“Google it!” We’ve heard it. We’ve said it. We are all familiar with Google.
From a business standpoint, the importance of a Google My Business profile (sometimes referred to as GMB) cannot be understated. It is integral for every business, large and small, brick-and-mortar, and those that operate exclusively online.
You may be curious why having a Google My Business profile is important. Google controls about 93% of the search engine market share across the world. That means if people are searching the web, they’re almost certainly googling.
Google directs people to businesses they may otherwise not have found and connects companies to decision makers that can elevate their status from good to great.
When considering why it’s important to have a Google My Business profile, consider the impact of instantly establishing trust, increasing your online visibility, and improving your SEO results.
What Is a Google My Business (GMB) Profile?
A Google My Business profile is a short profile where your business will appear in local search results.
You can display pertinent information about your business, such as location, hours of operation, and contact details. A link to your website can also be listed to attract web traffic.
There are even features available to link upcoming events or articles. With a GMB profile, you choose how you are seen in Google searches and Maps and even accept online orders.
Plus, it’s free!
Instantly Establish Trust and Credibility
When people search for your business, knowingly or otherwise, they begin their relationship with your brand. One of the reasons why it’s important to have a Google My Business profile is to be in control of that first impression you make on potential customers.
When information about a business is difficult to find, confusing, or inconsistent, it turns away potential leads from engaging further and discourages potential customers seeking your products or services.
There’s also the possibility that your business is not getting fair or even accurate information posted about it online. Without claiming your GMB profile, you will not be notified about reviews of your business or any information listed that is inaccurate or outdated that you would otherwise have the chance to address or correct.
Having a Google My Business profile lets you speak for yourself. You can visit your profile anytime to edit information or see how many people have seen or clicked on your listing. There’s even a Q&A feature that can connect you with your community. What better way to start a relationship of trust and competence than by being available and transparent with people from the second they’ve found you in a search?
Start with trust. Build a reputation for being clear, informative, and up-to-date as a business.
Increase Your Online Visibility
Since the Google algorithm is directly linked to your company’s SEO, a Google My Business Profile puts you in a position to improve your visibility by optimizing your profile. With a GMB profile, your reviews and location improve your chances of being seen.
When questioning why it’s important to have a Google My Business profile, an immediate asset is the ability to be seen in Google Maps. More and more search queries are based on geography, which makes sense. With the immediacy of information available in search engines like Google, searching “restaurant near me” or “law office near me” is an efficient and concise way to get relevant results.
Whether or not you know it, you’re first being shown businesses that have a GMB profile. In fact, it’s got a cyclical benefit. A GMB profile improves your local SEO, and a local business listing is more likely to appear when people search using Google Maps.
Engaging with feedback from your community is another reason why it’s important to have a Google My Business profile. With a profile, you can see, respond to, and contact people who leave you reviews. Reviews add to your credibility as a business. While branding yourself with legitimacy is integral to successfully running a business, reviews also benefit your SEO. The Google algorithm favors reviews, and it increases your ranking in search results. Simply put, reviews on your GMB profile improve your likelihood of being seen.
Improve Your SEO Results
Google uses vivid phrases and keywords to help users find relevant businesses in search results.
Like traditional website SEO, implementing these keywords and relevant phrases in your content improves your visibility. Therefore, it’s essential to add keywords that match your brand and services to help potential clients find your business in all places possible. These include in your business description, your comments, and your posts.
So take advantage of the profile tools like Q&A, Messaging, and GMB posts to consistently put yourself in the best position to be seen and to build credibility.
The importance of your search engine results page rank increases daily. More people are becoming less likely to keep scrolling and instead choose to click and engage with top results.
That is the difference between making a connection, completing a sale, or doing business by augmenting your GMB profile.
Have You Claimed Your GMB Profile Yet?
As our world becomes more insular and our online activity becomes increasingly targeted toward our habits, it’s integral for businesses to stay current on all of the opportunities available to them to gain and maintain people’s attention.
With Google’s ever-present impact on our daily lives, it’s essential to think seriously about the benefits your company can garner from establishing trust from the get-go, increasing your online visibility, and improving your SEO with a Google My Business profile. All of this is at your fingertips when you make a profile with a few simple clicks, totally for free.
When considering why it’s important to have a Google My Business profile, remember you have everything to gain and nothing to lose, so make an account today.
Have more questions about your current SEO strategy? Schedule a free strategy session with Med Spa Marketing Method today to learn more about how we help businesses augment their online presence for true success.
