Google My Business: Ultimate Guide

Google My Business can help your business succeed online. With Google Analytics, you’ll know exactly how well your website is doing and what are the most successful strategies to improve it. This guide will teach you everything about the tool from setting up a profile to understanding its reporting capabilities.

Google My Business is a free online platform for publishing information about your business, such as your location, phone number, and ratings. Google will show information from your My Business account when people search for your business, goods, or services on Google Search or Google Maps. This increases a company’s visibility among local Google users.

How Does Google My Business Work?

When consumers search for a company, GMB listings display in Google search results and on Google Maps. To get started, create a Google My Business account and authenticate it, then fill in your company’s information and keep it up to date by posting updates, responding to customer inquiries, and monitoring reviews.

Google will ask you to authenticate your company when you create your account and will help you through the process. From your GMB dashboard, you may add business photographs, descriptions, characteristics, categories, hours of operation, posts, and website URL after you’ve validated your account. By signing into your Google My Business account, you may view the dashboard. Google will publish this information to your live business listing page after you’ve added it.

Once your page is up, keep it updated so that consumers or the general public don’t spot information gaps or outdated data and attempt to fill them in with erroneous information. Check your account on a regular basis to maintain the correctness of your listing. Also, look at your statistics to see how people engage with your listing, and then alter your content and articles to match the demands of searchers. In addition, to foster favorable interactions, reply to queries and evaluations.

Businesses may sell their brands, goods, or services to people on all devices that utilize these technologies since Google My Business listings display in both Google Search and Google Maps. Businesses can help prospective consumers discover them and persuade them to purchase their goods or services by having a thorough and up-to-date Google My Business profile.

Who Should Use Google My Business?

All companies who wish to boost their visibility in Google search results should use Google My Business. Local companies, on the other hand, will find it especially useful if they want to guarantee that clients in their region discover them through Google searches targeted to their area. Because Google My Business enables you to add several locations where you serve consumers, it’s a good fit for franchises or service businesses that travel to fulfill their clients’ requirements.

The following are the categories of companies that might benefit from a Google My Business page:

• Local brick-and-mortar stores: Google My Business has capabilities for presenting a brick-and-mortar business (such as location images, videos, and customer reviews) as well as telling local consumers how to contact and visit it (via directions to the business, phone and address information, and hours of operation).
• Franchises: Google My Business enables franchise owners to put up numerous locations for their businesses so that when consumers search for their goods, brands, names, or services in one of their store’s vicinities, the nearest business location will appear.
• Businesses that provide services: Google My Business lets business owners designate their service regions by entering states, cities, and ZIP codes. This enables them to precisely target customers who might benefit from the services they provide.

Searchers seeking local items or services may access Google My Business listings. As a result, it’s ideal for companies that cater to local clients who do location-based searches and expect to be able to visit a shop or have a service provider come to them.

Costs of Google My Business

Google My Business is a completely free service. A spot to publish company contact information, a business description, questions and answers about your firm and its offers, and a place for consumers to leave reviews are among the features. It also provides statistics on how people find and engage with your listing.

9 Easy Steps to Create a Google My Business Page

To build a Google My Business listing, you must first create a Google My Business account and then validate it. Add photographs, posts, hours of operation, qualities (such as “free Wi-Fi”), and a description of when the account has been validated. Your page will go live immediately after you’ve finished building it. Encourage and manage reviews from there, as well as reply to consumer inquiries and update your profile with fresh company information and postings as appropriate.

In nine easy steps, you can create your Google My Business page:

1. Register for an account

Go to the Google My Company website to establish an account, then follow the steps to enter your business information, such as contact information, service locations, and category. Finally, confirm your company through email, phone, or letter.

To get started, go to the Google My Business homepage and select “Manage” in the upper right corner. On the following screen, you’ll be prompted for the name of your company. Under the “Business name” tile, type your company’s name. When you click “Next,” you’ll be agreeing to their Terms of Service and Privacy Statement, so read them carefully before proceeding. Then press “Next.”

Creating a Google My Company page using a business name

On the following page, you’ll see places where you may enter your company’s contact information. If you want clients to be able to discover you when they search for your company on Google, you must get this step right. So, input your company’s street address, city, state, and ZIP code, as well as the nation in which your company is located. Make sure there aren’t any mistakes. Then press “Next.”

