Now, before you start singing Will Smith’s ‘Getting Jiggy With It’ (sorry, we’re sure you’ll be singing that in your head all day now….) we have an important public service announcement. If your business isn’t on Google My Business (GMB) or you’re not optimising it, then you’re seriously missing out on a huge chance to capture local business.

Just how important is GMB? Well, Google’s aim is to be the best search engine, so if you don’t find what you’re looking for quickly each time you search, you’d be inclined to use another search engine. Right? So, it’s in Google’s best interests to make sure everything they do is for the user’s convenience.

And this is where GMB comes in:

  1. Your website will rank better. True story. GMB is critical for local SEO. It allows your listing to appear in local search results specific to your services or products.
  2. Customers can find your business information quickly & easily. Sometimes your clients just need your phone number, opening hours or address. By Googling your business, your GMB listing will come up with that information, right there in the search results rather than having to go to your website to source that info.
  3. Show off your reviews. All your reviews are listed on GMB, where you can showcase, manage and reply to all reviews. Positive reviews, with a response from your business, will improve your business’ visibility, and subsequently drive more customers to visit your location.
  4. Control your business info and offerings. You can list all of your offerings on GMB, what payment types you accept, prices, menus and more. You can also post important messages to customers, such as during COVID-19, you can keep people updated as to whether you’re opening, trading online only, and even temporary closures.
  5. You’ll stand out! If your business isn’t on GMB, then it’s highly likely that many of your competitors aren’t either. By ensuring your GMB listing is set up and optimised, you’ll stand out from those that don’t!

There you have it.  If you’re ready to get your business listed on Google My Business, you can do this here.