3 Reasons Why You Need to Use Google My Business Right Now

SEO / 03 Mar 2022

Google My Business is only for businesses with an office or shop-front, right? Wrong. Google My Business is a grossly underrated tool available to all businesses free of charge.

With a bit of thought, strategy, and some SEO effort, you can use it to engage with your prospects and dominate local search results.  

What is Google My Business?

Before we dive into SEO copywriting and (white label) SEO strategy, we need to clarify the difference between a Google Business Profile and a Google My Business account. Although many people think they are, they’re not the same thing.

A Google Business Profile is a business’s listing on Google. Anyone can create one by adding a place on Google Maps. Google’s algorithm draws on information from its index using sources across the web to populate the details of the listing.

A Google My Business Account is the mechanism through which you claim ownership of the listing and control the information it displays. Creating and using a Google My Business account means that you’re able to optimise your business profile for maximum SEO effect, rather than leaving what’s published to chance.

How Can I Use Google My Business to Benefit My Business?

1. Enhance a Prospect’s Search Experience and Build Trust

Google’s algorithm assesses a website’s content for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness when determining its rank on the search engine results pages. The same is true of Google My Business profiles.

A clear, comprehensive picture of your business with valuable, engaging, and regularly updated content makes your business instantly stand out from the crowd. Google’s algorithm prioritises fully completed profiles, so the more information, the better your rankings.

Think of your Business Profile as a hub of information you can use to direct people to your most relevant information, a bit like LinkTree on Instagram. Use it to showcase your content, expertise, and commitment to exceptional customer service. 

2. Engage With Your Prospects and Customers

Your Google Business Profile is another place where prospects and clients can communicate with you. They’re able to ask questions, leave reviews, and send direct messages (if you’ve enabled this feature). You can even write posts and publish them on your profile like you would on social media. 

Regularly answer frequently asked questions and share valuable information, like a link to your latest blog. It’s a great way to build trust and credibility while keeping your content fresh.

3. Improve Your Local Search Ranking and Inform Your SEO Strategy

Local SEO can be a gamechanger for small businesses with large competitors, especially when you’re trying to compete for high-value keywords. 

Help Google understand what your profile is about and for which keywords you’re trying to rank. An easy way to do this is by naturally incorporating keywords into your business description, answers to questions, responses to reviews, and your Google My Business posts.

Use Google My Business’s available analytics to identify the queries used to find your business. Create blogs and smaller posts using the same key phrases as part of your broader SEO strategy.

Analyse your prospects’ actions by synching your Google My Business account with your website’s Google Analytics and Search Console. This analysis will give you a clearer, more comprehensive picture of your prospect’s journey from their search intention to their final destination on your website.

Let’s Talk SEO

We all want to create and execute an effective SEO strategy. Part of doing so means incorporating all of Google’s available tools to maximise your visibility, reach, and performance. 

Google My Business is an underrated instrument at your disposal. Use it to its full potential to dominate local search and compete with larger competitors in ways that wouldn’t be possible using keywords alone.

Need some help doing so?

White label SEO and SEO copywriting, especially for agencies, are two of our three zones of genius. If you want support to scale your agency’s SEO offer or need help getting visible on the SERPs, book your discovery call and let’s get started.