Adding a business address to Google My Business

“Do you also service consumers outside of this location?” asks the following screen. The phrase “this place” refers to the local vicinity of the address you specified before. If you solely service local consumers, choose “No, don’t.” If you service consumers outside of your location, though, you’ll want to mention which ones so that anyone looking for your company in those locations may discover you. To do so, choose “Yes, I also serve them outside of my location” and then “Next.”

Choosing a location for Google My Business

You may “Add the places you service” on the following page, which enables you to define the ZIP codes, country(ies), state(s), or major city(ies) you are accessible to serve consumers in. Begin entering the locations in which you serve consumers under the “Search and choose areas” field label. Click the area you want to add to your list of service areas when it appears in the pop-up menu.

Repeat the procedure to add other areas to your list if you serve more than one location. Below the field you’re filling in, the updated list will show. Click “Next” after you’ve added all of your service locations.

Choosing a service area for Google My Business

Choosing a category for your Google My Business Page

The next page prompts you to choose a business category. A category tells Google when to show your company when someone searches for it. If you define your company as a pizza restaurant, for example, Google is likely to show your business when someone searches for nearby eateries. To choose a category, first put in the sort of company you run, then choose the one from the pop-up menu that best fits your needs. “Next” should be selected. Google My Business will ask you for further company contact information on the following page, including your business phone number and website URL. Customers will be able to reach you by phone or online if you provide this information. If you don’t have a website, choose “I don’t need a website” or “Get a free website based on your information” if you don’t have one.

If you choose “Get a free website based on your information,” Google will build up a free, basic website for your company under a subdomain such as yourbusiness.business.site. Customers are less likely to trust or remember your website if it doesn’t have a distinctive company domain. As a result, we suggest selecting “I don’t need a website” and creating a new website with a suitable domain. Then press “Next.”

Adding your business’s website and phone number to Google My Business

2. Make sure your Google My Business listing is accurate.

The following page asks you to choose a method for verifying your company. Google will show you the verification choices that your company is qualified for. Email, phone, and mail are all choices depending on your company. We’ll teach you how to validate your company by mail since this method is available to all firms. To do so, just send a postcard to your company address, then enter the code on the postcard into Google.

Google will simply explain what you would get by confirming your company on the first screen. It says, for example, that after your firm has been validated, your Google My Business page will be available on Google Search and Maps, and you’ll be able to modify, monitor, and reply to customer reviews. Simply click “Finish” on this screen.

You’ll be prompted to “Choose a means to validate” your Google My Business profile on the following page. You may verify it through email, phone, or the Google search console, depending on your company. While these are the quickest choices, not all firms have access to them. However, as previously said, all firms may verify through a postcard. Click “None of these alternatives work for me,” then the “Mail” button that comes next to go to this option.

You’ll be brought to a confirmation page right away, stating that “a postcard is on its way” and that you should get it within five days. “Continue” should be selected.

Creating a Google My Business account and verifying it

Sign back into your Google My Business account after you’ve received your postcard in the mail. From the dashboard’s left-hand menu, choose “Verify Location.” Enter the five-digit verification code from your postcard in the code area. “Submit” should be selected. Your account will be validated as a result of this.

3. Add Photos & Videos

You may start submitting material, including media, once you’ve verified your account. In addition to the basic Google Maps 360-degree photographs, Google provides users the option of adding a logo, movies, a cover photo, and company interior shots to their profile. To add these features, go to your right-hand Google My Business dashboard menu and choose “Photos,” then “Choose Photo” under the sort of photo you want to add.

The following are the many sorts of graphics available on Google My Business pages, as well as how to add them:

• When you publish images or comment to reviews, your logo will display as your identifying photo. To add your logo, go to the Logo tile and click “Choose Photo.”
• Choose a cover picture that best represents your company’s distinct value. When customers search for your company on Google search sites and Google Maps, this picture will surface. To add a cover picture, go to the “Cover” tile and click “Choose Photo.”
• Videos: You may upload a short video of up to 30 seconds using the video tool. Videos are excellent for showing a narrative about your company that best reflects what makes it distinctive. Videos are shown on the listing page.
• Interior photographs: These photos should depict the interior of your business as well as the things you sell in order to notify people about your company’s environment and services. Interior photographs, like videos, displayed on your listing page.

Add images in JPG or PNG format with a minimum resolution of 720 x 720 pixels and file size of 10KB to 5MB, according to Google. Videos should be no more than 30 seconds long, have a resolution of 720 pixels or greater, and be no more than 100MB in size.

