{"id":229742,"date":"2020-03-23T15:43:39","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T15:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/?p=229742"},"modified":"2022-06-10T19:05:52","modified_gmt":"2022-06-10T19:05:52","slug":"what-is-google-my-business-and-why-your-business-needs-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/what-is-google-my-business-and-why-your-business-needs-it\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Google Business Profile And Why Your Business Needs It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>On average, businesses receive\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/smallbiztrends.com\/2019\/07\/google-my-business-insights.html\">59 actions<\/a>\u00a0per month from their Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) Listing. Does this sound enticing to you? Are you looking for new ways to help people engage with your business online?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re not using Google Business Profile, now is the time to start.\u00a0Read on to learn more about it and\u00a0the benefits it has to offer\u00a0for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/what-is-google-my-business-and-why-your-business-needs-it\/#What_Is_Google_Business_Profile\" title=\"What Is Google Business Profile?\">What Is Google Business Profile?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/what-is-google-my-business-and-why-your-business-needs-it\/#Benefits_of_Using_Google_Business_Profile\" title=\"Benefits of Using Google Business Profile\">Benefits of Using Google Business Profile<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/what-is-google-my-business-and-why-your-business-needs-it\/#Show_Up_in_More_Search_Results\" title=\"Show Up in More Search Results\">Show Up in More Search Results<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/what-is-google-my-business-and-why-your-business-needs-it\/#Appear_in_Googles_Local_3-Pack\" title=\"Appear in Google&#8217;s Local 3-Pack\">Appear in Google&#8217;s Local 3-Pack<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/what-is-google-my-business-and-why-your-business-needs-it\/#Gain_Credibility\" title=\"Gain Credibility\">Gain Credibility<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/what-is-google-my-business-and-why-your-business-needs-it\/#Increase_Website_Traffic_and_Sales\" title=\"Increase Website Traffic and Sales\">Increase Website Traffic and Sales<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/what-is-google-my-business-and-why-your-business-needs-it\/#Gain_Insights_into_Your_Business\" title=\"Gain Insights into Your Business\">Gain Insights into Your Business<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/what-is-google-my-business-and-why-your-business-needs-it\/#Stand_Out_from_the_Competition\" title=\"Stand Out from the Competition\">Stand Out from the Competition<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/what-is-google-my-business-and-why-your-business-needs-it\/#Engage_with_Your_Customers\" title=\"Engage with Your Customers\">Engage with Your Customers<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/what-is-google-my-business-and-why-your-business-needs-it\/#No_Time_To_Manage_Your_GMB_Account_Outsource_It%E2%80%A6\" title=\"No Time To Manage Your GMB Account? Outsource It&#8230;\">No Time To Manage Your GMB Account? Outsource It&#8230;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/what-is-google-my-business-and-why-your-business-needs-it\/#Claim_Your_GMB_Listing_Today\" title=\"Claim Your GMB Listing Today\">Claim Your GMB Listing Today<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_Google_Business_Profile\"><\/span>What Is Google Business Profile?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Google Business Profile (or GBP for short) is a free online marketing tool for businesses and organizations. The only cost for using it is your time, but we&#8217;ll talk about that in a bit. It allows you to manage your online presence across all Google platforms. This includes things like Google Maps and Google Search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>GMB listings include the following pieces of information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Business phone number<\/li><li>Additional contact information (address, office hours, email address, etc.)<\/li><li>Business URL<\/li><li>Photographs of your business<\/li><li>Customer reviews<\/li><li>Q&amp;A (can be used as a FAQ)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Every business has access to a free GMB listing. You can use it to edit your business&#8217;s information, make it easier for customers to find you, and tell them everything they need to know about your company before they check you out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Benefits_of_Using_Google_Business_Profile\"><\/span>Benefits of Using Google Business Profile<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Approximately&nbsp;56 percent&nbsp;of local businesses have not claimed their GMB listing? If you&#8217;re part of this group, there&nbsp;are lots of reasons why you ought to change that and take advantage of GMB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First of all, it&#8217;s a fast and free form of marketing. You already spend so much money promoting your business, so why not utilize a free tool that helps you increase brand awareness and get your company&#8217;s name in front of local consumers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the fact that the tool itself doesn&#8217;t cost you anything, there are plenty of other benefits GMB has to offer. They include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Show_Up_in_More_Search_Results\"><\/span>Show Up in More Search Results<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most important factors that consumers take into account when they&#8217;re conducting a search is the proximity of a business to their current location. People don&#8217;t want to have to travel farther than is necessary. If you claim your GMB listing, you&#8217;re more likely to show up in people&#8217;s search engine results when they&#8217;re looking for a business like yours near them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It doesn&#8217;t matter if you run a medspa or a mechanic shop. If you&#8217;re using GMB, people are more likely to learn your business&#8217;s name and check out your website if you pop up in their local search results. This helps them see how close they are to you and will increase their chances of paying you a visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Appear_in_Googles_Local_3-Pack\"><\/span>Appear in Google&#8217;s Local 3-Pack<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Google&#8217;s &#8220;Local 3-Pack&#8221; is the top three results that show up at the top of the search engine results page before any organic search results. If you&#8217;re part of this club, people are