Why Google My Business is Important

“Location Location Location” is the famous tip and factor historically used for real estate and businesses. Consider Brooks Brothers or Macy’s (Meier & Frank), they started off as family business with a service that traveled. Over time they developed a large enough clientele which justified the notion of building a physical presence where instead of long travels by foot, auto or by mail-order, the reverse happened: the masses traveled to one (and sometimes multiple) destination(s) in order to conduct business. The benefit? As locations were identified, more and more people showed up and more business was conducted. Today we live in a similar world where destinations and locations are re-directed through technology. Where Amazon has taught the world a different way to spend money (online), Google has taken artificial intelligence to another level. Among other things, Google has created a way for the consumer to locate a business, gain insight on a business, and track the destination time it takes to drive there. Just as we know that it has it’s fingers in every part of the online pie; Google added a tool called Google My business offering a core element of local SEO. If you are a business and you have not set your GMB yet, put it on your ‘to-do’ list for 2020. It is a free service that will make your business stand out. Let me get into the details.

About Google My Business and why it is important for your business:

GMB allows your business information to appear before that first search result. Your listing can be incredibly detailed, and information from it can be output by Google into a variety of very important places with high online visibility. This is especially important for local businesses in competitive industries.

What is Google My Business Useful for:

When users search for localized keywords or terms using Google, they’re presented with relevant local business results, all tailored to the search term used. These searches can happen in a variety of places, including:

·        Google app search

·        Google search in third-party browser or Google Chrome (mobile/desktop)

·        Google Maps in mobile/desktop browser

·        Google Maps app

·        Google Home voice search

·        Google Assistant Voice search

Let’s say you want to get a hot stone massage in the Tigard, Oregon area. When someone searches for “hot stone massage near Tigard, Oregon” you are going to want your business to appear in the results provided by Google, as this is someone looking for a business like yours in the area. This is where your Google business listing (as a separate entity to your website) comes in. GMB will generate a list of companies based on the search parameters. When you set up your GMG listing, in addition to the wider visibility you get, you’ll have access to Google My business Insights. Combining this with your website’s Google Analytics data creates a powerful overview of how people find your website and listing and the actions they take afterword.

The takeaway here is that competition is rife, no matter where your location is and no matter what niche your business is. Having GMG is crucial to your business, and it is key that you have the local SEO tools on hand to help you understand your local search presence.