A picture, logo, or video may be added to a Google My Business listing.

4. Add the number of hours that the business is open

After that, provide other firm details such as hours and a business description. To add hours, go to the main tab of your dashboard and click the pencil next to “Add hours.” Click “Enter description” beneath the “Complete Your Listing” option tile to add a company description. People will know when they may visit your shop or phone your company if you include your hours of operation, and the description will enable you to introduce them to your brand and items.

From the Google My Business dashboard main tab, click the “Add Hours” link. Then, next to each weekday, click the toggle button to indicate whether your firm is open or closed. You’ll be provided lines to enter the times you open and shut when you flip the button to “Open.” If you only open for a few hours throughout the day (for example, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.), you may click “Add hours” next to each day to add extra hours. Click “Apply” when you’re finished.

Adding a Google My Business page’s hours of operation

Include a brief business description.

Return to your Google My Business dashboard’s Home page and choose “Add Description” from the “Complete Your Listing” tile. Add a 750-character or less description that explains why your company is different and what you have to offer clients that your rivals don’t. Because Google only displays the first 250 characters in search results, start with the most crucial information.

To make your description as effective as possible, you’ll need to incorporate the keywords customers use to find your business or products and include a unique mission statement as well. To assemble this information, conduct keyword research and identify your business’s unique value proposition (UVP). Use your research to Include a brief business description. Then, click “Apply.”

Google My Business: Adding a Business Description

Before it is approved and published, Google reviews this company description. Follow Google’s recommended practices when creating your description to maximize your chances of it getting published. Eliminating overtly advertising language, correcting for typos or grammatical mistakes, and avoiding hatred or other objectionable statements are just a few examples. Read Google’s description guidelines to learn more about what they anticipate.

5. Double-check business attributes

Your company’s core traits, characteristics, or offers are described by attributes. Wi-Fi, women-led, and wheelchair-accessible are just a few of the possibilities available. Google My Company suggests qualities for you to confirm based on the category you pick for your business. When you do, a badge appears on your company listing, informing users that the characteristic is applicable. From the GMB dashboard’s “Info” page, you may access, evaluate, and confirm these.

To add a business attribute to your Google My Business listing, go to the “Info” option on the left-hand menu, then “Attributes.” To confirm the already-set qualities for your company, click the plus symbol next to them. After that, click “Apply.”

A Google My Business page’s characteristics may be added.

Within three days of applying your qualities, they should display as badges on your Google My Business listing.

Attribute badges for Google My Business

6. Create New Posts

Your Google My Business accounts may include postings about events, goods, and services. However, since postings are deleted after seven days, it’s critical to publish regularly. In Google search engine results pages, the material you submit will display alongside your company listing. To make a post, go to your dashboard’s right-hand menu and choose “Posts,” then select a post type (update, event, offer, or product).

Select a Post Type

Start by choosing your post type. Click “Posts” from your Google My Business right-hand dashboard menu. Then, select a Post Type by clicking “Make Your Own Post,” then clicking a post-type from the top of the pop-up screen. You can choose an update (also known as “What’s New”), event, offer, or product post. For example, in the below post, we chose “What’s New,” which is often used to showcase a new product launch.

Choosing a Google My Business update or “What’s New” post

You may add the following sorts of postings to your Google My Business account:

• Update: You may include a description, a picture or video, a link, and a call to action button in an update or “What’s New” post. “Book,” “Order Online,” “Buy,” “Learn More,” “Sign Up,” and “Call Now” are examples of call to action buttons.
• CTA: Post a time, date, picture or video, description, event title, and any of the call to action (CTA) buttons shown above to promote an upcoming event.
• Offer: If you pick the “Offer” post option, you may add a picture or video, a description of the deal (20% discount in-store, for example), a start and finish date, a coupon code (if applicable), a link to redeem the offer, and a terms-and-conditions link in your post.
• Product posts; enable you to highlight a product’s name, type, price, and CTA button, such as “Book,” “Order Online,” “Buy,” “Learn More,” “Sign Up,” and “Call Now.” You may either specify a fixed price or a pricing range for your product.

Make Your Own Post

Simply fill out the following form once you’ve decided on your post type. If you choose “What’s New,” for example, you will be prompted to upload a picture, write a description, and include a call to action button.

