Google My Business for Success

Google My Business is somewhere to review a businesses details quickly and we’ve all been there. You’ll be driving along when you and your co-pilot suddenly get in the mood for a fancy pastry and a shot of premium caffeine. Being in an unfamiliar part of town, you ask your co-pilot to search for “best coffee shop near me” on their mobile for the 411 on a delicious delectable and a jolt of hot energy in a cup.

Lo and behold, Google My Business has provided several options, listed by proximity and opening hours and containing all relevant information like addresses, contact information and even customer reviews.

Option One is the closest, but no good- it’s closed. Option Two and Three are in relatively close proximity to each other and are both open. But which one to choose?

Scanning the list entries, your co-pilot sees that while Option Two is slightly closer and less expensive than Option Three, it’s got horrible reviews for quality and service. Option Three is a ten minute longer drive and is a tad on the pricey side, but the reviews are excellent.

You and your co-pilot have never sacrificed on quality, so you’re off to Option Three to nibble on a deluxe biscotti while sipping your double latte with your pinkies in the air.

The Best Tool for the Lowest Price

If you’re a local business looking to optimize your online presence, using Google My Business as one of the tools in your arsenal is highly recommended. After all, using a Google search to find what you’re looking for is the most common method utilized today, and this App not only organizes all the relevant information for potential clients in a simple but attention-grabbing way, it leads them right to your door through Google Maps.

And maybe the best part about using such a highly effective tool is that it’s completely free!

Tap Into the Search

Some of us may be old enough to remember a time when if you needed to locate a person or business, you’d have to leaf through a huge yellow book to find it. Those days are long since over, as people use digital searches to locate everything from the nearest burger joint to the best dry cleaner in their area. This is advantageous for local businesses, as Google searches tend to highlight the closest location for a searched good or service, with Google Maps actually giving the client the most expedient way to your door.

Most potential clients search for things on their mobile phones. Thankfully, the App presents a clean and comprehensive display regardless of the platform being used!

The Reviews Are In

It’s not enough to just appear as the first ranking in a digital search anymore – you have to provide your potential clients with quick and easy access to vital information regarding your business right at the outset of their search. In this way, your online presence speaks for itself, enticing people to visit your shop right from the get-go.

Aside from the basic information like your business’ location, opening hours, phone number and email address, one immensely important element that has become increasingly essential to ensuring searches become paying visits are customer reviews.

The digital version of “word-of-mouth,” good customer reviews can be the deciding factor in new clients choosing to visit your business over another, and are readily visible or accessible on the App.

You Can’t Beat the Benefits…and the Price

In this day and age, digital marketing is a must if you want your business to succeed. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs still believe that the best way to do that is through digital ads and pop-up banners- an old-school strategy for a new age world.

Sure, ads and banners can marginally increase traffic to your site, but considering what you’ll pay to have them up vs the return you’ll most likely get, you’ll end up on the losing side. Most importantly, small, starting, or struggling businesses simply can’t afford to pay for this type of advertising.

Google My Business is the best bang for your buck because not only is it FREE, it provides local consumers with a quick, direct, reliable and eye-catching way to become aware of your business.

The First Step in SEO

Making sure your website is Search Engine Optimized (SEO) should be a priority for every business owner, as it’s a proven method for increasing traffic to your site. Making sure your business has a Google My Business profile is a crucial first step in SEO, and the best part is that it will cost you nothing to create!