How to Optimize Google My Business to Get More Leads
Trying to keep up with the digital world when it comes to owning a business can be exhausting. It seems like every year there’s new information, another platform, and a seemingly endless stream of “how to do x, y, and z.” Our digital marketing team at Triton Commerce is here to help cut through the noise to help your business grow and remain relevant online. Despite all the information floating around on the internet, there is one surefire thing every single business owner can do to help increase their online presence and generate leads: optimize their Google My Business.
Now, you might be wondering, “but how do I best optimize my Google My Business?” Luckily for you, we have a relatively straightforward answer: fill out as much information as you can on your Google My Business account.
A mistake that many businesses make is doing the bare minimum on their Google My Business account and then never touching it again. To help you achieve as much success as your GMB account can bring, here are a few specific things you can do to keep your account going strong.
5 Ways to Optimize Your Google My Business Account
Now, it’s easy for us to sit back and say, “Well, just fill out all the boxes,” but we understand that a little more guidance is helpful. Being as specific as you can is essential when creating your Google My Business account, particularly with face-to-face businesses that require their clientele to come to them.
1. Google My Business Categories
When filling out your Google My Business categories, do your best to include all that apply. You can choose up to ten categories. So, if you’re a roofing contractor who primarily works on roofs but also does siding, windows, gutters, etc., you’ll want to make “Roofing Contractor” your primary category. You can then include “Siding Contractor,” “Windows Installation,” and all your secondary services in order of importance to your business.
2. Accurate Information
When you’re working on building the rest of your account, triple-check that everything is correct—phone number, address, services locations, website URL, and so on. If you run a business out of your home but don’t want your address to be public, you’ll still need to use your address to verify your Google My Business account.
The good news is you can make your address private, and instead set up service areas to indicate where you offer your business. Google My Business does limit you to 20 locations for a service area, so it’s good to be strategic when it comes to what specific areas you’d like to target and pull leads from.
3. UTM Tracking
If you’re interested in monitoring your site’s traffic, you’ll have more accurate results if you add UTM tracking to your Google My Business. Unfortunately, mobile traffic via your Google My Business account tends to be categorized as direct traffic, even if that person found you organically. Adding UTM tracking helps clarify that distinction and can provide you with the most accurate analytics possible.
4. Media & Google Posts
Be sure to upload a few quality images of your business, the products you sell, the services you offer, or even pictures of your staff. Doing this adds credibility to your business and makes your company more approachable to prospective customers.
In addition to adding images or videos, you’ll want to create a few Google Posts, which will act as free advertising. Google Posts show up in the carousel beneath your listing and provide an excellent method to push promotions. By investing time and care into your Google My Business, and treating it like another social media platform, you’re creating an enticing element to your listing that will also improve organic search results.
5. Q&As
A well-rounded Q&A section makes for another great addition to your Google My Business account. You can fill this in by taking a few FAQs from your website or by adding the most commonly asked questions that current customers or leads tend to ask your business. If your listing includes a similar question that a lead searches for online, Google will autocomplete the question and show your listing, making them far more likely to peruse through your website.
5. Reviews
Lastly, making an intentional effort to build your online reviews goes a long way in optimizing your Google My Business account. When you do receive reviews, it’s imperative that you also take time to respond to them—the good and the bad. Your acknowledgement and responses help build credibility and show potential leads that you’re invested in your customer’s satisfaction with your product or service. For more tips on how to gain review, check out our podcast segment: 5 Ways to Get More Google Reviews.
Take Control of Your Google My Business with Triton Commerce
At Triton Commerce, we understand the full scope of what your business needs in order to have a winning digital marketing strategy. Optimizing your company’s Google My Business account goes a long way in improving your site’s organic search traffic and your overall online presence. However, if you don’t have the time or experience to do so, our experts can help! Reach out to our team to start the conversation about how we can improve your website’s lead generation strategy