Imagine if there was a simple to use local marketing tool that made it really easy for your customers to find you. What if it also had the power to boost your local SEO ranking? How much would you pay for it?

Now imagine it was free…

Luckily you don’t have to imagine it, this free to use tool already exists. It’s called Google My Business.

If there’s one thing that absolutely every local business should do, it’s claiming their Google My Business Listing. It’s straightforward to do, but surprisingly we often speak to local business owners who haven’t completed this crucial step in their digital marketing strategy.

How to claim your Google My Business listing

Here’s our quick breakdown of how to claim your Google My Business listing:

Click this link, and then click the Sign In button on the top right of the screen
The Sign In button will take you to a search page where you can search your business name.
If your business is already listed on Google, you’ll be able to claim it. If not, you’ll be able to add it to Google.
The next step is to choose a category that best fits your business. There are plenty of options, but you can’t add a new one.
You’ll be asked if you have a physical location people can visit. If you do, you’ll be taken to a page to enter the full address. If not, you’ll be asked to enter any areas that you serve or deliver to, for example, Philadelphia or New Jersey. You’ll also be asked to enter your country.
Next, you’ll be asked to enter any contact details that you want to be displayed to customers.
Click ‘Finish’
Now, you’ll be asked to verify your business. If you aren’t listing a physical location that people can visit, you can select from several options, including phone and email. If you have a physical location, you’ll most likely be asked to use the ‘postcard by mail’ option.
Choose the option you prefer (if you have a choice) and follow the instructions. For verification by mail, you will receive a postcard in the mail within 5 days that contains a code that you can enter to verify your business.
You’re all set! You can now add additional information to your business listing, including opening hours and relevant photographs.

Google My Business features for local business

Now that you know how to claim your local business listing, let’s take a look at some of the features you’ll be able to take advantage of:

Google Maps listing

If you’re a local business with a physical location that clients can visit, like retailers, coffee shops, restaurants, and accountants, then this feature is priceless. Not only will customers now know where to find you and get directions to your location, but you’ll also feature in local searches.

Local searches are a big focus for Google, and in November 2019, they improved their algorithm to better identify when a user has local search intent.

The number of customers using mobiles to search ‘near me’ has been steadily growing over several years. But without a Google My Business account, you won’t show up in the results box, meaning that you could be losing out on hundreds of potential customers.

Better ad options

PPC ads are a very effective marketing tool for local businesses. You can make them even more effective when you link your Google My Business account to your Google Ads account because you’ll get the option to run ads with location extensions.

These location extensions mean that you can include your address and a map to your physical location on your ads. Clicking on the extension will direct customers to further details about your business such as opening times and reviews.

Customers can follow your business

Customers can choose to follow businesses they are interested in, which means that they’ll receive updates about your business. It also allows you to create Welcome Offers so that you can send your followers discounts and offers.

You can view your follower numbers using Google My Business app.

Google business reviews.

Reviews are one of the best ways to build trust with new customers. When potential customers can see positive reviews on your Google listing, they are much more likely to choose your business over a local competitor with a lower score or no reviews.

Even better, Google favors businesses with lots of positive reviews, so the more you receive, the higher you will feature in local searches. In December 2019, Google began displaying carousels that feature reviews on local business profiles. These are displayed if they are relevant to the search and the business has enough high-quality reviews.

Google My Business messaging options

Turning on messaging options in your Google My Business profile not only gives your customers a convenient way to contact you, but it also means that for eligible businesses, you’ll get a ‘receive a quote’ button that can help you generate more leads.

Eligible businesses are those participating in the Local Services Ads program and who have been verified with Google Guaranteed background checks.

Google My Business is an essential part of any local business SEO strategy

Google is putting a lot of focus on Google My Business. They added lots of new features and updates to Google My Business in 2019, and that shows no signs of slowing down in 2020 and beyond.

For all local businesses, but especially those with a physical location, optimizing your Google My Business profile is an essential part of your local SEO strategy.

Have you claimed your listing yet?