How to Optimize Your Google My Business Account for SEO & ORM
Google My Business (GMB) now lets businesses post "offers" directly on Google's search results. This new (free) feature is part of the "post" feature, which allows businesses to post short messages or advertisements to their GMB account (the ads show up in Google Maps and the Knowledge Graph).
As Search Engine Land reported, the feature can include a photo, up to 300 words of text, a post title, a start date/time and end date/time, an optional coupon code, and a link to the offer.
This is a valuable new tool for local businesses who take advantage of Google My Business--already one of the easiest ways to perform both local SEO and ORM (online reputation management).
Is your local business taking advantage of Google My Business?
Businesses who claim and verify their Google My Business account assure placement in Google's suite of local apps, including the Local Pack, the Local Finder, and Google Maps. A Google My Business account is also one of the best ways to assure a local business's presence in organic search results.
To sign up for a FREE account, visit the Google My Business page today. To begin, you simply fill out your business's relevant information, like your location, phone number, and hours.
Beyond the basics, however, a Google My Business account can be "optimized" for SEO and ORM. We discuss the most relevant details below...
Thoroughness and Vigilance Matter
Of course, from a business viewpoint, it makes sense to be as thorough as possible--and to answer all of Google's prompts when creating your account. The more information you give customers, the more opportunities customers will have to connect with your business.
However, many local business owners are surprised to learn that claiming, verifying, and populating your GMB account with information is not enough to secure total ownership.
All GMB listings include a "suggest an edit" option (seen in the listing above below the phone number), which can be used by anyone to suggest changes to the listing. Theoretically, Google is supposed to email business owners when anyone suggests a change--and many business owners assume that an edit can only go "live" when approved.
However, as Joy Hawkins writes for Moz:
"The reality is that by 'accepting' them, you’re just confirming something that’s already live on Google. If you 'don’t accept,' you actually need to edit the listing to revert it back (there is no 'deny' button)."
So, even after you have completed your profile it is important to log into your account regularly: Practice vigilance to assure sure no one suggests any "edits" that you do not approve. (A competitor could practice a form of negative SEO, for example, and deliberately try to compromise the information on your GMB listing).
If they do, make sure you edit the listing to your own specifications.
Read: "Negative SEO: What You Need to Know"
Add Fresh Content with "Posts"
Google rolled out the "post" feature for GMB accounts in June, 2017. Since then, enterprising businesses have used the feature to perform a free and simple form of advertising.
"By creating posts," Google notes, "you can place your timely content in front of customers when they find your business listing on Google."
Read :"Google's Tips for Making a Great Google My Business Post"
Posts can advertise events, offers/specials, product updates, and announcements, and as Moz notes, "you can have fun with your Posts by adding an image, a Call to Action (CTA), and even including a link to another page or website."
The SEO implications of this new feature are clear: by creating relevant content, you engage users in a new way, which may draw more visitors to your website as well as your actual location, and you offer Google more data to enrich your local listing.
Support Your ORM Campaign with Google Reviews
Soliciting Google reviews is one of the best ways to improve your company's ORM. The reviews appear prominently in your GMB listing (right below your business name, as seen above) and next to your listing in Google Maps. Reviews can help differentiate your local business from competitors.
As we noted in our recent post about online reviews: "online reviews are the new word of mouth," as evidenced by BrightLocal's "Local Consumer Review Survey (2017), which revealed that:
As Search Engine Land reported, the feature can include a photo, up to 300 words of text, a post title, a start date/time and end date/time, an optional coupon code, and a link to the offer.
This is a valuable new tool for local businesses who take advantage of Google My Business--already one of the easiest ways to perform both local SEO and ORM (online reputation management).
Is your local business taking advantage of Google My Business?
Businesses who claim and verify their Google My Business account assure placement in Google's suite of local apps, including the Local Pack, the Local Finder, and Google Maps. A Google My Business account is also one of the best ways to assure a local business's presence in organic search results.
To sign up for a FREE account, visit the Google My Business page today. To begin, you simply fill out your business's relevant information, like your location, phone number, and hours.
Beyond the basics, however, a Google My Business account can be "optimized" for SEO and ORM. We discuss the most relevant details below...
 |
| A Google My Business Account for a local hair salon, in Ambler, PA: Barberella |
Thoroughness and Vigilance Matter
Of course, from a business viewpoint, it makes sense to be as thorough as possible--and to answer all of Google's prompts when creating your account. The more information you give customers, the more opportunities customers will have to connect with your business.
However, many local business owners are surprised to learn that claiming, verifying, and populating your GMB account with information is not enough to secure total ownership.
All GMB listings include a "suggest an edit" option (seen in the listing above below the phone number), which can be used by anyone to suggest changes to the listing. Theoretically, Google is supposed to email business owners when anyone suggests a change--and many business owners assume that an edit can only go "live" when approved.
However, as Joy Hawkins writes for Moz:
"The reality is that by 'accepting' them, you’re just confirming something that’s already live on Google. If you 'don’t accept,' you actually need to edit the listing to revert it back (there is no 'deny' button)."
So, even after you have completed your profile it is important to log into your account regularly: Practice vigilance to assure sure no one suggests any "edits" that you do not approve. (A competitor could practice a form of negative SEO, for example, and deliberately try to compromise the information on your GMB listing).
If they do, make sure you edit the listing to your own specifications.
Read: "Negative SEO: What You Need to Know"
Add Fresh Content with "Posts"
Google rolled out the "post" feature for GMB accounts in June, 2017. Since then, enterprising businesses have used the feature to perform a free and simple form of advertising.
"By creating posts," Google notes, "you can place your timely content in front of customers when they find your business listing on Google."
Read :"Google's Tips for Making a Great Google My Business Post"
Posts can advertise events, offers/specials, product updates, and announcements, and as Moz notes, "you can have fun with your Posts by adding an image, a Call to Action (CTA), and even including a link to another page or website."
The SEO implications of this new feature are clear: by creating relevant content, you engage users in a new way, which may draw more visitors to your website as well as your actual location, and you offer Google more data to enrich your local listing.
Support Your ORM Campaign with Google Reviews
Soliciting Google reviews is one of the best ways to improve your company's ORM. The reviews appear prominently in your GMB listing (right below your business name, as seen above) and next to your listing in Google Maps. Reviews can help differentiate your local business from competitors.
As we noted in our recent post about online reviews: "online reviews are the new word of mouth," as evidenced by BrightLocal's "Local Consumer Review Survey (2017), which revealed that:
- 97% of consumers looked online for local businesses in 2017
- 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
- Positive reviews make 73% of consumers trust a local business more
Read: "The New Word of Mouth: Online Reviews"
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| You can easily amplify your local message with Google My Business |
Google-Based Online Reputation Management with Stepman's SEO
Alex Stepman, of Stepman's SEO, offers a Google-Based Online Reputation Management, which helps brands "leverage the influence of the key player in ORM." To learn more about how you can boost both your ORM and SEO with Google My Business, call Stepman's SEO today: 215-900-9398.
How to Optimize Your Google My Business Account for SEO & ORM
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