Google My Business SEO is vital for any business that wants to rank well on Google Maps in 2022. Here are the strategies and tips you need to know to make sure your business is ranking number one.
As the world’s largest search engine, Google receives over 63,000 searches per second. That’s over 5.6 billion searches per day! So, it’s no surprise that businesses want to ensure their products and services are appearing as high up on Google’s search results pages as possible. After all, appearing on the first page of Google can result in a significant increase in traffic to your website and, ultimately, more customers and clients.
One way to improve your chances of appearing on the first page of Google is through Google My Business (GMB). GMB is a free tool that allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google Search and Maps. It’s an important tool for any business that wants to improve its visibility on Google and reach more potential customers.
But how do you make sure your business appears at the top of the GMB listings? And how do you make sure it stays there? Here’s our guide to GMB SEO in 2022:
Google My Business Basics
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of GMB SEO, let’s quickly cover the basics. As we mentioned above, GMB is a free tool provided by Google that allows businesses to manage their online presence across multiple Google platforms, including Search and Maps. When you create a GMB listing, your business information (such as your address, phone number, website, opening hours etc.) will appear across these platforms when people search for relevant keywords. For example, if someone searches for ‘coffee shops near me’, your coffee shop will appear in the GMB listings if you have completed your listing accurately and included relevant keywords.
People can also leave reviews about your business on GMB (more on this later). These reviews appear on your GMB listing and can influence whether people choose to use your business or not. It’s important to encourage happy customers to leave reviews on GMB, as they can help improve your ranking on GMB and attract more customers.
You can claim or create a GMB listing here: https://www.google.com/business/.
When creating or claiming your listing, it’s important to ensure all of your information is accurate and up-to-date. This includes your opening hours, address, phone number, website etc. You should also upload good quality photos of both your products/services and premises (more on this later). Once you have completed your listing, take some time to explore other similar businesses in your area and see how they have completed their listings. This will give you an idea of what looks good and what doesn’t – remember, first impressions count!
GMH Optimisation Tips
Now let’s take a look at some actionable tips you can use to optimise your GMH listing: Use keyword-rich titles When creating or claiming your listing, you’ll be asked to write a title for your business. This should be succinct (maximum 255 characters) but also keyword-rich so that people searching for businesses like yours can easily find you. For example, if you own a bakery called ‘Marie’s Bakery’ located in Los Angeles CA ,your title could be something like ‘Marie’s Bakery: The Best Bakery in Los Angeles CA ‘ Include key information In addition to writing a keyword-rich title for your business ,you should also include key information such as what products or services you offer ,your opening hours ,your payment methods etc .This ensures that people searching for businesses like yours can easily find all of the relevant information they need without having to click through to your website . Use good quality photos People love looking at photos ,so it makes sense to upload good quality photos of both your products/services and premises .Make sure the photos are well-lit ,in focus and recent so that potential customers get a true sense of what they can expect if they use your business . Encourage customer reviews As we mentioned earlier ,customer reviews play an important role in whether people choose to use a particular business or not .It’s important ,then ,to encourage happy customers
