As a business owner whose business is fully transiting to the digital space and making online transactions, it’s important to have your business being found by both existing and potential customers. Google My Business offers businesses the importance of localized search, or local SEO, when a searcher searches for a particular keyword related to your business, then related businesses display to the searcher.
Google My Business is a free online and mobile app that connects businesses and customers in a way that makes it possible for sales transactions to be made. From making it easy for digital businesses to instantly and directly communicate with their customers, to creating a medium where potential leads(customers) find new businesses that fit their interests. Regardless of your size, or niche, Google my business is a great digital tool and business directory that helps you grow your local consumers, boost your online marketing or consumer shopping culture. An interesting survey done by Bright Local found that with Google My Business (GMB), the average business receives 1,009 customer searches each month, with 84% of these coming from discovery searches, and the remaining 16% from direct.
Here are the few reasons why you need a Google my business account:
Increases your Business Visibility:
Visibility is one of the biggest reasons why your business needs a business account. When a potential customer searches for a product or service on Google, the first three listings are usually Google Adwords advertisements, followed by a map with the Local 3-pack, then the organic results appear. Literally, Google My Business is a tool that puts you on the global map, when searchers search with keywords related to your business. Google is at the center of the internet and has a market share of over 88% as a search engine, according to Statista. Google receives over 63,000 searches per second with an average of 3-4 searches each day per person which means that Google is your greatest asset as a business owner.
When a searcher hasn’t figured a brand near them, which they wish to purchase from, they usually look for relevant keywords of interest. This simply means that your business has to be visible for online search to capture their attention and stand out from your competition. For instance, a potential customer can be looking for a “cake shop near ikeja,” and if your business has listed on Google my business, it will increase your chances of popping out on Google’s first page as one of the cake shops near ikeja. GMB listings get priority on the first page of local Google searches and Maps queries.
To communicate better with your target customers:
Google My Business lets you share your business information and keep your customers informed and educated simultaneously. When your business is listed on Google My Business, important information concerning your business such as phone numbers, addresses, websites, and social media will be updated on Google, and keeps your existing and new customers on the loop. Having such information encourages people to reach out to you and discover more about what your business has to offer.
Free Google Advertising:
Google My Business is one of the ways a business can promote what they offer and get it on the first page of Google. It is a better marketing tactic than running a Google Ads campaign, which requires a budget. Having your business listed on Google my business is another way to improve your SEO, but this takes time to build your authority and ranking. Google My Business listing is, however, a faster and cheaper way to get targeted exposure on the biggest search engine. Creating, claiming, and verifying your listing does not cost you anything and you take less time to optimize your profile.
A Google My Business listing puts your business in front of many potential leads and gives them easy access to your contacts, direction, website, and hours off operation – all at no cost. Therefore, having such a valuable resource without incurring any costs can allow you to direct your resources to other areas of your business.
Helps you with your traffic and sales:
A google my business listing can boost your traffic and sales. According to Google, by having a Google My Business listing, businesses are 70% more likely to attract local visits from browsing users. The multiple verification steps that every business must complete before appearing in local searches create trust among customers, and hence, you’re likely to see a significant increase in sales.
To build trust with customers’ reviews:
Reviews are an influential factor when customers are making a purchasing decision. Nearly 90% of customers read online reviews to evaluate the quality of a local business, and most customers always choose the product with the highest reviews. This is great exposure for your business when customers can leave reviews of their experience with your business. With a google my business profile where customers can leave reviews, it will be easy to convince your customers that you’re the right choice for them, people can only trust you from face value from what real customers have to say about you. People are more willing to trust customers over your brand because reviews build trust and confidence among customers.
Gain Customer Insights to improve your business:
With a google my business account, you can get customer insight from your listing which can be used to improve your business. Google’s GMB insight focuses on how customers find your listing on Search and Maps, and what they do after they find it. This data includes information like: How many views your listing had, how and where customers find your listings, actions customers take on your listings, and other interactions customers have with your GMB listing.
Enhances your Local SEO
If you are a business who is looking to expand globally or a business that ships worldwide, then having a google my business account is your best bet to increase your business’s local rank. Google My Business is an essential local SEO tool that enables your business listing to appear in local search results for queries specific to your product or service.
Offers Real-time Replies:
Google has a messaging feature that allows you to chat directly with potential customers who find your profile on their search results page. The feature enables you to quickly answer questions in real-time and help your current and potential customers with any of their queries.
When you activate the messaging feature, users visiting your page will see a clickable Message icon, where they can initiate a chat. You will be able to respond to the messages through SMS or Google’s messaging app.
Allows you to Share Offers and Events:
With google my business listing, it’s easier for your business to promote any new upcoming events, offers or discounts. Frequently post new offers, discounts, or even special events can make your business stand out from competitors and come up in more customer searches.
Customers can Find your physical location easily:
Google My Business makes it simple for your customers to find the exact location of your business on Google Maps and not having to rely on word of mouth directions .Without it, there is a possibility you might lose a potential customer who is looking forward to purchase from your business, who finds it difficult to locate your business.
Conclusion
There are many ways google My Business listings can help you manage your business contact information, interact with your customers and get them to find and contact you. The reasons are endless, even helps you find your targeted people in a small geographical location, where your business is located. It is one step on how you can take your business ahead.