7 Ways to Optimize Google My Business Listing
The domain of Search Engine Optimization is competitive but the good news is that it is also very diverse. And that means, you can make use of multiple strategies and creative campaigns to get the results you desire. One such strategy is to optimize Google My Business listing.
Google My Business also known as GMB is a free tool offered by Google. When used wisely, it can be immensely helpful in strengthening your local SEO efforts. The tool allows you to manage your information that pops up in the top search results. Examples of details you can manage here include your location, your knowledge graph, website link, reviews and so on. This helps users to locate you or connect with you more easily. That being said, how exactly do we optimize Google my Business? Here are the top 7 tips that will help you understand this better.
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- An Accurate NAP
If you are wondering how to optimize Google My Business, the first step is to ensure that your NAP is updated and accurate. It is basically the Name, Address and Phone Number of your business. These should also be consistent with your other local business citations.
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- Perfect your Profile Details
In addition to the NAP, Google may ask for more details for your GMB profile. There are a variety of questions that you may have to answer. These are all related to basic data that will make it easier for potential customers who are seeking more information about your company. This information could be anything from an elaborate business description to the category of your business.
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- Include Keywords in the Listing
After you set up Google My Business, you should also have a content strategy in place. Remember that people looking for your business will evaluate your company on the basis of your content quality. Moreover, if you want to be spotted easily online, your content should have relevant keywords inserted in a smooth manner.
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- Use Visuals
Pictures always help earn brownie points because they have a higher ability to grab attention than plain text. Besides, images are thrice more likely to be shared. And when you optimize Google My Business listing, you get plenty of options to play with when it comes to visuals.
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- Encourage and Manage Google My Business Reviews
Google My Business reviews are very essential when you are trying to get your business on Google. Also, star ratings can be helpful in improving your ranking. You could ask your happy customers to share their feedback on the GMB listing and help get you a high rating.
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- Use a Local Number
Not only should you keep your phone number consistent across all listings, you should also use one that has a local area code. This gives Google an extra signal that you are actually based in that particular area. In turn, this adds to your chances of being displayed in the top search results.
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- Avoid Offenses
Every time you wonder “how to get my business on Google”, you should also consider staying clear of any penalties. And a great way to do that is by educating yourself about the GMB guidelines. Violating these guidelines could get your account suspended and that can be extremely stressful for the business.
All the rules that apply to SEO in general work for GMB listings as well. So, the best way to optimize Google My Business listing is by incorporating relevant content and meta tags, working on local links and adding schema markup to your website. Remember that a well optimized site is more likely to make it to the top three listings in your area.