With all that has been happening with Google Plus and the recent scandals of two major data leeks, Google has issued an official statement that confirms it is closing the Google Plus social platform four months earlier than predicted—so by the end of April 2019 we all have to say goodbye to Google Plus.
We have written in the past about the benefits for your business of having Google Plus page (you can read here) but today we would like to bring to your attention to another powerful tool that Google offers: Google My Business. With the shutting down of Google Plus, Google My Business is set to reach even more public and businesses. In the past few years, Google My Business has proved its value and has already overtaken Google Plus, so let’s start with understanding what this tool is, and what benefits it offers.
Google presented Google My Business in June 2014 and ever since it has grown more and more. As we all know, Google is the most powerful searching engine in the world with an average of over 3.5 billion searches per day. It is the easiest way for people to find what they need, whether it’s a nearby pizza place, a hair salon or any other service…you name it. So thinking of this Google has come up with a new tool to help local businesses to stand out.
Now that we know what Google My Business is, let’s see what it does and what the top seven benefits are for registering your business page. As we mentioned, having a Google My Business page helps your business to stand out, it improves your visibility in Google search and makes it easier for people to find you. It doesn’t need to be direct search for your business or product name, but simply by searching for a service or location nearby, people can easily discover you. However, simply setting up a Google My Business page is not enough. Maintaining it and regularly updating it is a very important factor – but this is a theme for another blog, right now let’s see what the actual benefits of having a My Business page are:
- It is FREE!
We haven’t mentioned it before but Google My Business is a free marketing tool so all that is required from you is the work involved in updating and maintaining it.
- Help customers find your exact location
As you know Google offers many different tools: Google Maps, Google Ads, etc. and by registering your service or business page you automatically connect with all of them. So now when someone asks you where your office is or how they can find it, you can simply say ‘Google it’ and the precise directions to your location will appear.
- Visibility on Google search
You have probably noticed before that when you search for a service or location Google highlights a panel with top local business in this location. Usually the top three are reserved for paid promotions run by Google, but the next three are normally the most popular business listings in that area – and your business can be one of them! Additionally the listing offers easy access to your website, your information, directions and even direct phone call access.
- A better first impression
Google My Business offers you the possibility of displaying important information such as your hours of operation, a brief description, services offered, location details etc. By choosing carefully what information you display, you allow customers to gain a good first impression about your business. You also can upload photos of your office, team members and services or products, so it’s even easier to understand who you are and what you do.
- Review management
As you already know reviews are an important factor to how your business is viewed by others, and it is a very crucial component of your SEO strategy. Google My Business allows you to log in and respond to reviews, and by doing that show people that you care about their opinion.
- Social network
Google My Business has another positive aspect, it allows you to create and share a post (similar to Facebook let’s say). Although it is not a social platform where you can fully interact with clients and share content and likes, it is a great way to share and display an offer or an article that will be of interest to your customers.
- Insights
A tool inside Google My Business allows you access to ‘insights’ or analytic data showing you exactly how and when customers find your business, and you can also see any actions that were taken (directions, visits to the website, phone calls, etc.). This information, if treated correctly, can be very valuable and by studying it you can improve your search visibility even more.
We could go on and on about the benefits that this marketing tool has for your business but we think that the ones we mention above should be enough for you to understand how important it is, and that if you still haven’t claimed your my Business page, you should do it as soon as possible. If you feel this is too complicated or you don’t have the time to invest in it, then our professional team can help you set it up and manage it. Here at Manifesto Design we can create your Google My Business page, or run and improve your existing one. Don’t hesitate to contact us now or simply ‘Google us’!
-Oksana Drutsul-
