Social Media Tips and Tricks – “Google My Business” is a Business Must

Google’s free local search product for small businesses, Google My Business (formerly Google Places), is vital for your business to receive the maximum possible amount of local online search results.

It is so vital, in fact, that we require all of our DCG clients to set their businesses up on Google My Business.

This service is aimed specifically at shops, boutiques, and retailers that sell through both brick-and-mortar and online locations. Since Google controls most of its search traffic, it is imperative that such sellers claim their Google listing and populate the fields with relevant information.

Click here to learn how to claim your listing.

Once you’ve claimed your page, you must do the following to optimize your listing for more traffic:

1. Ensure you meet Google Places’ quality guidelines, which is basic information that Google considers the basis of a good listing, including that you’ve used exact location information, accurately represented your business, and you’re an authorized manager of the account. Click here for Google My Business’s local business information quality guidelines.
2. Leave NOTHING blank when completing your listing! A fully completed listing, including all “optional” fields, makes it more attractive to those searching online.
3. Choose exact business categories. Your listing may exist, but the category is almost always wrong, so make sure that is correct. It appears that the category information you include makes a huge difference on how prominently your listing appears. Be as specific as possible.
4. Be very descriptive of your business and use compelling content. Make sure a thorough understanding of your business is conveyed and you’re focusing on click-throughs. This will drive traffic, as will content such as photos, videos, special offers and social media updates, which will draw more attention to your listing and away from those without such content.
5. Encourage your clients to leave reviews and feedback when visiting your Google My Business page. Five or six reviews should be the minimum. Listings with legitimate reviews will lend to heavy traffic to your site.

About Dyan James

Dyan has been researching, writing, copyediting, and proofreading articles across a variety of industries since 1998. She further developed her interest and talent for covering technology while working with the guys at DCG Technical Solutions, Inc. Whether writing from scratch, copyediting or simply polishing, Dyan has mastered the art of turning rough copy or a plain idea into an eloquently written piece.