Most marketing teams know that search engine visibility is achieved by optimizing the brand’s website, implementing a search engine optimization strategy, and supportive paid search strategy But what often gets pushed aside in these efforts is the Google My Business listing. One of the simplest yet most effective ways to gain traffic to your brand’s website is developing and optimizing your branded profile in Google My Business. Essentially, this free tool helps companies manage their online presence across Google’s search engine, enabling them to decide exactly how they would like to be portrayed to users.
Here are 4 ways to ensure that your Google My Business listing is optimized for best practices and working to its full potential.
1. Fill in the information sections as much as possible
The more fields of your listing that you complete, the higher your brand will rank in local search results. Aside from increased visibility, the completeness of your listing will also increase engagement with your profile, making users more likely to take actions like navigating to your website. While information such as Company Name, Hours of Operation, and Address will be easy to complete, it is just as important to fill out the more detailed sections, such as Category and Attributes and Products and Services.
2. Include keywords
Similar to a Google Ads strategy, keywords determine relevance and significantly contribute to Google’s visibility formula. Including target keywords and phrases in your listing will help ensure that your profile is shown to the correct audience. It is recommended that your target keywords are used in your profile description and the posts that you upload to your profile.
3. Add images
Images play a large role in increasing engagement on your Google My Business listing. According to Google, businesses with photos are more likely to receive website clicks and requests for driving directions to their address than businesses that don’t have photos.
4. Create posts
Similar to Facebook and LinkedIn, you can post to your Google Business Profile about news, promotions, events, and more. These posts show that your business has an active online presence, and also help to give the user timely information about your brand. Users generally exhibit higher intent on search engines as opposed to social platforms, so they are more likely to engage with your Google My Business posts.
If each of the above tips is taken into consideration when optimizing your Google My Business profile, your brand will experience increased visibility and engagement. Be sure to stay abreast of the latest developments in order to continue to optimize your listing.