Get the most out of your agency’s Google My Business listing

Here are a few things to do to a My Business listing to make it have the best impact on SEO.

Google My Business lets users easily connect with customers across Google Search and Maps, says Google. (Photo: Mooshny/Shutterstock)

When people search for your agency online, they’ll see your Google My Business listing in the results. At their fingertips are your phone number, location, hours, reviews, photos and much more. It’s all part of Google’s effort to make online searches more effective for users.

With a complete Google My Business listing, prospects may not even visit your website. They’ll find everything they need on your listing if it’s filled out properly. And that’s okay.

In a survey conducted by databox.com, respondents voted a Google My Business listing as the second most important channel for businesses to focus marketing efforts on, behind their own website.

Here are a few things to do to your listing to make it have the best impact on your SEO.

Optimize your listing

Your Google My Business listing contains all the information a potential customer may need when doing a quick Google search. This includes your business name, address, phone number, hours of operation, and more.

That is why it is so important to optimize your listing and make sure it is full of accurate information. If any of the information on the listing changes, update it.

You don’t want to start off a relationship with a potential customer by giving them inaccurate information.

Be sure to fill out all the information Google asks for when optimizing your listing. You want to stand out and rank higher than competitors!

Add photos

Adding photos can have a positive impact on rankings as photos increase engagement. Customers want to see where they could be doing business, and who they might be working with. So include interior and exterior photos as well as staff photos. Each can have a positive impact.

Make sure they are good quality photos as well. Google takes photo quality into account when reviewing rankings. Photos show Google inside your business and the legitimacy of your organization. This builds trust, which is another big factor in rankings.

Get reviews

Getting reviews from customers is another huge factor when Google determines rankings. Two important elements are the number of reviews and the average star rating of the business.

Legitimacy in reviews is also very important. Google knows when it sees a fake review. And that will have a negative impact on where your website ranks if they find out.

So, make sure you are getting real reviews from real customers. Do not ask a family friend to leave a review. Or even go to the extent of leaving a review for your business yourself.

Also, keep an eye out for new reviews and respond to all of them. This shows Google (and potential customers) you’re engaged. It shows you care for customers’ opinions about their experiences, good or bad.

If you happen to receive a bad review, respond. Try to figure out what triggered a bad review and how you can make it better. Offer to chat offline to try to save the relationship without exposing all the negative details for others to view.

Consistency is key!

The last and most important factor is consistency. Consistency is key in determining ranking across several search platforms, not just Google. Make sure your business name, address and phone number are the same across all listings. Even the slightest differences in any of these elements could have a negative impact. If you spell out the word street on Google, be sure to spell it out on Bing, Yelp, etc. Be sure to keep these things consistent and updated to get a positive impact out of your Google My Business listing!

Amanda O’Brien is a digital marketing strategist for Insurance Technologies Corporation (ITC), a provider of marketing, rating and management software and services to the insurance industry. This article originally appeared on ITC’s blog and is republished here with consent. 

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