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When you start a company, you hear all the same advice:
● Claim your social media handles.
● Buy your domain name.
● Get an LLC.
● Create a marketing plan
But why aren't more people talking about the benefits of Google My Business for small brands?
Through Google My Business, you can manage your entire online presence. You can post updates, photos, and offers to your listings. All of which can help to attract new customers and keep existing ones informed about your business.
It also helps drive traffic to your website— even if you only have a digital storefront!
What is Google My Business
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While Google My Business (GMB) plays a major role in local SEO, it's a free service that everyone should take advantage of.
GMB enables business owners to create a free listing for their business that can appear when people search for business categories (more on that in a minute) in Google Search or Maps.
If you're looking for an easy (and again— free) way to increase your visibility online, improve your overall search ranking, and connect with customers, GMB should be step #1 in your business marketing journey.
Google My Business Categories
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One of the key features that help with search rankings in GMB is the ability to select categories. You can choose keywords that tell Google which words best describe your business.
These categories are used by Google to determine what kind of business you have so that Google knows to recommend your company when people search for industry keywords.
The categories available on GMB are diverse and cover a wide range of businesses. Some examples include:
● Restaurants
● Retail stores
● Hotels
● Hair salons
● Dentists
● Automotive repair shops
● Pet groomers
● Gym/fitness centers
● Home Services
● Professional services (e.g., lawyers, accountants)
● Healthcare providers
● Entertainment venues
Choosing the right category can help your business appear in relevant search results, increasing visibility and driving more traffic to your website.
And also, you can choose multiple categories if it applies to your business. For example, if you're a coffee shop serving food, you can select "Coffee shop" and "Restaurant."
10 Benefits of Google My Business For Small Business Owners
Us small business owners can use all the help we can get. Every industry has at least one giant corporation they're up against. So every little piece of marketing advice helps.
Here's one secret those Fortune 500 companies aren't telling you: they're using Google My Business, too.
Here are some other reasons why you should set up a GMB account this week:
Increased Visibility: One of the biggest benefits of Google My Business is that it can help small businesses increase their visibility online. When people search for businesses like yours on Google, your listing will appear in the results, making it more likely that people will visit your website or physical location.
Improved SEO: Another benefit of Google My Business is that it can help improve your local and general search engine optimization (SEO). By providing accurate and complete information about your business on GMB, you can improve your chances of ranking well in search results, leading to more traffic and customers.
Customer Insights: GMB provides insights on how customers interact with your business listing on Google, such as how many people have viewed your listing, how they found it, and what actions they took, like calling the phone number or visiting the website.
Increased Credibility: Having a well-optimized GMB listing helps establish your business as credible in the eyes of customers. This can help increase trust and boost conversions.
Reputation Management: Another benefit of Google My Business is that it provides a platform to manage and respond to customer reviews. This can help you maintain a positive online reputation and address any negative feedback promptly and professionally.
Insights on competitors: you can use GMB to track your competitors' performance and customer engagement with their business.
Connect with mobile customers: Google My Business allows mobile customers to call, message, or get directions with a single tap to your business, as this feature is integrated into the map search result.
Cost-effective: GMB is a cost-effective way to promote your business locally, as it is a free service offered by Google.
Local targeted promotion: GMB allows you to share promotions, offers, or news visible only to customers near your business location.
Multi-language support: GMB supports multiple languages, which means you can share information about your business in different languages.
Plus, Google My Business is free!
Ready to reap the benefits of Google My Business? We can help you! Tell us your traffic goals during your first free consultation.
About High Tide Creative
High Tide Creative is an award-winning agency that provides a full range of digital marketing and advertising solutions that include strategic planning, creative services, brand and logo development, media planning and placement, social media marketing, digital advertising, website development, search engine optimization, video production, public relations and more. Our client list has included: UNC Health Lenoir, Hutchens Law Firm, Equifax, Georgia Pacific, Citi Group, Weyerhaeuser, The Atlanta Hawks, Randstad Staffing, Craven County Tourism, America Knits, Guardian Repellent, and The Shizzle Jerk Marinade.