Google My Business for more visibility on Google

Google Mijn Bedrijf voor meer zichtbaarheid in Google

8 October 2018

Correctly informing and inspiring your prospects and customers via Google My Business

‘Google Places,’ ‘Google My Business,’ or ‘Google Mijn Bedrijf’ are all terms used for managing a business listing on Google Maps and Google Search.

Having a business listing on Google Maps and Search is essential for increasing visibility in your market segment. It’s free and easy to set up. Discover the benefits and how to get started below.

Sign up for Google My Business in 5 simple steps:

Log in to your Google account.
Go to google.be/business.
Enter your business name and select a result.
Check all details and click “Continue.”
Request a verification code, which will be sent to the provided address. Enter the code online to verify you are the business owner.

The other possibilities and benefits

You have 100% control over your business information (e.g., opening hours, address). Be sure to update changes quickly and accurately, such as special hours during holidays.
Your business profile also allows you to view user and customer statistics for better follow-up.
If you’re a business owner and don’t have an account, create a profile as soon as possible.
An additional useful tool within Google My Business is Google Posts, which display updates directly on Google and Maps. To get started with Google Posts, log into Google My Business, click on ‘Posts’ in the left menu, then select ‘Write a post’. You can promote updates as events, add a call-to-action, and include a link. Once you publish, your post will appear in search results.
By linking your Google My Business page with your Google Ads account, you can track store traffic and assess whether specific paid campaigns drive extra visitors to your physical store. You can find more information about these ‘instore visits‘ in this article: “Link your physical store visits to your online campaigns.“

COVID-19 Update

During the COVID-19 crisis, it’s important to keep your (potential) customers informed. Google My Business now offers a new post type: ‘COVID-19 update.’ Use this to share detailed and current information about your business, including adjusted opening hours and the best way to contact you. This helps ensure that customers searching for your business stay informed.

3 Short Tips for Using Google My Business

Tip 1: Download the Google My Business app for notifications
The app is free to download for iOS & Android. It is very handy and user-friendly. This way, you stay updated on reviews, can easily post content yourself, and have a clear overview of your statistics/insights. It also offers the option to set an automatic greeting for messages from your customers. Be sure to add your personal touch here that aligns with your brand experience.
Tip 2: Adjust your opening hours
It is always important to clearly indicate your opening hours or when you are closed in Google My Business. The holidays are especially important to highlight. Set them in advance, such as upcoming special shopping Sundays and/or vacation periods.
Tip 3: Always respond to potential customers in Google My Business
Google My Business knowledge panels also display a Question & Answer feature. From your mobile app, you can respond to specific questions. If the same question keeps recurring, consider making this information more visible through Google My Business.

Extra Features and Benefits:

1. Stand Out: Images

When setting up your Google My Business account, you can add images. Think carefully about this and try to choose images that represent your business and location well, but are also attractive. This way, you not only stand out from the competition, but also make it easier for people to recognize your location when navigating.

2. Your Online Showroom

Be sure to add your most relevant products and services. These will also appear in search results, generating extra interest. This increases the chances of appearing when people search for your products in the area.

3. Use Google Blogs

You can write blogs through Google My Business that stay in search results for 7 days. This drives more clicks and interest. It can be useful to link your website blog to the Google blog, allowing you to post effortlessly and attract more traffic to your site.

4. Local SEO

With Google My Business, you appear in local search results for businesses near the searcher that meet the query. GMB contributes to your local SEO results, helping your business show up in searches nearby, as well as in organic search results for your business in a particular region.

5. Request a Quote

If you enable messaging, you can receive quote requests from your customers via Google. This allows them to quickly get in touch with you. If you download the Google Business App, you can easily respond to quote requests directly from your smartphone.

6. Automatic Google Posts

If you have enough reviews and comments from customers, Google My Business will start suggesting posts over time. You can easily approve these, and they will be posted immediately. This way, you get more interaction with potential customers without having to put in much effort.