Google My Business - Why Is It So Important?

Did you know that according to a study quoted by the Local Marketing Institute, only 44% of local retailers have claimed a Google My Business listing? By not having a Google My Business listing you could be missing out on its many benefits.

Google My Business is important because it allows you to easily manage your business information across Google’s suite of products, including Maps and Search. When customers search for a business online, they are more likely to find accurate information about that business if it has an up-to-date Google My Business listing. This ensures that customers have the right contact information, hours of operation, and other essential details.

Improve Search Engine Optimisation

Google My Business also helps businesses to boost their search engine optimisation (SEO) efforts by appearing in local searches for relevant keywords. Whenever a customer searches for something related to your business or industry, having an updated Google My Business listing can give you a better chance of being found.

Branding and Online Presence

Google My Business is an important part of your online branding and presence. The benefits are endless: it helps you get more customers, enquiries or website traffic, provides valuable insights on what people think about when they visit our business,  plus it allows us to influence them with our great reviews!

If that's not enough, then consider how Google will help discover information related specifically towards search queries when you are listed as one (or several) entries found near top positions in ranking tables.

Read on to find out more about Google My Business and why you’d simply be crazy not to invest in a listing!

Why Do I Need Google My Business?

Google My Business is a free and easy way to get your business listed on the internet’s most popular search engine. It provides customers with an additional point of interest by providing them information about where they can find you, what time you are open, as well as other details that would interest someone looking into doing business with you.

Get your Business account seen on Google Search

Google My Business (GMB) is a valuable tool that allows you to promote your business through a Google search and Google Maps. If you use Google, you may have come across it before without realising it. It’s particularly useful for increasing your visibility in local search results for businesses like yours, or for providing quick and easy access to information about your business.

When your business profile appears to someone, it’s most likely for two reasons.

1. They’re already aware of your business and need to find information about you quickly (such as opening times, phone number etc.)
2. They’ve discovered your business in a local area search (for example, “web designers near me”).

Let’s take a look at what happens when we search for a business nearby. We typed “PS Website Design Ilkley” in Google and found the following result:

Appear on Google Maps

At a quick glance, we can see where it is located on the map with a link to some images of the business. You can directly access the website, get directions, call them or save the listing.

Further down, you can get an idea of the reviews they receive on Google - by using the visual elements of stars, it helps people to make a decision about a business at a glance. You’ll also be able to see whether they are currently open, including any irregular opening hours such as Bank Holidays or over the Christmas period.

In addition to this, you’ll also notice further down the page the data on popular times, snippets of some reviews and what people also search for locally:

Other elements are available too if they’re applicable to your business, such as appointment bookings or whether a restaurant provides takeaway and delivery services. If set up, you can also decide to include a little bit about your business.

Business Listing

As you can see, it’s very much orientated towards connecting people to your business and it’s especially useful when people are considering visiting or contacting you.

The Google My Business listing will also appear in local searches, such as “Web site designers Ilkley”. In this particular example, you’ll be taken to a snippet of Google Maps that presents a few listings:

Clicking on PS Website Design, for example, will take you to a listing very similar to the first example, but will include a map to show you the location of the shop.

So why do I need Google My Business?

Besides offering key information about your business, there are several other reasons why you’d be crazy not to take advantage of this business tool right now.

Reinforce your Presence on Google

46% of all searches have local intent. This means people are looking for products, shops or services near them (or in a local area that they intend to visit). GMB listings, if relevant to a user’s search, will always appear on the first page of Google and towards the top of the page. And since the top three results usually get roughly 75% of all clicks, a GMB listing above the organic search results is a great way to increase clicks to your website.

A listing also adds your business location to Google Maps so that when someone searches for a business like yours in your area, you’ll be visible alongside your competitors.

Cheap and Fast

Running Google Ads or SEO campaigns are effective methods of achieving your business goals through Google, but they both require more time and larger monetary investments. A GMB listing is much quicker to set up and optimise,  and can even be approved by Google within a matter of days.

More Visits

According to a study by Nectafy, 88% of consumer local business searches resulted in either a call or visit to the business within 24 hours when using a mobile device. That’s 88%! If you’ve not got a Google My Business listing yet, just imagine what you could be missing out on.

Insights

Using Google My Business also offers valuable data on the performance of your listing, such as how many people found your listing, how they found it and what they did next (go to your website, called your business etc. All useful information to understand how people are getting in touch!

Influence People with Reviews

You’re more likely to use a service or product recommended by someone else than one that you’ve never heard of before. Google My Business helps to amplify this word of mouth by publicly displaying reviews. These are highly influential when people make decisions and having nothing to show only puts you at a disadvantage.

Voice Search

Google My Business also works with voice assistants such as Google Home and Siri. This means that as people are increasingly relying on voice search to find what they’re looking for, your Google My Business listing can appear in their search results too.

Try saying "PS Website Design opening hours" in to your voice search. Clever eh? With google voice search on the increase is important that your business can be found.

Ready to take action?

What's not to love about a tool that doesn't cost you any time or money but gives you greater exposure? Now you are in the know about Google My Business it's time list your business. Give it a go, and if you need assistance creating and verifying your own Google My Business listing, feel free to get in touch with the team. We'd be happy to help!