7 Reasons Google My Business Is Essential In 2022

It’s 2022 and the space of online marketing is getting smarter and craftier by the day. More than ever, small to medium sized businesses need to not only cover all bases, but also stand out. Enter: Google My Business (also known as Google Business Profile), an essential tool that every business should be utilising.

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business is a profile for a business on Google Maps. You would have noticed when browsing Google Maps an array of business icons appear as you view a location. Each of these icons represent a profile where you can also get essential business information such as operation hours, products & services, contact details, reviews, promotions, and a whole lot more.

Now that we know what the feature is, it’s time to explore why it is so essential.

1: Google My Business Listings Appear In Search Results

SEO, and Digital Marketing more generally, is all about gaining visibility online. Additionally, Google SERPs are our go to place for almost every query we ever have. As business profiles appear in search results, this makes having a profile as important as ever. 

In the SERPs, the results are broken up into three sections: 

• Google Ads
• Google My Business profiles
• Organic search results

Having your profile appear on page 1 of those search results is just as important as any other visibility you will get.

2: Increase Your Organic Leads

These profiles give customers direct access to conversion buttons like your phone number and bookings. It does this without the extra steps of having to first visit a website. 

This shortcut to conversions can work wonders for a small to medium-sized business, especially those in the service industry. If a potential customer finds you, they can have direct access to your products and services.

3: It Allows You To Engage With Customers

Google My Business provides a function that has traditionally been tricky to navigate – it gives businesses access to, and the ability to engage with, their customers. 

You can do this in a couple of ways: 

• Responding to reviews – when customers leave a review, there is also the opportunity for the business to then leave a response. This is a fantastic tool for anyone who is eager to better understand the experiences of their customers.
• Messages – Google has introduced a message function in which you can speak directly with customers in real-time through the Google My Business app.

4: Allows You To Provide Up To The Minute Information For Your Customers

Are your hours changing temporarily during the holiday season? Are you closed due to unforeseen circumstances? Are some of your business processes changing? Whatever is happening, Google lets you update this in real time, giving your customers the information they need when they search for and find your business online.

5:  Give Confidence To Customers

Did you know that almost 90% of customers read reviews before making a purchase? With this statistic being as high as it is, neglect your reviews at your peril!

Thankfully, if your reviews are consistently good, then this will naturally lead to a higher number of leads coming through for your business. 

Aside from reviews, merely having a Google My Business is a huge green flag for credibility. The requirements for getting a profile approved are becoming more and more stringent. So, simply having a profile alone will be a huge vote of confidence to your potential customers.

6: Everybody Has A Google My Business Profile

Google My Business is so pervasive nowadays, foregoing this basic tool is a disservice to your business. It’s an added layer of competition, and if you want to keep up with the pack, you will need to have a presence in the listing space.

7: It’s Free!

That’s right, it doesn’t cost a thing to set up a profile. There are a few formalities in the set-up process, but none of them come at any cost. There is absolutely no excuse not to use this free, but incredibly powerful, tool. 

If you need to have a chat about Google My Business or any other aspects of SEO, we are an SEO agency in Melbourne that can point you in the right direction. Get in touch today for a chat about how we can help you gain visibility and thrive in these increasingly competitive digital space