As ubiquitous as Google is, it’s really surprising that one of its most business-supportive products is as overlooked as it is by businesses looking to get a leg up on the competition.
For brick-and-mortar businesses in particular, Google My Business listings can serve as both an extension of your business website and a catalyst for your SEO strategy. Yet many businesses stop short of optimizing their Google My Business presence and fail to capitalize on the volumes of traffic it can send their way.
At it’s simplest, Google My Business is a popular business listings platform, serving as a one-stop informational profile prospective customers and clients can find (even more easily than the business’ website in most cases) that will offer a more objective understanding of the business and its products and/or services. There one can find objective customer reviews, maps and directions to the business and even a click-to-call function to take the next steps to engage with the brand.
The problem for most businesses that even take the time to develop a free profile on the platform is that an effective use of Google My Business does not stop there. As with most marketing tactics, taking a set-it-and-forget-it approach is the wrong approach if you want to get the kind of traffic that the platform can easily deliver.
Think about it. Anyone can setup a Google My Business profile. Each of your brick-and-mortar competitors can do the same and that simply sets everyone at bare minimum. There’s no advantage to that. Effective use of the platform requires optimization strategies that target the keywords you want your business to show up for. Certainly, there are technical strategies, but there are also content strategies that your business can follow. They include frequent posting that targets keyword searches you seek to show for; ensuring your services and products are properly represented in your profile, promotion of reviews from happy customers or clients; and much, much more.
A fully optimized Google My Business profile can generate profits in many ways for your business. It can help quickly educate a potential client that did not previously know much about your business. It can support engagement with your business with quick and easy calls-to-action that help move the needle on conversion. It can serve as a seemingly less-biased online platform when compared to your website, which some customers will take with a grain a salt when it comes to advocating for your business’ value to customers.
These are all factors that businesses should lean into when developing their own marketing strategies. Google My Business strategies are cost-effective when compared to traditional SEO management and serve as a fraction of the expense that paid search strategies like Google AdWords. Even social media advertising doesn’t compare to cost or ROI when compared to Google My Business as a marketing strategy.
So it’s truly bewildering that Google My Business is as neglected as it is. But for those that are managing a competitive Google My Business profile, the benefits can be overwhelming.
If you’d like to learn more about how a consistent and targeted Google My Business strategy can support your bottom line, call the Proctor Digital team at 773.664.5819 and see what our strategists can do for your business.