3 Ways to Optimize Your Google Business Listings to Get Found Online

More.. Not a Marketing Secret

Hey Small Business Owners – Google Business listings are FREE. They’re simple to set up and very, VERY important for getting your business found online.

If you haven’t yet, you’ll probably want to read this article on Marketing and Google Business too/first.

I did this course on Udemy years ago called “How to Get Found Online for Free”. It’s a bit outdated [okay, it’s super old]. But...

While I was working on the curriculum for a NEW course, I took a few minutes to review that one and was again struck by how far Google MY Business has come. [That’s the old name for Google Business, by the way, and I just can’t seem to stop using it!]

It’s also become much more important to get RIGHT. So if you already have a Business listing here are a few vital basics you should revisit, edit, update and make sure are perfect. 

Business Listing Optimization Tip 1 | Business Description

You need to fill out EVERYTHING here, of course. Address, business hours and your website link are all pretty obvious.

But 3rd from the bottom are 3 horizontal lines that represent a good chunk of what Google will use to identify who you are and what you do for Searchers. 

Here is where you have 750 precious characters to describe your business.

Do not just fill in what comes to mind! Follow these few steps to make sure you get the most out of the words you use:

Check your Keywords in Current Searches

When you click on the Insights tab you will have access to the “new profile performance”. And if you scroll down just a bit, you’ll be offered your Searched breakdown.

That’s a list of phrases that people were searching when the found YOU.  

Are they the terms you want to be found for? What search terms are missing that you WISH you would show up for?

Make a short list of the phrases you see there that you love to see, and ones that you wish were there. Then use those terms in your business description.

Write your Description in Word First

In the lower left corner of MS Word, you see check how many characters you’ve used in what you’ve written. And I just find that using Word makes people take more time and care in getting it right.

Oftentimes when you write something longish IN the application, like Google Business, you end up just trying to get it finished so you can move on rather than taking your time and focusing on THAT task.

Business Listing Optimization Tip 2 | Products and Services

If you have the opportunity to fill something in about your business online, you should do that. 100% of the time. 100% of the filling-out.

And in your business listing you have the opportunity to list both Products and/or Services that your business provides.

So if you sell stuff – fill out all of the product listings you can. And if you sell services do the same. 

But just like for Tip 1, make sure you are thinking about how you name and describe your product or service in relation to how it will be searched for. 

Services:

Here's an example of a Service listing from a local dock builder in the Tampa Bay area - https://tampadock.com.

There's good news AND bad news about creating a Product listing for your business.

You have 300 characters to describe your Service. But you have 1,000 characters to talk about your Product! I think the more characters the better - so that's good news. But not every small business owner is writer, so don't be shy about getting some help.

Maybe take the first draft yourself, then show it to a few people, preferable customers, and see if they think what you're writing is effective. Just think about it as 1,000 opportunities to get Google to send you buyers.

Here's an example of what it looks like when you fill out a Product description. [and btw, if you're looking for a sublimation printer, BestBlanks.com is a great place to shop :)]

And how their Product listings show up on Google Maps

The effort you put in here will definitely be worth it!

Business Listing Optimization Tip 3 | Photos

Use them. Use LOTS of photos and post them on a regular basis.

Here’s what Google says about photo requirements:

• Format: JPG or PNG.
• Size: Between 10 KB and 5 MB.
• Recommended resolution: 720 px tall, 720 px wide.
• Minimum resolution: 250 px tall, 250 px wide.

Quality: The photo should be in focus and well lit, and have no significant alterations or excessive use of filters. In other words, the image should represent reality.

I recommend you don’t worry about getting professional photos done.

If you have them, great, if not you can skip that. 99% of the images that I’ve posted for clients are done on an iPhone or my own Samsung. Any current phone will take amazing pictures, just make sure you have your settings set for the best possible resolution or close to that. 

The Florida School of Woodwork is a great example of using Photos to drive enrollment in their woodworking courses in Tampa

Make sure you add your logo and cover image first. If you do not add your own photos, just by way of motivation, you may end up with the Google Street View image of your address.

And nobody wants that!

But that’s not the only reason to add photos. When a Searcher finds your business profile, they’ll be offered your photos as evidence of what kind of business you are. And that first impression may be a trigger for what they do next.

And as a side benefit Google LOVES it when you post new things on your profile, so every time you add a new picture in the future you may just see a little uptick in phone calls or visits.

2 More Things

The first is that if you have any questions about using GMB feel free to post them below.

The second is that I AM working on a new course for small business owners on how you can do your own marketing. If you’re interested, you can join the wait list and will be notified when it’s ready for you to enroll. You can click here or just visit https://ownermarketingschool.com and I’m sure you’ll find where to sign up!