Optimise Google My Business
For shops, local service providers and restaurants, a well-developed marketing concept is becoming increasingly important. While word of mouth and flyers served well in the past, nowadays more comprehensive measures are needed to attract the target group.
As a regionally active company, you should first and foremost rely on Google My Business to raise your profile and attract walk-in customers. With the help of this tool, you have the opportunity to fight your way to the top position in the search results and to successfully conduct online marketing.
Yet Google My Business is still a highly underrated tool and rarely used. In the competition on the local business market, however, it can make all the difference and lead to improved brand awareness for your business. Our team at seofolgreich takes you by the hand and helps you to generate loyal customers with Google My Business.
- More organic traffic
- More requests
- Better visibility
What exactly is Google My Business ?
Google My Business is perhaps better known to you as Google Places or Google Plus Local. Behind the different terms lies a free free platform or interface with the help of which regional businesses can present themselves on Google. It is to be understood as a kind of management tool that bundles the various services of the search engine.
With a Google My Business entry, regional companies are registered in Google's digital business directory and can provide targeted information information. For example, details of the business can be published and the own location can be marked in Google Maps.
When an Internet user starts a Google search, your entry appears as an ad in the right-hand side of the SERPs. Thanks to the clever placement and the eye-catching design, the entry immediately catches the eye of the user and increases the probability of customer acquisition.
Info: When developing your website, you should make sure that the content is also accessible and easy to read for mobile devices. The majority of internet users nowadays use their smartphones to search for information, products and services. If you have optimised your company homepage for mobile devices, this increases your chances of acquiring customers.
Online walk-in customers
Online walk-in customers
Online walk-in customers
How Google My Business works
Whereas in the past one had to rely on leafing through long telephone directories, nowadays the search for a suitable provider is much easier. With just a few clicks, the search engine is set in motion and delivers results within seconds. Through the Google My Business tool, customers find your company directly and can get a first impression of your service.
Advantages of Google My Business
Digitalisation has led to the majority of marketing activities being moved into the virtual space. After all, the internet makes it possible to reach customers regardless of time and place and thus to address a larger group of customers in a targeted manner. However, the great potential of the World Wide Web is now being used by so many companies that individual businesses are drowning in the mass of competitors. The Google My Business entry ensures that your web presence is well visible in the search results. As a result, you can increase your reach and, in particular, draw the attention of walk-in customers to your existence and activities.
Reaching the target group better
If the Google My Business listing is well designed, it adds to your professionalism and promotes the trust that customers have in your brand and services. In addition, the outbreak of the corona virus has contributed to consumers increasingly distancing themselves from global players and large corporations and instead focusing on regional offerings. Google My Business makes it possible for you to present yourself as a local provider and to push yourself into the consciousness of the local target group.
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How SEO can successfully optimise the Google My Business entry
The relevance of Google My Business for Local SEO is well known. For this reason, in 2021 it is no longer enough to have a Google My Business entry - you must optimise your Google My Business to the maximum! All kinds of instructions can be found on the internet on how to fill out the Google My Business profile and enrich it with information. In fact, however, mere information is no longer enough to gain entry into the Local 3 Pack. You need to constantly update your Google My Business profile and promote it with strategic measures. On your own and without prior knowledge, this is an almost impossible task. However, with the active support of SEOfolgreich, it is possible for you to optimise your Google My Business and get the well-deserved reach. In the following section, we show you the steps we take to give your Google My Business profile the boost it needs.
Attract walk-in customers online. With Local Listing Marketing for your local business
Google My Business Profile Fill out correctly
The first step is to create a Google My Business account, which is linked to the company profile. The next step is to fill out the profile. A complete and well-designed entry can help to influence your own Google ranking.
Furthermore, as the amount of information increases, so does the attractiveness of your company. First, you should focus on the basic elements of your profile:
- Company name
- Address
- Contact details such as e-mail, telephone number, fax
- Link to the website
- Opening hours
- Products and services
- Categories
- FAQ (both consumer and owner generated questions and answers)
- Contributions
- Reviews
Attract walk-in customers online. With Local Listing Marketing for your local business
Company description
The company description that is displayed to users for your business profile is beyond your control. The descriptive summary is automatically generated by Google and ensures the consistency and credibility of the platform. You can influence the description, which is located under the "From Business" item in the Google My Business dashboard.
