To Market We Go | Circling Back On GMB
Deeper Dive
This week I’ve taken a deeper dive into Google My Business. I touched on it at the start of 2020 in a couple blogs so you could dip your toes in the water, here and here. I watched two talks this week on Whitespark’s Local Search Summit that really stuck with me and I’d like to pass along some of the key points from presenters Greg Glifford and Krystal Taing.
GMB Is Your Homepage
Countless articles on GMB relay the message that you need to think of if as your homepage. When consumers are searching for you on Google or using specific keyword searches relevant to your business, your GMB profile will be the first thing they see. They may not even click on your website link because all the information they need to know about you could and should be listed here. So it is imperative that your GMB is current and feeding them the most recent services and updates you offer. This instills in them a sense of trust and confidence in you…very important for the times we are currently dealing with.
An On Point Example
In Krystal’s talk she used Barbara Oliver Jewelry as an example of a business doing GMB right. She has current photos. Her service options are listed - she is offering in-store shopping as well as curbside pickup. Her NAP and hours of business are also up-to-date. Notice the Q & A section - this also gives consumers a snapshot about what she does. With this quick GMB snippet I’m able to gather a lot of information about this jeweler without having to take the extra step of clicking on the website link.
Questions & Answers
Greg hammered on the importance of this section for your GMB listing and how many businesses are not utilizing this tool. Anyone can ask a question here and anyone can answer said question. This is fab and scary at the same time! If you click on the “See all questions” you’ll see that others have written answers, not just the business. Fortunately, all the answers are positive here. While this section has zero impact on SEO ranking, it allows you to stand out from your competitors and answer questions that potential customers have about you.
You can also look at your competitor’s questions and add that content to your listing. These questions can be business leads and help you manage your reputation. If you receive inappropriate questions, you can choose the 3 dots to the right of the question within your GMB dashboard and report them.
Other Tips & Tricks
Greg recommends using the What’s New tab for your posts and strongly discouraged using the COVID-19 Update. The COVID posts takes the top spot above all your posts and stays there for 14 days, where a regular posts stays up for 7 days.
Krystal advised that you ask yourself what’s important to your customers and are you meeting their needs as you audit your GMB listing. She also noted that search behavior has changed during the pandemic and you need to key in on search queries. Some examples of popular search terms are: “senior hours”, “online classes” and “outdoor dining”. If you offer any of those services, add them to your GMB listing. View Google Trends here and also pay attention to the queries people are using to find you within the Insights tab of your GMB dashboard.
Both presenters recommended looking at your GMB profile from other perspectives. View it in an incognito browser, making sure you are logged out of Google, view it on mobile and desktop via search and via maps. This allows you to experience it as a consumer, see what they see, and made adjustments where necessary.
The Takeaway
Yes, this can get overwhelming, but Google My Business is very valuable! There are hiccups and mistakes that will be made, but it is a FREE platform that has many excellent attributes. Utilize their support forums: Help Center and Help Community. You can also send me your questions and I will help you if I can or at least point you in the right direction.
Photo by lalo Hernandez on Unsplash