google business

About Google My Business

Google My Business (or GMB) is a tool that lets you control how your business appears when potential customers search for your products or services on Google Search and Maps. You’ll be able to add your business name, location, hours, and even photos. Once you’ve successfully created your GMB account, you’ll be able to monitor and reply to customer reviews and have access to free analytics.

About Local SEO

If you know about Local Search Engine Optimization, then you might be a small to medium business owner (SMB). We recommend that every SMB have a Google My Business (GMB) listing — from store, office, to place of service.

Local SEO is all about increasing search visibility for businesses that serve their communities face-to-face. — Moz.com

If you’re new to local SEO, GMB is a great place to start marketing. Your business listing on Google is the first thing potential customers see when they conduct a local search, so it’s important to have accurate, up-to-date, optimized information about your business on the world’s most popular search engine.

Do you need help creating a Google My Business account? Follow these steps for success.

Getting Started with GMB

Step 1: Create a Google My Business Listing

• Log into the account you want to be associated with your business
• Go to google.com/business and select “Start Now” in the top right corner.
• Enter your business name
• Hit Next

• Choose the category that fits your business best. For example: News Service

• Decide if you want to add your physical location to Google Search and Maps. If you have a physical location or don’t mind sharing your storefront with the world, you’ll receive more traffic with an address.

• Click Next

• Do you offer your services regionally, nationally, or globally? Then select Yes, I also serve outside my location. If not, select No, I don’t.
• If you selected yes, now you can add the areas in which you serve. For example, New York City, New York or USA (continental). You have the option to create multiple service areas if you want to define your regions of service.

• Add your contact details. This is how customers will contact you, so include your phone number and website if possible.
  • You also have the option of creating a free website based on your information.
  • Select “Get a free website based on your info” to get an automatically built and updated web page based on your GMB listing.

• Once you’ve completed all of these steps, you’re ready to select Finish. Now you’ll have access to:
  • Promote your business with photos and posts
  • Track business analytics to understand your customers better
  • Respond to any customer reviews

• But wait. There’s more to do. Verification is the next step. Are you able to take calls from your listed phone number in order to prove verification? If yes, select this method.

• • If you can’t take calls right now, select Postcard by mail. Google will send you a postcard by mail with a verification code.

• Now that your account is set up, you can add your business hours. Then click Save.

• Add a business description of up to 750 words. This is where you can tell the world how your business stands out from your competitors and offers a unique service.

• Add relevant photos of your products and services to your GMB page. Real photos are often better than stock photos.

You are now listed on Google my Business.

Congratulations. Although technically, your profile is now complete, you’ve got more work to do. Stay tuned for our next article about advertising with Google Ads!

Why businesses need to have a Google My Business Listing

Your listing on Google is the first thing people see when they search for your product or service, with the apparent exception of pay-per-click ads. When someone searches for a product or service you offer, they are more likely to choose yours if your GMB page is fully optimized.

Google is one of the most trusted resources available today, and you want to be found! Google My Business offers you brand awareness, great referrals, sales leads, and even more if you learn how to use GMB properly.

Comprehensive Marketing for Guaranteed Results

Now that you’ve created your Google My Business account, you might be looking for ways to get even more results. The recommended next step is developing a website with responsive and mobile web designs, strong search engine optimization (SEO), fast website speed, and other important methods in mind.

While developing a Google My Business account is something you can do on your own, you’ll need some help developing your business website or refreshing your existing site, from an experienced, trusted web developer. That’s why SMBNow.com recommends Xponex Web Design. With Xponex, you’ll be able to expand your marketing, reach new customers, increase conversion rates, grow profits, and develop a solid brand. Xponex Media even offers free consultations for all of their clients.

See what others have said about Xponex and a portfolio of their past customers.