Is Your Google My Business Listing As Effective As Possible?
Posted December 13, 2016
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Google’s free business listing is a simple way to get your business in front of consumers’ eyes with very little effort. If you haven’t claimed your business yet, you should, then check back to make sure it is up to par. If you have already claimed your listing, double check this list to make sure you are getting all you can out of your free listing:
- Is your information consistent?
If your business name and phone number isn’t consistent from your listing to your landing page, you are confusing potential customers. Your information should be the same down to the minor details. For example, if you are at “123 Main St.” on your listing, “St.” should be abbreviated on your webpage as well. The same goes for the usages of “Co.” or “Company” at the end of your name. Double check your address, phone number and hours to make sure they match.
- Is your location verified?
Not only does this provide convenience for your potential customers by providing the ability to click and have your location routed in their maps app, it also allows you to pop up on searches narrowly targeted toward a specific location.
- Are your hours listed?
If you’re anything like me, not being able to find a business’s operating hours is one of the most frustrating experiences. When can I swing by? When should I call? With convenience being one of the biggest motivators for buyers, making things easy on the front end is your best option.
- Have you chosen specific categories for your business?
Google My Business allows you to choose business categories, and if you haven’t yet, you should do it. When choosing categories, you should be as specific as possible. This helps your rankings as you would have a much greater chance of ranking for something like “running store” than you might “athletic store” or “plus size clothing” instead of just “clothing.”
- Does our listing have images?
If there are no images with your listing, add some. This helps in a few ways, one being that it helps people identify your business and brand. A photo of the store front, a few photos of the interior or a handful of product shots will be plenty. To kick It up a notch, photos of key staff will add a personal touch.
- Have you responded to reviews?
Responding to reviews is a good practice anyway, but it also helps your business listing. When a reader sees that the owner or someone in a key role has responded, the listing gains credibility. It also gives you, the person in that key role, a chance to turn negative reviews into a positive light.
