Why GMB is Important

aka Google my Business

One of the fantastic services we offer our clients when developing a website for them, is registering their company with Google My Business. But a common question that I get in response to this is, What is Google My Business and why is it so important?

Google My Business (or GMB and formerly known as Google Places for Business) offers companies a great opportunity to appear in Google search results – the best thing about this is, listing are free!

What is a Google My Business Listing Page?

As the name implies, Google My Business allows you to create a business listing on either Google Maps and/or local search results. It provide the necessary information customers need to visit your site or store, contact your company or read up on reviews.

You can display important information about your business, including the opening/closing times, contact details, a link to your website or products and services. More recently Google has also released a new feature allowing you to post a link to articles or up and coming events.

Google is the world’s most popular search engine with an amazing search market share of more than 70%. Creating a GMB account on Google makes it easy for you to promote your business and provide information to your target market.

What does it look like and where does it appear?

When you try searching for a company name, for example Zoeke Design Agency, the section on the right side of the search results would be a Google My Business profile.

Google My Business Listing
It provides customers a glimpse of your business. Although most of this information is already on your website, GMB indexes the content you provide for consistency across Google Maps, Google+ and Google Search.
What Can You Do With Google My Business?

Google My Business offers businesses a simple but effective way to bring in customers through search. With GMB you can:

  • Update your company profile at any time. Simply download the Google My Business app, and you can now edit your profile on the go.
  • Showcase your products and services through visuals. Provide multiple engaging photos and videos of your offerings to entice the users.
  • Gain customer interest by encouraging them to write reviews. Businesses with positive reviews on their profile can benefit from higher click-through and conversion rates.
  • Acquire detailed insights on what GMB brings to your business. It allows you to track site visits, calls and map views.
  • Share your company’s latest offers through texts, photos or videos.
  • Provide your customers with updates on you Companies Covid regulations.
So, how do I claim my Google My Business Listing?
Claiming your business on Google requires just a few quick steps. You don’t need any fancy tools or software, just a reliable internet connection and some basic information about your business.
  • Gmail Address: First, you’ll need a Gmail account associated with you or your business. Go to www.google.co.za to create a new account or if you already have an account, log in using your username and password.
  • Navigate Google: Navigate to Google My Business (https://www.google.com/business) and click on Manage Now or Sign UP. Follow the steps of setting up you GMB Profile.
  • Confirmation: After submitting your information, you’ll get an email from Google confirming the new business has been added. You can access your new listing using the link in the email to validate your email address.
Validate your Listing
Making it easy for your customers to find you via a Google listing can help boost your SEO rankings and makes it easier for local business owners to get their products in front of the right people… However, and here’s the catch, Google only allows certain methods of validation to certain countries. For example, an American company (based in America) can validate their GMB profile by phone or email. Unfortunately, South African business can only validate their businesses via postcard – so you’re pretty much reliant on our SAPO services. Without this postcard code, your GMB won’t feature on any of Google’s search consoles. But, if you’re feeling brave, you can possibly contact Google and do a telephonic interview with them in order for them to validate you.
Conclusion
Google My Business is one of the most powerful ways to boost a business’ online visibility and local search optimization. Take the first step to increase your business’ online presence — create and optimize your GMB profile now! And good luck!

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