Every business owner with a website is looking for ways to rank high in search results.Today, there are many ways to rank as local businesses.
But there is not an easy way to do that: as with most SEO challenges, a combination of actions required.One of those parts of the local SEO puzzle is Google My Business, but what exactly is it and why is it so important for local SEO?
What is Google My Business?
My Business is Google’s one-stop shop to manage how your business appears in the search engine. It’s an important tool to find out and adjust how your site is displayed in maps, Google’s knowledge graph, Google+ and organic search results.
According to the 2018 edition of the Moz Locale Search Ranking Factors Survey , Google My Business continues to be the main driver of local SEO, with quality links in second place.
You can manage your business by adding NAP details, opening hours, photos and so on. Besides, it is possible to handle the reviews that customers give about your business. As you know, reviews should be a key factor in your local SEO efforts.
How does it work?
Getting started with My Bussiness is easy; You must create an account and confirm ownership of your business. After filling in your details, you will receive a postcard from Google to the address you entered. This card proves that you are the owner of the company specified at the address.
Once verified, you can complete all the necessary details. You can even see how many impressions, clicks and followers your company has received over a certain period. It is a great way to get a feel for how your company perceived by both Google and customers.
Keep in mind that My Business is not the only tool for your local SEO. It must work with your on-and off-site SEO efforts. You will not climb the results if your profile is incorrect, nor will you rank # 1 without a well-optimised site and local custom content. These things go hand in hand.
Ranking Factors
Google My Business uses many factors to determine rankings for businesses. We address the three most important:
- Relevance
- Distance
- Prominent
Relevance
Relevance determines how well your company fits the customer’s search intent. How relevant your company is depends on how optimized your website is for what the customer is looking for. Is it in the middle of dot or vague?
Distance
Distance is a well-known factor in how Google ranks local businesses. You cannot rank in a local search if the user searches for (dentist Richmond) when you have your location is Werribee.
Exactly how Google determines which companies should appear in a local search is unknown, and it can be quite difficult to rank in a particular area. The other factors also play an important role. I
t not only helps to say you are in a particular area, show it by creating locally-targeted content around your business on your site.
Prominent
Appearance is all about the activity around your forte online; This can be the number of reviews, events, local content and so on. It also helps if you can get lots of quality links to your site.
And one thing is for sure: no one likes dead profiles. You need to keep it updated with new photos and manage reviews. As I wrote earlier, this works with your website, so make sure both are custom and you publish local content.
Also read: How to choose SEO agency?
Optimize your Google My Business
To begin, you must first confirm your ownership. Then you can use the following tips to succeed with your My Business account. Keep in mind that everything you add must follow the information you provide on your site:
- Confirm the ownership of your business
- Choose a category, be as accurate as possible
- Give as much data as possible – your profile must be 100%
- Check your phone number
- Check your opening hours – think of holidays!
- Review your photos – are they good or can you improve them?
- Keep your My Business in line with your site – and use Schema.org data
- Keep your details up to date
It is important to remember that this is not done once and then forgotten. Things change, your business changes. Keep everything up to date, check reviews and be active.
Your local SEO is important
Create and activate your My Business account and make your account great, but to get the most out, your website must also be in order. Optimize all parts of it. Create local content for your keywords and niche. Ask customers to leave reviews, on the website or on My Business. And make sure your account is active and up to date.
