How to optimize your Google My Business listing in 30 minutes

In January 2021, there were more than 4.7 billion internet users and more than 1.83 billion websites. But the most important fact is this: Google processes around 7 billion search queries every day worldwide.

Google My Business (GMB) is a tool offered by Google free of charge that allows you to manage your company's information and digital presence. In other words, it allows you to connect with potential customers through Google Search and Maps. 

In the GMB listing we can not only edit the name of the company but also locate it, add photographs, opening hours, receive reviews or connect with customers, as well as analyze from how many calls your business receives through the listing to what keywords or key words are used by users who have reached you. 

If we think about the first data of Google's reach and remember that it is a free tool, the fact of having an optimized GMB listing is more than important, it is vital. If you are not using Google My Business in your marketing strategy you are losing money because it is a seemingly simple gesture that can give us numerous benefits.

What do I need to do to create a Google My Business listing?

The GMB business profile includes what used to be known as Google Places for Business, Google Listings and Google+ Business Pages. With just a Gmail account you can create a listing by logging in and start setting up your business listing with the most basic information, name and business category.

You will fill in information about your business such as the telephone number, address, the URL of your website or the category of services offered, and you can complete it later with secondary categories if the extensive list of Google only comes close to our activity and has not managed to hit the nail on the head with it.

Once the listing has been created, we can start to improve it through the control panel, and edit every detail to get a perfect listing with which to get more customers and more traffic to your website.

How to optimize a Google My Business listing

As in any marketing subject, knowledge is a virtue and a much sharper weapon if we surround ourselves with professionals, but there are some tricks to optimize your GMB listing so that it starts to become the showcase you deserve. And the best thing is that in just half an hour you can edit it and improve those points. 

Verify your company on GMB is essential

It allows you to confirm that the company is owned by you so that you can manage your company profile and that others do not modify data without your consent. The process is easier than learning the chorus to the song of the summer because Google gives you numerous options to do this such as verification by mail, phone call or email. 

Fill in all the basic contact information

Starting with the address and going through the name, it is important to fill in all contact details completely. Be careful at this point not to add references to the services offered or the location in the name of your company. Google could penalize us for trying to be smarter than them and try to put in the name more data than the name of the business itself. 

It is important that the physical address (if there is one) matches the one on your website and that the opening hours are up to date. If a customer goes to your restaurant on a day when it is closed, it is very likely that we will get a bad review because our details are not up to date. The listing should be as true a reflection of your business as possible. One last basic tip: try not to put more than two additional categories in our listing so that Google knows at a glance what we do and avoid "confusing" the algorithm.

Take care of your business description

As with any marketing strategy, it is vital that we first analyze what we want to say, to whom and how. The descriptive space of the GMB file is a showcase to show ourselves with up to 750 characters, so think about keywords and make a previous analysis before writing meaningless words. You can also adapt the text and change it as we receive information from Google about the words with which we have appeared the most in searches. 

Use the Services/Menu, Products and Attributes section.

Think that you have gone on a trip and you are in a city you don't know. You take out your mobile phone and look for a restaurant near you. If you can see the restaurant's menu in just one click, it is more likely that a dish will catch your eye and you will end up eating at that tasty place that Google locates 100 meters away from you. 

Use all the sections you can, because all that text can give you more visibility in Google searches. You can add services that you do in your company, for example if you have a beauty salon, or indicate if you have a digital company that you do copywriting work, to give more examples. All businesses offer something so use the space provided by Google to explain to your customers what it is.

The same goes for the "Products" section. If you are a florist with an online shop this section can be ideal to show your product catalogue. It can be directly linked to the online purchase or give the user an idea of what they would find if they went there.

We come to the "Attributes" section. If your menu, for example, is suitable for celiacs, indicate it. If you have access for customers in wheelchairs, if you accept payment by credit card, if you allow dogs on the premises, if you take the temperature of your customers before they enter... Any extra that distinguishes you is worth the customer knowing.

Add photographs

Information enters through the eyes and although if you don't add photos you can add those that users have added about your business, don't let others speak well of your business if you can do it yourself. Take eye-catching, well-lit and, if possible, professional photographs. The GMB listing is free, so investing a little in making it better is not unreasonable.

Give importance to reviews

According to Google data, consumers consider businesses that respond to reviews 1.7 times more trustworthy than those that don't (76% compared to 46%). Respond to reviews, whether they are positive or negative. If it's the latter, offer solutions and try to keep your response kind, polite, brief and appreciative. 

This window into your business is free but no less important. Think about how you want to be seen by the more than 4.7 billion users on the Internet and offer them a glimpse of what your company can do for them. A brushstroke to attract new customers and keep the ones you already have. And if you have any doubts, write to us, we will be happy to give you a hand to make your GMB profile as appealing and practical as you imagine.

Main photo: Mike Kononov