To begin, click the camera with a plus sign in the center of the huge square at the top of the pop-up screen to upload a picture. Then choose the picture you want to upload by clicking “Select photographs and videos from your computer.” It’s advisable to use a real picture of your company’s items rather than a stock photo. This guarantees that clients are not misled.

Including an image or video in a Google My Business post

Fill in your new product’s dollar price or price range, as well as a description of the new product(s) and a call to action button. In our case, we selected the “Call Now” option (see screenshot below), and Google My Business filled in the business phone number associated with our Google My Business account.

Keep in mind that any images posted to posts must be at least 400 × 300 pixels and 10KB in size, and no more than 10,000 x 10,000 pixels and 25MB in size. The length of a description may be up to 1,500 characters.

After you’ve completed the form and added your picture (or video) and CTA, click “Preview” to see your post and double-check that everything is accurate. Then press the “Publish” button.

Preview of a Google My Business post

7. Encourage & Manage Reviews

It’s critical to promote user evaluations once you’ve uploaded all of the listing material. According to BrightLocal, 85 percent of users trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, and 50% of customers want a 4-star or better rating before purchasing from a company. While Google does not force you to have reviews on your page, it is in your best interest to promote and react to them for the benefit of your company.

Encourage people to write reviews

To encourage people to write reviews, share your review page link with buyers and encourage them to leave a review. Note that businesses cannot solicit Google reviews by offering anything in exchange for them—including goods, services, or monetary incentives. You also can’t offer booths in-store to Encourage people to write reviews. Doing so can get your reviews deleted or disabled, or even get your entire account suspended or deleted. Instead, copy your review page link and share it.

Simply Google your company and click “Write a Review” after you’ve located it to share your review link with consumers. Copy the URL of your review page from the address bar of your browser and put it in copy soliciting reviews on your website, in emails, and on social networking sites.

Respond to Customer Reviews

Sign in to your Google My Business account and choose “Review” from the right-hand menu to read and respond to your reviews. To react to each review, click “Reply.” Click “Post reply” after you’ve finished writing your answer. Responding to customer feedback shows that your organization values its consumers and is concerned about their satisfaction. Thank positive reviewers and provide remedies to bad reviews. This will help your brand get credibility.

8. Respond to Questions & Post Most Commonly Asked Questions (FAQs)

The questions section, which is included at the bottom of your company listing on Google results pages, is essentially a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) area. Make sure to address all of the questions that consumers have asked, and add any that you think are missing. You may respond to queries from consumers. You may also remove responses that others have given that are inaccurate. To guarantee the accuracy, check-in on these questions often and publish, answer, and correct responses.

Simply do a Google search for your company to have access to the concerns that have been raised about it. Find your listing, then scroll down to the bottom of the listing box to the “Questions” section, where you’ll find the option “See all questions.” To view what questions and answers have been posted, click it. You may respond to questions in the response boxes provided, or ask your own by clicking “Ask a question.”

On the desktop version of Google My Business, you may ask and answer questions.

To remove a question from your listing, click the three dots on the right-hand side of the question and choose “Edit” or “Delete” from the drop-down menu. Simply update your question or answer in the pop-up text box, then click the right-facing arrow next to the text box to repost it if you choose “Edit.”

9. Make sure your listing is up to date.

Check your listing often now that you’ve refined it to verify that all information is right and that it’s operating properly. Keep in mind that Google may alter information on your listing if it feels it contradicts information provided elsewhere online, so make sure your information is consistent across all channels. Additionally, visit Google Insights to learn about client engagement with your GMB page to ensure you’re getting the most out of your listing.

Ensure that your information is up to date.

Many small companies make the mistake of establishing a Google My Business page and then neglecting to maintain it. What they don’t know is that anybody with access to their profile may change it, replacing it with inaccurate or unfavorable information. Even Google will update the material if it finds contradictory data elsewhere.

To prevent this, go into your Google My Business account on a regular basis to check and amend your information to guarantee it is still accurate. Additionally, each year or quarter, change your company description and postings to fit your marketing approach. Make sure that any modifications you make to your website and other online company pages are also updated.

Google My Business Insights

Google Insights is a summary report that shows how people discover your listing and engage with it. The types of searches consumers use to locate your listings (company name searches or “near me” searches) and the actions they take are all included in the reports (like clicking your website link, requesting directions, or viewing posts or photos). By selecting the “Insights” option, you may access these reports and evaluate them to learn more about consumer preferences.

