If you are a business owner in this constantly changing world, the best thing you can do in order to survive and thrive is to learn how to adapt. Traditional strategies such as direct sales or direct mails no longer had the same impact it had fifty years ago. Instead, businesses are now focusing their marketing strategies online. However, even if you have little to no online presence at the moment, always remember that you are never too late for anything. With the internet, your customer base can theoretically be all of the 4.5 billion individuals who are using it on a regular basis.
Advancements in terms of online marketing gave individuals a way to somewhat even the playing field so that even small businesses can contend among the big players as long as the cards are played right. One such advancement simply goes by the name of Google My Business. In this article, we will explore what exactly is it and why is it important for you as a business owner.
What is Google My Business?
Created by the tech overlord, Google itself, Google My Business is technically an online directory of some sort where you can list your business while paying absolutely nothing since they are offering it for free. The most important thing about this tool is how easy it is for you to use it. You basically just need to create an account, follow their verification procedure for your business, then wait for a while. Once you get verified, your business would earn its rightful spot on Google Maps, increasing its visibility and online presence among potential customers. If you already have a business or are still planning to have one, there’s literally no good reason to pass up on this opportunity that Google My Business is basically giving out for free.
Why is Google My Business important?
The internet is taking off at an unprecedented pace and most of the stuff that you once needed to do face-to-face can now be easily done with only a few taps and clicks on everyone’s phones or computers. The fact is that nowadays, your online presence could potentially make or break your business. By having a My Business account, Google is providing you with a huge opportunity of standing behind its back so that people could easily find your business on Google Maps, as well as find other relevant information with regards to your business such as contact numbers, opening hours, or photos among others.
In fact, it has been reported that about 46% of Google searches have local intent, which means that when people search for something such as a product or a service, they will add a place to it like “Brooklyn restaurants” for example. If your business is listed on My Business and it exactly matches those keywords, there is a high chance that those people who searched those keywords will find interest in it, landing you a whole lot of potential customers which could either be locals or tourists. If you properly fill up your business details on My Business, as well as get sufficient positive Google reviews, you might even land on Google’s famous 3-pack, which is basically the top 3 places that match the user’s keywords and can further increase your visibility online. It’s basically a “cheat” that gets you on the top automatically since map results go before organic search results.