With so many regular changes to the Google My Business platform, you’d be forgiven for giving up on it and just leaving it to its own devices. But Google has actually made some pretty good changes to Google My Business lately, and there are a few new Google My Business features you should be using.

 

Where Do Google My Business Listings Appear?

Google My Business (GMB) listings used to appear on Google Maps, Google search results and on Google+. Back in 2017, Google decided that GMB listings would only show in the search results and on Google Maps. So if you can’t find your unique Google URL for your existing listing, it may not exist anymore.

 

How To Set Up Your Google My Business Listing

If you haven’t set up your listing, head here and do it now. You don’t have to have a physical or public address to do this. You can choose to show as operating across a certain radius, whether that’s 5 km around your area or Australia-wide. Your address can remain private but you will need to input it so that Google has a point around which to serve your business listing.

They also need to send you a postcard (yes, an actual postcard that is delivered by your postie!) with a unique code on it. This is to verify that you do own your business and location that you are attempting to add to Google Maps.

 

6 Google My Business Features You Should Be Using

1. Posts

A fairly new feature of Google My Business is posts. Just as the name suggests, you can create a post which shows on your listing on the search results page.

You can post about anything really, but think of what you’d share on your other social platforms and replicate those topics.

Examples of posts on Google My Business could include news of a sale, your latest blog post, new products and services, upcoming events or just news from your business.

Don’t forget to add an image to make your post stand out, and a link so people can click through to your website.  Add a button and choose the most relevant button type. At the moment, you can choose from:

Book

Order Online

Buy

Learn More

Sign Up

Get Offer

You’ll get a reminder when your post is about to expire, prompting you to create a new post.

 

2. Description

Great news for businesses everywhere – you can once again add a description to your Google My Business listing!

You can add a huge amount of text that describes your business and what you offer, along with any other information you want to include. You’ve got 750 characters, so use them all if you can!

You can find this feature in the ‘Info’ section.

I think the only thing that would make this feature better would be the ability to add links within the description, but I’ll take the description nonetheless!

 

3. Services

Also under the info section, you’ll find the option to add your services to your Google My Business listing.

You can add multiple sections with multiple products or services within each one, so this is another great opportunity to add as much detail as you can about what you do.

 

4. URLs 

In my opinion, one of the main features of your Google My Business listing is being able to add a link to your website.

Never leave this out!

Recently, a new feature was added so you can add a booking/appointment URL as well, giving you not one but two links to your website.

If you don’t have a booking facility, you could add a link to your contact page instead.

 

5. Questions & Answers 

Have you noticed that people have the ability to ask questions on your Google My Business listing?

If someone submits a question to your listing, make sure you answer it as quickly as you can. Showing people that you respond quickly with information can help them build an idea of how you operate as a business.

 

6. Reviews 

We all love getting reviews, but do you know who really loves your Google reviews? That’s right – Google! When independent parties review your business, it helps Google to build a good picture of your business.

Online reviews are also known to have an impact on your search results rankings, click-through rates, and consumer trust. People are known to trust online reviews over recommendations from family and friends too!

You cannot solicit positive reviews, as this is against Google guidelines, but you can remind people that they have the option to review your business online. You could add links to review your business in your emails or on your website. The easier you make it for people to review you, the more reviews you’re likely to get.

 

Bonus Tip – Add All The Information You Can

It seems obvious, but if there is a field for information and it’s relevant to your business, add it.

Some things should be there no matter what, like your actual business name. But, don’t keyword-stuff your business, name, it’s not really something you should be doing as a tactic to try and rank well).

Add photos to your listing to make it stand out, include your opening hours, address (or service area) and phone number, making it easy for people to find the information they need in order to get in touch with you.

 

If you need help setting up and optimising your Google My Business listing, get in touch with me now. Having a well-optimised Google My Business listing can help your SEO, and allows you to use location extensions in your Google AdWords campaigns, so don’t ignore the power of Google My Business when it comes to your online marketing!