When creating your profile, you should focus on including the key elements in the first 250 characters. It should contain keywords that strike at the heart of your target audience and boost the appeal of your profile. Use all 750 characters, but avoid repetition and paraphrasing. Rather, refer to your unique selling proposition and explain why the customer should choose YOUR services over others.
Tip: Entries can be edited afterwards - so there's no need to panic. Nevertheless, make sure that you do not change your data before verifying the Google My Business profile so as not to slow down the process unnecessarily.
Attract walk-in customers online. With Local Listing Marketing for your local business
Regular new posts
With Google Posts, you still have the opportunity to give your Google My Business entry new momentum. Through regular references to events, sales, new collections or brand-new services, you can optimise your Google My Business and make your offer palatable to potential customers. Blogposts can be generated by logging into your account and following the link "Posts". You can then choose between different formats such as text, images and videos.
The design of the posts can be equated with social media publications. It requires a certain regularity, an apt choice of words and attention-grabbing media to achieve the desired effect. Our team of experts specialises in content marketing and knows how to initiate the desired effects.
Tip: Unfortunately, your posts are not immortal. After seven days, they are archived in lower sections and only appear when you click on "Show all". So make sure that you constantly deliver new content.
Attract walk-in customers online. With Local Listing Marketing for your local business
The product catalogue and offers & discounts
As already mentioned, Google does not want the company name in the GMB entry to be extended with place names or industry details. However, if it is not clear from your business name in which sector you operate, it can be helpful to use the Google My Business product catalogue.
In this section you can list products and services and enrich them with valuable information. Price, descriptions and images will give searchers a concrete idea of your service and make them more willing to visit your premises.
Offers and discounts have proven to be an effective way to convert visitors into buyers. This clever approach is made possible by Google My Business. If you want to convince users to give you a follow on Google Maps, you can entice them with a special welcome offer.
Note: The private accounts of the clients remain anonymous despite Follow. However, if the clients take advantage of the welcome offer, you will get access to the name.
Attract walk-in customers online. With Local Listing Marketing for your local business
Questions and answers
Many entrepreneurs do without the question-answer function that Google My Business offers. In fact, not only the owner of the Google My Business listing can answer questions asked by customers, but also other users. It is often feared that negative reviews could damage the reputation of the business and thus reduce sales.
In fact, however, it is evident that this special FAQ section has an authentic effect and that potential customers are more willing to make use of the services offered. As a rule, visitors are well aware that not every negative comment is justified and that tastes differ. For this reason, you should seize this opportunity and use the feedback from customers to improve your customer service.
Attract walk-in customers online. With Local Listing Marketing for your local business
Google My Business Reviews use
There are many factors that control the buying behaviour of customers. Ultimately, however, customers place the greatest value on the opinions of other buyers. For this reason, the well-known search engine now focuses heavily on reviews to determine ranking: The companies with solid star ratings and positive reviews occupy the Local 3 pack.
Furthermore, Google considers it positive if relevant keywords are included in the comments. If you want to boost your ranking, we recommend the following procedure:
- Ask loyal customers to leave a Google review.
- Speak to customers directly or send an email with a link.
- Respond to the feedback. Your answers show that there is a person behind your company.
Attract walk-in customers online. With Local Listing Marketing for your local business
Google My Business with Google Ads Link
Google My Business has an interface to AdWords Express. This is the light version of Google Ads. Within a few minutes, you can place advertisements that are billed by CPC - cost-per-click.
If you decide to place an ad, you can choose between different strategies that pursue three different goals:
- Customer calls to the company
- Visits to the shop
- Actions on the company website
You can then select the region and company categories and fill the ad with content. Last but not least, you set a budget that you are willing to spend in a certain number of days. This slimmed-down version of Google Ads is fast and handy, but not very transparent in terms of conversions.
