What is Google My Business (GMB)?

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Google offers data tools like; Search Console, Google Analytics, and Google My Business Insights Search Console and Google Analytics are more advanced tools than My Business Google Insights, but Insights gives you plenty of useful data as part of your listing:

When a customer finds you, what do they do? Are you making an impression and prompting them into interacting with you? That’s the goal – attract and keep their attention.

Customer activity falls into:

Your customer activity on your Google Business account lets you know where to focus your efforts.  If people are asking for directions, you can add more information to your Google business page on parking, public transport and include more photographs showing your building from different approaches. Direction requests display on a heat map so you can see what areas the best zones for your business. You can use this information to run a social media campaign in those areas or those that don’t use your services. Phone call information tells you the days and times when most people call you – perhaps in their lunch hour? As well as being interesting, this information tells you when most people are looking at your listing – you can schedule a new post for before peak viewing times and see if that increases your viewing statistics on My Google Business page. Your Photo views come with a benchmark for similar businesses. This information lets you know if you need to change your images or if you are outperforming the competition. All the information collected and analyzed by Google business insights gives you the marketing data needed to increase your reach and sell more.

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To use Google Business Manager, you need a Google Account associated with your business. If you don’t already have one, set one up. It’s free. You can click through from your google account (menu option and also at the bottom of the page) on the ‘business’ option. Or you can go direct to google.com/business and follow the straightforward directions. Once you complete initial information, you verify your Google Business account information using one of the verification methods Google offers. Lots of people confirm by email because everyone is familiar with setting up accounts with businesses this way. You get a verification code that you enter to validate the My Google Business account.

Now you complete your Google business profile as accurately as possible. Remember, other people can edit your Google business listing. It is sensible to make it part of your business routine to check your profile reflects your business. Your Google business listing is the first contact new customers have with you, and it’s probably how existing customers quickly check small details like opening times and contact numbers. Give your customers reliable information on My Google Business page and keep it up to date. Editing information is quick and easy. If your phone number or opening times change – update your profile. Also, give your customers all the information they need – complete all the spaces available to you on My Business Google for a complete listing.

Most businesses give an address of their bricks and mortar store, but if you are plumber, a mobile hairdresser or a landscape gardener that isn’t going to work for you. Businesses that deliver services to customer homes can specify their service area on Business Google Maps. Instead of a pin on a map, your business shows up as a service zone.

Don’t feel tempted to say you are open seven days a week if you close Sunday and Monday. It is crucial that if a customer sees you are accessible on your Google business listing that if they come to your store, you are open. Remember that disappointed customers may edit your business page to save other potential customers from a wasted journey. They might change your business to – “closed,” and you may not notice for weeks.

Currently (2020), there are 3,942 potential business categories, and you select one primary and up to nine secondary descriptions. You want to focus on your core business and limit your categories because more is not better. If you have a gym with a café for refreshments, your primary business is the gym and not the added benefit of the café. Concentrate on the needs of the customer you want to attract when describing your business type on Google for Business.

Information about your business can be on My Business Google without you creating it. When you are paying attention to your Google business listing, you either claim your Google business or create one. Either way, you need to verify that you are the business representative with the right to manage the Google business account.