In today’s world, visibility is everything for your business.

With more and more users spending time online, it is very important for a business to have an online presence. A solid web presence is very crucial for the sustained growth and success of your business.

In fact, it has been reported that 46% of all Google searches are looking for local information. Moreover, 4 in 5 consumers use search engines like Goggle to find local information, meaning that your business needs to be present online.

Thus, having an online presence for your business will help people find and contact you easily. In short, it is an amazing way to boost sales and revenue.

Google My Business is a free and very useful marketing tool that can help you manage the online presence of your business across Google, including Search and Maps.

With GMBhttps://www.google.com/intl/en_in/business/, you can manage your business’s Google listings, which appear when customers find businesses on Google Search and Maps.

It provides you with an easy-to-use platform that can help you reach more customers and boosts their confidence in your products and services when they search for your business on Google.

A quick Google search is generally the beginning of most customer journeys online. It is common for people to make a google search whenever they need to buy something new. GMB can help you greatly here.

For example, if you are a bakery owner, having an online presence will help you appear in search results whenever someone searches for bakeries online.

This will allow people to call you, find your address, visit your website, and leave a message and even reviews. With more people finding you, your visibility will increase which can help you in increasing sales and revenue.

Moreover, you can connect with customers, listen to how customers are interacting with your business, and post updates on your GMB profile. Creating a Google business website for your business is free. By providing business details and getting verified, you can set up a professional website for your business in minutes.

The website or profile is created automatically using the information provided by you. GMB provides you with a variety of site themes and offers options that allow the customers to call, message, and request a quote.

You can, then, respond to reviews, post product images, add more details, etc in a professional way. You can even use Google My Business on your Android and IOS devices with the help of the free Google My Business mobile app.

To sum up, Google My Business is a great tool that can help you encourage and interact with reviewers. It lets you provide all the relevant details about your business, like your hours, phone number, address, and more. Thus, it is an invaluable resource.

How to use Google My Business in a highly effective way?

Following are the the essential tips that you should keep in mind while using Google My Business.

Optimize your Google My Business profile

GMB isn’t just about creating a listing for your business. It is so much more about optimizing your profile in ways that will help you boost your business. To use GMB effectively, it is very important to optimize your profile for the said purpose.

Optimizing your google my business profile consists of a variety of strategies that will help you utilize it to its maximum potential.

Some of these strategies are completing every section of your GMB account, providing accurate contact information, marking off applicable attributes, adding “from the business” description, publishing Google posts weekly, uploading new photos weekly, answering to questions, responding to reviews, and so on.

Be active

One of the most common mistakes that many businesses commit is not being active on their GMB profile. While creating a GMB site for your business will surely help people find you online, it is your regular and consistent efforts that will help in the growth and sustained development of your business.

That’s right, it is very crucial for you, as a business owner, to be active when it comes to your GMB site. Make sure you are replying to reviews that will help you increase customer engagement. Make sure to regularly update the latest photos and videos of your business like product photos, shops, etc.

Also, anyone can edit your listing on GMB including your competitors. If you stop being active on your GMB profile, you won’t be able to point out such changes made which can harm your business.

So, it’s important to check your listing regularly and being active.

Provide relevant information

The information you provide about your business is the most important thing. This information includes your phone number, address/location, or opening and closing hours. It is, obviously, very important to provide accurate and relevant information.

The information that you provide needs to be relevant. This is a very important determinant of your business listings ranking. If your profile will contain relevant information, it will enhance your GMB profile. For this purpose, provide a suitable title containing the name of your business.

However, you can also add some important keywords in the title, such as the main service and the location. For example – if you are the owner of a bakery named Galaxy, it is better to put the title as Galaxy Cup and Cakes. However, don’t overdo it.

Avoid stuffing a lot of keywords in the title. Just focus on the most important keywords related to your business.

Similarly, make sure you complete all the sections of your GMB profile with all the relevant information.

Verify Your Listing

Verifying your Google My Business listing will help you look professional. When you verify your listing, a representative shield icon appears next to your listing name. A verified listing not only makes you look professional but also gives you full editing access to all the sections of your business. And, it’s also very easy.

Google will ask you to do it. Find the “Get your page verified” message at the top of the screen, or near the name of your business, and you are good to go.

There are a lot of ways to verify your GMB listing. For example, by postcard, by phone, and by email.

Don’t forget to include Photos and Videos

A GMB lets you upload photos and videos as well. As discussed above, make sure to include photos and videos related to your business. The photos that you add should be at least 720 pixels wide by 720 pixels high and JPG or PNG files. Upload a relevant cover photo.

Make sure it’s attractive as it shows up front and centre on your listing. Add a relevant profile photo. Also make sure to add other photos and videos related to your products, and shop.

However, unlike photos, videos are not a must-have. Videos must be equal to or shorter than 30 seconds, 100 MB or smaller and 720p resolution or higher.

What more suggestions do you have to make the optimum use of Google My Business? Please share your ideas through comments.