How to increase local business with this FREE tool

Blackboard showing current trends in website development and design features

Do you want more local business?

Want your business to come up on page 1 of Google search?

One of the best and easiest ways to increase your Google ranking and attract local business is through Google My Business. Here is your STEP BY STEP GUIDE to set up Google My Business.

Firstly you might be wondering, what is Google My Business?

Google My Business is a free tool for business owners to manage their online presence across the Google suite of websites, including Google Search, Mobile Search, Local Search and Google Maps. It allows you to create, verify and edit a business listing in Google without needing to do any extra work to your website or to implement a search engine optimisation strategy.

Why you need a Google My Business account

  • Google My Business makes it easier for customers to find your physical location.
  • Creating a Google My Business account can drastically increase your search visibility.
  • Google My Business lets you display useful information and makes it easy for your customers to leave reviews.
  • A Google my Business account is completely FREE

How to set up a Google My Business account

STEP 1 – Simply sign-in to Google My Business


STEP 2 – Add your business name and hit NEXT


STEP 3 – Choose the category that fits your business best and hit NEXT


STEP 4 – Edit whether you would like to show up on Google Maps and hit NEXT


STEP 5 – Add your address and hit NEXT


STEP 6 – Advise if you also serve customers outside of this location. Choose the category that fits your business best and hit NEXT

OPTIONAL – Add the other areas your serve


STEP 7 – Add your business contact details to show customers and hit NEXT


STEP 8 – Finish and manage this listing and hit FINISH


STEP 9 – Select how you would like to verify your business

NOW YOU’VE DONE THE BASICS!

To make sure your Google listing is effective, it’s important you put in as much information as possible.

From your Google My Business dashboard, you will have a variety of options to explore. I’d suggest going through each area and making sure you have compiled as much information as possible.

Ensure you have:

Verified your business as soon as you receive notification from Google.

Under INFO – Add your operating hours, appointment links, products, services, highlights, business description and photos!

TIP – Consistently adding photos and getting customers to add photos helps improve your listing.  

Get as many reviews as you can. Google reviews are one of the BEST ways to improve your Google ranking and your Google My Business profile is more likely to show higher on the map listing the more reviews you have.

My advice is to set up your profile and add as much information as possible and then have a strong focus and strategy on how you will increase your customer reviews!

If you have any questions or don’t have the time to do this yourself contact me for some help.

Hilde – Director of Marketing – hello@digitalmarketinghub.com.au

P.S If you want to find your Google Review link, simply go to your Google My Business Dashboard and you’ll see a box with Share review form. This will give you links you can share across multiple platforms to get reviews. I suggest putting it in as many places as possible and having a system in place where at a certain point of their customer journey, you ask for reviews!

LIKED THIS BLOG – leave us a review


Hilde

Hilde is digital marketing specialist who developed Get Active Online back in 2008 where her digital marketing journey began. She has a passion for helping business owners learn the skills needed to take control of their marketing.