way more likely to click on your business and visit it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are lots of steps that businesses try to take to be part of this coveted 3-pack. One of the best ways to be part of the group, though, is to claim your GMB listing. That, paired with the right optimization practices, will help you take your listing to the next level and ensure that as many people as possible have a chance to see it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Gain_Credibility\"><\/span>Gain Credibility<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Having an active GMB profile helps your business to gain credibility, too. Most people search for businesses online before they check them out in person or place an order from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If people can&#8217;t find you from a Google search and learn the basics of your company, the chances of them becoming paying customers will decrease in a dramatic way. Don&#8217;t cause people to lose trust in your business before they even walk in the door. Use this free service so they know you&#8217;re the real deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Increase_Website_Traffic_and_Sales\"><\/span>Increase Website Traffic and Sales<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As you know, it&#8217;s not enough just to have a website for your business. You also need to get people to visit that website on a regular basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using Google Business Profile is a great way to increase the amount of traffic your website receives. This can also lead to more sales over time, either online or in-person.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consumers who find brands via Google Business Profile are especially likely to make a purchase. In fact, one study showed that they&#8217;re\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/small-biz\/security-tech\/technology\/what-is-google-my-business-and-why-your-business-needs-it\/articleshow\/65223206.cms\">50 percent<\/a>\u00a0more likely to buy something than those who find the business through other channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Gain_Insights_into_Your_Business\"><\/span>Gain Insights into Your Business<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only does Google Business Profile help you promote your company and the products or services you offer, but it also provides you with valuable insights into your business&#8217;s online presence. You can use GMB to learn about your brand&#8217;s visibility and find out how most people are learning about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This helps you figure out what&#8217;s working and what isn&#8217;t when it comes to your marketing strategy. It can also help you fine-tune your approach to attract more of your target customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Stand_Out_from_the_Competition\"><\/span>Stand Out from the Competition<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Are your competitors using GMB yet? If they&#8217;re not, now&#8217;s the time to jump on it. Having an active GMB listing can give you an advantage over other local businesses in your industry and attract more customers who might not have known about you otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Engage_with_Your_Customers\"><\/span>Engage with Your Customers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>GMB also gives you another way to engage with your customers. By&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/4-tips-for-responding-to-negative-reviews-online\/\">responding to reviews<\/a>&nbsp;(both negative and positive) you can show people that you care and find ways to improve your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This increased engagement also lends credibility to your company. It ups the likelihood that people will trust you and want to buy what you&#8217;re selling, too.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"No_Time_To_Manage_Your_GMB_Account_Outsource_It%E2%80%A6\"><\/span>No Time To Manage Your GMB Account? Outsource It&#8230;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As stated previously, the only cost of using GMB is your time. To be effective with GMB, you need to be consistent. That means, consistently posting, uploading images and responding to quetions or reviews. Many small businesses don&#8217;t have the expertise or the manpower to manage their GMB account. That&#8217;s where marketing agencies can help. Check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/google-my-business-management\">GMB Boost<\/a> package here and see what&#8217;s included in a GMB management package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to time considerations, you also need to know how to set up your account properly. Google does a good job of walking you through the account set up, but some understanding of SEO (search engine optimization) can really help your account stand out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Claim_Your_GMB_Listing_Today\"><\/span>Claim Your GMB Listing Today<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can see, there are lots of reasons why you ought to be using Google Business Profile as part of your marketing strategy. This is especially true if you&#8217;re trying to attract more local traffic, so keep these benefits in mind and claim your GMB listing today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re looking for more local SEO or general SEO information, we&#8217;ve got lots of resources available for you. Check out our digital marketing solutions&nbsp;today to learn more about how we can help you grow your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/google-my-business-management\/\">Google Business Profile Boost<\/a>\u00a0service is especially beneficial. It can help you increase your local traffic in a significant way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On average, businesses receive\u00a059 actions\u00a0per month from their Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) Listing. Does this sound enticing to you? Are you looking for new ways to help people engage with your business online? If you&#8217;re not using Google Business Profile, now is the time to start.\u00a0Read on to learn more about it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":230215,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"What IS Google My Business And Why Your Business Needs It","_seopress_titles_desc":"Google My Business is one of the most powerful local marketing tools available to get leads. Learn what it is, why your business needs it and how we can help.\r\n","_seopress_robots_index":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,27],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229742"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engageddigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}