12 Ways to Leverage Google My Business for Local SEO

If you're looking to improve your local search engine optimisation Central Coast strategy, leveraging Google My Business (GMB) is a great place to start. GMB is a free tool provided by Google that allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google Search and Google Maps. By optimising your GMB profile, you can help your business appear in more local search results, improve your online visibility, and drive more traffic to your website.

Here are 12 ways to leverage Google My Business for local SEO:

Claim and verify your GMB listing

Claiming and verifying your GMB listing is the first step in optimising your profile. To do this, you'll need to create a Google account or sign in to an existing one, and then search for your business on Google Maps. Once you find your business, you can claim and verify your listing by following the instructions provided by Google. This process confirms that you're the owner or authorised representative of your business, and allows you to update your profile with accurate and up-to-date information.

Complete your business information

Once you've claimed and verified your GMB listing, make sure your business name, address, phone number (NAP), and website are all accurate and consistent across your GMB profile and your website. This will help Google understand your business and improve your local search visibility. You can also add additional information such as your business hours, services, and photos.

Choose the right categories

Selecting the right categories for your business is an important step in improving your local search visibility. Choose categories that accurately describe your business and are relevant to your target audience. For example, if you own a bakery, you might choose categories like "Bakery" and "Cafe".

Add photos and videos

Adding high-quality photos and videos to your GMB profile can help showcase your business and make it more attractive to potential customers. Make sure to add photos of your business location, products or services, and team members. You can also add videos that showcase your products or services, or provide a virtual tour of your business location.

Use Google Posts

Google Posts allow you to share updates, promotions, and other relevant information directly on your GMB profile. This can help improve your visibility in local search results and attract more customers to your business. You can use Google Posts to announce special offers, share news or events, or provide helpful tips and advice.

Encourage customer reviews

Encouraging your customers to leave reviews on your GMB profile is an important part of improving your online reputation and local search visibility. Positive reviews can help improve your business's reputation and increase your chances of showing up in local search results. You can encourage reviews by asking customers directly, or by adding a link to your GMB profile on your website or marketing materials.

Respond to reviews

Responding to customer reviews shows that you value your customers and can help improve your online reputation. Make sure to respond to both positive and negative reviews in a professional and timely manner. This can help build trust with your customers and improve your local search visibility.

Monitor and manage your online presence

Use the Google My Business dashboard to monitor and manage your online presence across Google Search and Maps. This includes updating your business information, responding to customer reviews, and tracking your local search performance. Make sure to check your dashboard regularly to stay up-to-date with your business's online presence.

Use Google Q&A

Google Q&A allows customers to ask questions about your business directly on your GMB profile. Make sure to monitor and respond to these questions in a timely and helpful manner. This can help build trust with your customers and improve your local search visibility.

Optimise for voice search

With the rise of voice search, it's important to optimise your GMB profile for voice queries. Make sure your business information is complete and accurate, and use natural language in your Google Posts and descriptions. This can help improve your chances of showing up in local search results when customers use voice assistants like Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa.

Track your local search performance

Use the insights provided by the GMB dashboard to track your local search performance. This includes monitoring your search impressions, clicks, and other key metrics. By tracking your local search performance, you can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to optimise your GMB profile.

Stay up-to-date with GMB updates and changes

Google My Business is constantly evolving, so it's important to stay up-to-date with the latest updates and changes. This includes keeping track of new features and best practices for optimising your GMB profile. You can do this by following Google's official GMB blog, attending webinars and conferences, or consulting with an SEO professional.

By leveraging these 12 strategies, you can optimise your GMB profile for local SEO and improve your online visibility. Whether you're a small business owner or a marketing professional, taking the time to optimise your GMB profile can pay off in increased website traffic, higher search rankings, and more customers walking through your door.