Google My Business ranking is having a strong online presence.
By increasing your online presence, you can improve your visibility in search results, making it easier for customers to find your business.
Make sure to include your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on your website and ensure that it is consistent with your GMB listing. Additionally, you can improve your online presence by creating content and engaging with customers on social media platforms.
So, Let’s find out the role of online presence in GMB ranking with some tips for increasing online presence.
Tips For Increasing Online Presence
Create a website that is optimized for local SEO
This includes including your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on your website, and ensuring that it is consistent with your GMB listing.
Create content and engage with customers on social media platforms
By creating valuable content and engaging with customers on social media, you can increase your online presence and visibility.
Get listed in online directories
Listing your business in online directories such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, and Bing Places can help to increase your online presence and visibility.
Optimize Your Website For Local SEO
Include your NAP: Make sure that your business name, address, and phone number are included on your website and that they match the information on your GMB listing.
Include keywords: Use relevant keywords in your website’s content and meta tags to help customers find your business more easily.
Include photos and videos: As with your GMB listing, adding high-quality photos and videos to your website can help customers get a better sense of what your business is about.
Create location-specific pages: If your business serves multiple locations, create location-specific pages to help customers find the nearest location.
Monitor and Track Your Progress
Once you have optimized your GMB listing and increased your online presence, it’s important to monitor and track your progress.
By monitoring your GMB listing, website traffic, and customer engagement, you can identify areas for improvement and make adjustments as needed. This will help you to understand how customers are finding your business and what is working well, and what needs to be changed.
Tools And Methods For Monitoring And Tracking Progress
Google Analytics
You can use Google Analytics to track your website traffic and see how many people are finding your business through GMB.
GMB Insights
GMB Insights is a feature within GMB that provides data on how customers are interacting with your listing, including views, clicks, and direction requests.
Social media analytics
You can use the analytics provided by social media platforms to track engagement and reach on your social media profiles.
How To Use Analytics To Identify Areas For Improvement
By monitoring and tracking your progress, you can identify areas for improvement and make adjustments as needed. For example, if you notice that your GMB listing is getting a lot of views but few clicks, you may need to optimize your listing further. If you find that your website traffic is low, you may need to improve your website’s SEO or increase your online presence. By using analytics to identify areas for improvement, you can make data-driven decisions that will help you to improve your GMB ranking and increase your online visibility.
By following the above tips, you can optimize your GMB listing, get more positive reviews, increase your online presence, and monitor your progress. By doing so, you will improve your GMB ranking and make it easier for customers to find your business.
