For local SEO, many businesses aim to appear on top of Google Maps as it receives the majority of attention and clicks. Whenever Google judges that the search conducted includes local intent, the map display is difficult to miss, as it visually dominates the top of the search results. Your firm should have a Google My Business (GMB) page to be discovered on Google Maps, but more than merely claiming and confirming ownership is required. You must optimize it and remain active to get its full advantages.

Is Google My Business Important for Local SEO?

Here are the top five reasons why your company requires a Google My Business profile:

Enhance Your Search Ranking and Business Visibility

Following a good Google My Business SEO checklist, you may dramatically increase your business’s search position and general exposure. Whenever potential consumer searches for the items and services your company provides utilizing similar keywords, Google advertisements appear first, followed by Google’s local 3-pack, and finally, organic results.

Improves Customer Engagement and Support

With a Google My Business page, you can reply to queries and comments about your services and goods more quickly and address positive or critical feedback. Moreover, clients are more inclined to do business with companies they can soon reach, so sharing your information makes it easy for them to contact you with a complaint or a query.

Traffic Volume and Increase Sales 

With 28% of local searches ending in purchases, having a Google My Business account may benefit your website’s traffic. Whenever consumers search for your company’s services or items, they are more likely to visit your website to discover more about you. They are also more likely to finish a goal with a good CTA and landing page.

Makes Your Brand a Business Authority

As a consequence of the evaluations, your company’s attractiveness to potential consumers improves. A 4.7-star review, for instance, indicates that your company is excellent at what it does, so individuals are more inclined to purchase from you.

How Can GMB Help You Improve Your Local SEO in 7 Ways?

You’ve undoubtedly realized that having a Google My company page is critical for your local company. Aside from building a profile, you must enhance your Google My Business SEO to rank better in local searches and appear in the local pack.

Here are some tips to help you:

1. Verify Your Company

Before you do anything more, you must validate your company with Google. After you complete the account setup procedure, Google will give you a four-digit number to the address you specified in the company data. Go to the supplied URL and input the code whenever you get it. This will notify Google that your local company is authentic, and your new profile will be published appropriately.

2. Complete Your Profile Thoroughly

After you have validated your company, it is time to complete your profile. While several questions are optional, numerous responders stressed the importance of providing all pertinent information. It is preferable to provide all of the information requested. Google rewards companies who make the effort to fill up their profiles. A thorough profile serves as the foundation for all additional suggestions.

3. Check That Your Profile Information Is Correct

You need more than just filling out the details when you access the Google Business site. You must also ensure that all of the information is correct and remains correct. The most crucial thing you could do is ensure that all of your listing’s information is correct. That may sound apparent, yet so many companies with false information are out there. Google My Business listings are quickly becoming the internet storefront for most firms; thus, they must be updated. 

4. Ensure Web-Wide NAP Consistency

It is still not enough to maintain your Google My Business listing. You should also ensure that it is consistent with all the leading online local directories. The most crucial facts are referred to as NAP, which stands for name, address, and phone number.

You risk a penalty if Google finds that your address or phone number differs between your social media page and your Google My Business profile. As a result, ensure that your NAP on Google My Business matches the listings on your website, social accounts, and other directory listings.

5. Select the Most Relevant Categories

Choosing the correct service categories was among the most often stated items in our respondents’ Google My Business SEO checklist. This feature significantly influences Google’s choice to show your local company in an organic search. You may choose one major and nine subsidiary categories whenever selecting a type. There is something for each sector among the 4,000 options offered. Make sure that your major category is the most relevant and updated. Furthermore, avoid going overboard with supplementary categories that are irrelevant.

6. Insert Semi-Professional Photographs

Having images is among the most significant components of Google My Business. As fundamental as it might seem, the image for a Google My Business listing is crucial. Images demonstrate to Google that this is a reputable company. They provide the user with an inside view of your company. 

Moreover, they contribute to the development of trust, which is an essential component for Google. To enhance ranks, use semi-professional photographs; the greater the quality, the better. Having images taken of the exterior, interior, or any other area of your business helps you rank higher on Google My Business.

7. Obtain More Reviews

Once your Google My Business page is complete, you must obtain as many reviews as possible. Reviews not only assist you in improving your profile placement on Google and Google Maps, but they also affect your click-through rate.

Here are some suggestions:

• Develop a review plan. This might range from manually contacting consumers and asking them to post a review to employing tools to perform your hard work.
• Make sure that your reviews are genuine. Remember that search engines prefer that people evaluate you organically and will quickly sort out spammers. Even if the bots don’t notice the phony excitement, humans will. 
• Prioritize quality over quantity. Now that Google considers reviews with 200+ characters more critical, the goal is not simply to create favorable evaluations but also to add descriptive phrases that describe why the location is terrific.
• Respond to your feedback. Responding to reviews lets you demonstrate to clients that you care about their experience with your business.

8. Take Advantage of Google Posts

GMB enables you to build interactive posts that display in search results, such as blog and article entries on your website, or particular events, such as classes and promotions. You may enhance user engagement and drive more traffic to your company by publishing a high-quality article.

Here are some suggestions from our responders for crafting such posts:

• Create at least ten blog entries. 
• Routinely add fresh stuff.

Conclusion

If you’re having trouble when it comes to your online engagements, knowing the basics of Google My Business in order to boost your local SEO might be the answer that you have been looking for. A Google My Business profile can help you optimize your website and content locally, especially when used with the aforementioned tips in this article.

In summary, you can consider:

• Verifying your company.
• Completing your profile correctly and thoroughly.
• Ensuring that all your information is accurate and consistent.
• Selecting categories that are relevant for your business.
• Adding high-quality and professional images to your content.
• Obtaining more reviews from clients.
• Making use of Google posts.

If you follow these tips, you can greatly increase your business’s local SERP rankings in no time!