Google My Business, A Powerful Free Marketing Tool

While working from home due to the COVID-19 lockdown. I wanted to check out our marketing assets to make sure they are fully optimised. I decided to start with our Google My Business (GMB) profile, a key asset to help Breathe’s visibility in Google Search and Google Maps.

Google My Business

Google My Business complements your existing website. Giving your business a public identity and presence with a listing on Google. The most popular search engine in the world.

Google My Business, a powerful, free marketing tool

Not only is it a free tool provided by Google designed to give customers useful information about your business in your local area. But it also is very effective and a must-have in your marketing arsenal. It provides customers with reviews, opening times, photos, directions, special offers and posts about your business.

If you search for a business name in Google, GMB will display the company’s information in a panel just to the right of the search results. Or if you are looking on a mobile it will appear at the top before the organic search results – but only if the company has completed their GMB profile!

Key benefits of Google My Business

  • Increased visibility in search
  • A better shopping experience for customers
  • Drives traffic to your website, social media and front door.

Optimise your GMB profile information about who you are. What products or services you sell. Where you are located, your website URL and Google will understand much more about your business. And the more Google knows about your business the more searches your GMB profile will show and the more Google will match you with other types of search queries.

For example, if you searched for Café Henley-on-Thames in Google. You will be presented with this local search result. You will see 3 cafes highlighted in a panel at the top of the page. These 3 cafes have each created a GMB profile and Google is promoting them in the search..

Google My Business

I like great coffee and cakes

I personally really like Spoon Café as it’s a small independent and they sell great coffee and dare I say it, cakes! When I click on Spoon’s small business card it takes me to their GMB profile. Which includes a map to show where they are in the town. Spoon’s GMB profile shows me reviews and photos of the café. Along with lots of other useful information.

Google My Business Detail

Now the main reason I am writing this is that I have noticed there are many businesses out there who haven’t optimised their GMB profile. Some who haven’t created one at all!

It’s a simple exercise to create and optimise your Google My Business profile. It will then need some TLC every few months to keep it up-to-date but it won’t take up too much of your time.

If you need help. I have created the 8 Tips to Maximise the Power of Google My Business available to download. Or if you need any further help. Get in touch – email me at info@breathe4u.com or give me a call 01491 575057.

Stay safe.

Geoff