Is Your Google My Business Listing Complete?

If you haven't logged into your Google My Business in a while or just set it up and have never returned to update anything, you may be surprised to see the changes to your dashboard.

Business owners of verified accounts have new options to add more content to their listings. Some of these new features can not only give their customers a better understanding of what products and services they have, but also to broaden a business' local reach.

Such options include creating a short name & URL for your business, adding products, services - in some industries, even custom services. Messaging can be enabled so that a customer viewing your listing may message you directly with questions so you are able to quickly connect, for free, through text messaging.

Last but not least, did you know you can also create and publish posts on your listings? This feature has been around since the end of 2017, but again if you haven't logged in a while you may not know about it. This is a great way for your customers to find out about new products, offers or specials, events you may be a part of; or just keeping their audience updated about your business.

From what I personally experienced this feature wasn't getting the eyeballs it gets now since G+ is gone. Each time I log in, Google is really pushing the post feature, even showing what business similar are posting and even suggesting that a new review is shared in a post.

Okay, let's move on, now that I shared some of the newest features on a GMB listing, I want to talk about the content you may already have on your GMB listings, which are reviews and photo.

In my last article, I covered reviews, which I consider is Reputation Management, so I won't go into too much of that here other than reminding business owners that you should be aware of what is being said and manage your reviews anywhere they can be found.

According to Bright Local's Local Consumer Review Survey - 86% of consumers read reviews for local businesses (including 95% of people aged 18-34).

Also, did you know customer's reviews (not just GMB reviews but from multiple sources) influence Google rankings for certain keywords? Google gives scores based on positive attributes mentioned in a review for a business, which can help a expand your reach.

In regards to your photos, businesses that add photos to their listings receive 42% more requests for driving directions on Google Maps and 35% more clicks through to their websites than businesses that don’t.

According to a recent BrightLocal insights study - They analyzed GMB Insights of 45,000 businesses in 36 industries across four countries; and found that Businesses with more GMB photos get more website clicks, calls, and requests for directions.

Lastly, here is some food for thought - Did you know that 70% of people search for multiple businesses before making a decision? So providing and updating business information in Google My Business can help your business’s local ranking on Google and enhance your presence in Search and Maps.

Sources: Google's patent- Analyzing user reviews to determine entity attributes, Bright Local, Search Engine Land, Local U