Optimize Your Google Business Listing to Improve Your Local SEO
Updated: Oct 4, 2022
Having a strong online presence is a crucial driving force for your business. Within your local community, your business information should be readily available. People should be able to find information about your location, business hours, and contact information. Having a Google Business listing will improve your local SEO ranking.
A Google Business Listing has the highest visibility within a 20-mile radius, so the focus is on local traffic. You must make it as easy for people to get in contact with you as possible. Even if you already have a listing, you can always improve it.
Optimize Your Google Business Listing:
Go through the “Info” section of your page, and make sure that all the relevant information is up to date. Your primary category should reflect your industry, while your secondary category can add more of a granular focus to your specific business. For business hours, it’s essential to extend these to improve visibility. We recommend service professionals use the open 24-hour feature so that it does not show that your business is closed. Consistency is vital, enter all your contact information exactly as it appears on your other digital assets.
Include a link to your website, and add quality photos of your business. Your business description is your client-focused marketing pitch, be sure to include keywords that potential customers would be looking up. You must keep your messaging focused on how you provide excellent service.
Highlighting Reviews and FAQ’s on Your GMB Page:
Part of improving your Google Business page is to have numerous and recent testimonials. The more positive reviews you have, the more local people will see your listing. As your credibility increases, your page will become more visible. To learn more, read our article, Digital Reviews: How to Get Them and Which Review Sites are Necessary.
Another great way to improve your listing ranking is to have your friends and family add some questions to your page, you can either come up with some examples, or they can reference their own experience. This gives you a chance to provide clarity for common misconceptions or add understanding publicly.
Increase Discoverability & Availability:
If you want your Google Business page to be a resource for your business, you must enable the messaging feature. This allows your potential clients to get in contact with you without having to visit your website.
If you use this feature and respond quickly to messages, it will improve your visibility.
To download the Google My Business app, you can download for either android or iOS:
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.vega
Apple iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/google-mybusiness/id853371601
Your GMB listing will be visible on Google maps if the listing has been verified. The more that people search for your location, the more likely you are to show up. This will improve your relevance score within Google’s algorithm.
Additionally, to increase your visibility, you can sync your listing with Bing Places to make your information available across a broader range of search engines.
Go to: https://www.bingplaces.com/Dashboard/Home to sync your listing with Bing.
All of your digital assets will work together to improve your SEO score, having social media, a website, and a Google Business page will all improve your search ranking. For more information about boosting your SEO, read our blog post, Win Local SEO: The Necessity of Your Google Business Listing. You can also post frequently on your page to show activity, share updates, and offer educational content. By optimizing your Google listing, you will be improving your local digital presence.