There is no getting around the fact that if you plan on your business utilising the internet as a means to boost the traffic to your website and convert such traffic into online sales, then you are going to need to work on your visibility on Google. It’s reasonably common knowledge that in order to do this, businesses will need to optimise their website and use Google Ads; however, what a lot of businesses don’t know is that there is a whole other entity they can take advantage of as a means to rank, which is their listing on Google My Business. 
 
What is Google My Business? Well, it is a powerful listing that is used as a dynamic snapshot of your business and can highlight your best features. They are great for providing insight into your business but also very helpful for local search engine optimisation (SEO) as they allow potential customers to quickly find and learn about you. Oh, and the best part about Google My Business? It’s totally free! 
 
Considering there are a massive 5.4 billion Google Searches done every day, nowhere near enough businesses take full advantage of the Google My Business feature and those that do use it, do not use it to their advantage well enough. This article will discuss in more detail exactly what the key features are with Google My Business that you can use in order to boost your local SEO. 

The Benefits of Optimising Your Google My Business Profile 

There is a huge array of benefits to using your Google Business Profile as a means to help customers find your business. These include but are not limited to: 

Improving Customer Engagement 

There are a lot of people now who don’t even click on websites when they search for something. Why is this? It’s because Google have now started putting the answers to queries in the actual search results themselves. As such there is a chance that a lot of people will engage with your business through your business profile rather than by actually clicking on your website. 

Boost Your Local Ranking 

Google’s algorithm will prioritise local searches. For example, if someone was to search for a query in Horsham, then they would be directed to a Horsham Business. This is relevant but Google does not only focus on proximity but also the quality of your business profile. As such, by optimising your business profile, you will send signals to Google that allow you to rank higher in local results. With a higher rank you will receive more engagement. 

Convert More Customers 

When you set up a strong Google Business page then you will be discoverable in keyword searches. This will be the case regardless of whether they are searching for your products, services, FAQs, or are requesting an appointment. 

The Best Ways to Optimise Your Google Business Profile 

There are a number of ways that you can optimise your Google Business Profile and your Google My Business account. These include: 

1. Create Both Accounts 

A Google Business Profile and Google My Business account are separate things but both are necessary to bring out the best in the other. Essentially, a Google My Business account is used to gain access to and optimise a Google Business Profile. In order to optimise your account and improve your ranking for local SEO, you will need to create both. 

2. Complete Every Section 

You should fill out every single section when creating your account because you will rank higher as there will be more keywords in your description. This information includes the likes of your company’s name, address, phone number, website and your hours of business. There will also be a variety of sub-categories such as your category and attributes, products and services, questions and answers and also posts and reviews. 

3. With Contact Information, Be Strict with Details 

There is nothing worse than filling out your contact details and them being inaccurate or insufficient to the point people are unable to contact you. You should consider the following: 
 
Ensure the name of your business and that which appears on store signage are identical. 
Make sure that the address you enter on Google, as well as your businesses name, exactly match the other listings for your business. 
Provide people with your regular hours and your holiday hours. 

4. Write Out Your “From the Business” Description 

The description of your business is a great way to both let prospective consumers know who you are, what you do and how high the quality of your business is. It is also a great opportunity to include a variety of keywords and SEO optimised content that will help your ranking for local SEO. It’s really important to ensure your business personality and tone of voice shines through in this description because you don’t have control over any other descriptions on Google My Business due to the fact Google likes to ensure consistency across the platform. 

5. Add photos 

Uploading photos can be really helpful and again, not only just shows customers what your business is like but also helps with your ranking. You need to ensure that these photos are of a high quality. These can also help with getting traffic to your site because they will show up in Google images rather than just in the regular search. 

Conclusion 

Trying to generate online traffic is a priority for a huge variety of businesses, especially in this current age when a huge number of consumers are taking to the internet for all of their shopping needs. One of the best ways to generate traffic to your website is by creating an SEO optimised site; however, not enough businesses know about how helpful Google My Business can be for increasing traffic as well. 
itseeze Horsham are Horsham Web Designers who can help with creating traffic generating bespoke websites and setting up the likes of Google Business Profiles so that you catch the eye of consumers and then when they click on your site they are met with an easy-to-use and well-designed site. These are hugely beneficial for smaller businesses due to the affordable web design packages that It’seeze Horsham offer. If you have any queries about the services we offer then do not hesitate to get in touch. Let us help your business grow! 
Tagged as: Online Marketing, SEO
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