Here are some of the reports available in Google Insights:

• The total number of searches is also shown: This report displays the number of individuals that discovered your Google My Company page by searching for your business name or address (direct searches), a category, product, or service you provide (discover searches), or your brand or a connected brand (brand searches) (branded searches).
• Phrases people used: The search query report gives you the phrases people used to reach your business listing on local search and Google Maps. You can discover the most popular search phrases from the previous week, month, or quarter.
• Customers discover you on Google: This report shows how many customers found your company using Google Search and Google Maps. This includes the number of times your listing has been seen in Search and Maps, as well as the total number of times your listing has been viewed in Search and Maps combined.
• Customer activities: This report shows how many people engaged with your listing, including how many visited your website, sought directions to your company, dialed your phone number, and the overall number of actions.
• Direct requests: This is where clients can see where they were when they requested directions to your company. When people ask for directions to your location, the map displays your location as well as the popular areas they are when they ask for directions to your location; these are represented by location pins.
• Phone calls: This report shows how often and how frequently individuals phoned your company after finding it on Google My Business. You may also check phone calls made in the previous week, month, or quarter by using the drop-down option in the upper right-hand corner.
• Images: Photos enable you to know which listing photos visitors saw and how many photos they viewed in total. The graphs indicate the total number of images submitted by owners and their views, as well as the total number of photos shared by customers and their views.
• What your company is known for: Based on customer evaluations, this report shows what your company is recognized for, including widely used descriptive adjectives of its ambiance, goods, and services.

3 Pro Tips for Using Google My Business

Google My Business is a simple tool for listing businesses. To be effective on the platform, though, you must pay special attention to detail and keep your information up to date, which includes often updating your postings and replying to comments and inquiries as they come in. Here’s how the professionals answered when we asked them for further information on how to manage a successful Google My Business page.

The following are the top three strategies for effectively utilizing Google My Business:

1. Begin using Google Posts as soon as possible.

ZipBooks Marketing Manager Rachel Cottam

I strongly advise you to begin utilizing Google posts right immediately. GMB posts are comparable to other social network shares, but they’re a wonderful method to stand out since the site isn’t as crowded yet. For as long as they are relevant, GMB postings are included in the panel box (or for seven days). You may use posts to promote events, advertise sales, publish a current blog or video material, highlight new goods, and more. Get inventive when it comes to including a call to action button in each post.

2. Respond to Every Review & Comment

Jeanne Eury, Marketing Strategist & Google City Partner, 8 Arms Group

Always reply to each and every remark. You should always appreciate someone who takes the time to offer a positive review. Similarly, negative feedback is a chance to demonstrate that you provide excellent customer service. “We’re very sorry your experience wasn’t what either of us would have wanted,” remark in response to a negative review. Please get in touch with us offline to talk about it.”

3. Increase Conversions by Quickly Responding to Questions

Matt Brooks, Co-founder & Marketing Director, Seoteric.com

Q&A is a great way to engage with potential customers. Most people who ask a question are likely to engage based on the answer. Unanswered questions are a missed opportunity to make a connection. Monitor your questions and answers (Q&A) like you monitor reviews. Unlike reviews, the timeliness of the answer can directly affect your ability to convert that potential customer. Getting all your questions answered also leaves great information for the next person who has the same or similar question. They can get the answers they need immediately once the questions are answered.

Most Commonly Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is Google My Business, and how does it work?

Google My Business is a company listing platform that lets you show information about your business on Google Search and Google Maps. A company description, contact information, postings, reviews, and questions and answers are all included in the listings. The platform’s built-in analytics feature, Google My Company Insights, shows you how people search for and engage with your business page, providing you with information you can use to tailor your profile to possible consumer demands.

How do I get my company included on Google Maps?

Create a Google My Business account and follow the steps to give your company contact information, including your business location, to appear on Google Maps.

Is Google My Business a cost-free service?

Yes, Google My Business is a completely free listing service. You may use the platform to display information about your company, images, contact information, reviews, questions and answers, and blog articles. You’ll also get analytics data detailing how your clients engage with your listing. All of these options are completely free to set up and utilize.

Conclusion

Google My Business (GMB) is an online platform that allows businesses to post information about themselves, such as their website, location, phone number, hours of operation, description, and even announcements and updates. Customers will see this GMB business information while searching for the company on Google Search or Google Maps, encouraging them to interact and purchase offered items and services.