The voices of our customers speak for us
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Patrick Zumstein
fischer-ebikes.ch/
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Samira Dalnodar
soulwellness-muenchen.de
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"Thanks to seofolgreich, I have made it into the top 3 on Google with my website, both in normal search and on Maps (I'm at one there 🙂 ) a local seo investment that pays off. I get enquiries about it every week."
Maria Boger
mariaboger.com
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About SEOfolgreich - Your sparring partner for Local SEO
Telephone directories are dying out - and conversely, the majority of local service providers act stepmotherly when it comes to their local online visibility. That's exactly what we're changing for you.
Christoph Woodpecker
Founder & SEO Expert
Timo Woodpecker
Founder & SEO Expert
Nick Behn
Founder & SEO Expert
SEOfolgreich is the result of 10 years of SEO experience combined in our very successful team of experts.
While search engine optimisation is labelled as seemingly the most unspectacular, long-winded and underestimated online marketing discipline, we have purposefully optimised more than 1000 websites in the last 10 years, both our own and those of our clients, and built several companies to 100% via organic visibility on Google.
What we enjoy is the process of "turning the tables" - slowly but surely drawing attention to ourselves with confident, realistic understatement. That - SEO - is our nature.
We are talking about the moment when sober SEO turns into an enquiry, turnover and success guarantor.
The moment when you, as an apparent underdog, rise to become an opinion leader and...
This is how a cooperation with us works
You want more local visibility for more customer enquiries? Then we can help you! Fill out the contact form and request a no-obligation consultation.
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Frequently asked questions about our Google My Business optimisation
How much does the Google My Business entry cost?
Why does a Google My Business entry already exist for my company?
Why don't I see my listing in Google search results?
There are several reasons why your Google My Business listing may not appear in search results:
- Google does not yet have your PIN confirmation.
- Editing your company data can slow down publication.
- Your business exists on Google Maps, but your ranking is at the bottom.
- Your information violates the Google guidelines.
How do I get to the first place on Google Maps?
Fill out your profile completely and in detail. Make sure that all information from the web matches the information provided in the Google My Business listing. Enrich your listing with images, videos, reviews, FAQs and comments. Regular posts also show that you are active and will boost your position.
What is the Google Local Pack?
In connection with Google My Business, the term "Google Local Pack" comes up again and again. This term simply refers to the search results with regional relevance. The pack consists of three SERPs that are presented directly below the paid ads according to the location. Your goal should be to reach this top position in order to boost your visitor numbers.
Notice: Whereas seven places used to be displayed in the Google Local Pack, the search engine now limits itself to the 3-pack. Businesses that were not able to get the highly coveted places are hidden behind the "More Places" button.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO and Google My Business are inextricably linked. If you want to have a lasting influence on Google search queries, the full potential of both areas must be exploited.
Google My Business can be subordinated to Local SEO measures, as it is a means to achieve the overall goal of Local SEO: to appear at the top of search queries with regional relevance. Accordingly, Local SEO is about performing optimisations that help local businesses rank better in Google.
Improve local visibility
In 2007, Google began to gradually introduce local search. The search engine recognised that search queries increasingly had a regional reference:
- 45 percent of Google users search for local information.
- Two-thirds of Americans use mobile devices to access local businesses, shops, restaurants and institutions.
- 71 per cent of respondents in a study said they use the internet to find out the address before visiting a shop.
- Half of smartphone owners use the local search to look up information about the company.
- Almost 90 per cent of users need to use local search for businesses on a weekly basis - 58 per cent on a daily basis.
These facts and figures show that the majority of internet users search for information specifically in order to actively seek out a regional business. So if you don't invest time and effort in Local SEO, you're letting a lot of potential customers slip through your fingers.
Use Google My Business for local SEO
Google My Business has primarily proven helpful for small and medium-sized businesses to hunt for customers. The businesses can draw the attention of customers to their own products and services and actively attract walk-in customers. With the help of their own location, SMEs gain a decisive advantage over large corporations and have the opportunity to turn visitors into loyal customers.
Even Google points businesses to Google My Business and recommends using the management tool to promote one's own visibility. Furthermore, Google My Business is considered a well-known ranking factor of the search engine and improves the ranking within Google Search.
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