It has become commonplace to search online when you want to find a business near you. Need a Chinese restaurant? Look on Google. Want to find a garage to get your MOT done at? Google it. Need to place a large order with a local bakery? Google can help.
We’re used to searching for what we need with Google. However, if you flip that on its head, you might ask yourself how your business can appear in those search results. When someone looks for your type of business in your area, how can you make sure your business pops up in the results?
Introducing Google My Business
This is a free service offered by Google that allows you to create a profile of your business. This profile can then be used to provide accurate local search results when people go online and look for a business like yours. If you don’t use it, your business won’t appear. If you do, you can look forward to greater visibility and hopefully more customers too.
The importance of an up-to-date profile
If you search for a business in Google, you’ll see some suggestions popping up in the results. The business name, description, phone number, and address will all be included. Imagine how frustrating it would be if you called them and the phone number wasn’t correct. It would be even worse if you went to the address only to find out the business was no longer there. Make sure you periodically check your information is correct. If you change any details, go into Google My Business and update them immediately.
Setting up your profile is easy. Just follow the steps given and fill in the boxes as you go along. You’ll need to verify your business too. This confirms you are the business owner, and your listing is genuine.
People will know where you are and how to reach you
If you keep your information up to date, your business stands a chance of appearing in the local search results whenever someone looks for a business like yours. Many people search on smartphones and tablets nowadays, especially if they are out and about and looking for a specific business. If you don’t use Google My Business, your site won’t pop up in the local results. You could be sending a potential customer to your competition instead.
Better still, if someone is searching on their phone, they can call you with one tap on their screen. That’s how easy it is to be reached by new customers when you use Google My Business.