Google My Business is a tool from Google that lets businesses create a short profile displaying their names, phone numbers, address, operating hours and official website completely free of cost. You can also add relevant search results like maps and locations using other apps provided by Google. The first step when building an SEO strategy is to check the Google My Business (GMB) listing for your company and claim the ownership rights. When someone looks up your business on Google the GMB information shows up at the top and it is the one most users view first.

Why You Need Google My Business

1. Prominent Search Results

Like the details above show, the Google My Business results show up on the top of a Google search. The listing helps your company stand out and links people to the address even if you do not have a website. Your business will appear in brand name searches and the prominent position is guaranteed. The competition in the local area can affect whether or not your business will be the top result in its category. Reviews and verifications by other users help improve the standing of the Google My Business listing. Getting into the top 3 slots is an achievement in itself as it will drive people to your store.

2. Local and Mobile Search

Google My Business also affects any searches made in the physical vicinity of the business. If someone looks up for your business type with the location added in the query then they can find your business in the results. For example someone looking up ‘café Scottsdale’ before their visit to find a place to have coffee while they are there.

According to the statistics, 46% of the Google searches are completed locally and the top 3 GMB results appear almost 93% of the time. If you want to improve these results then a Google My Business listing is necessary.

Local searches are often carried out on mobiles and it is beating web search for most businesses industries. Some search types such as food and drink are usually completed on mobile phones. To increase mobile visibility it is important to have Google My Business because they are the results that dominate on smartphone devices.

3. Get Ahead of the Competition

There are a number of ways this can work. If your competitors already have GMB listings then some hard work will be required for people to land on your page. Visibility decreases with an increase in competition and people will have to scroll through pages to get to your less prominent listing. Once you get your own GMB listing it becomes easier to compete.

If the competitors do not have a GMB at all the you are at an advantage because your business will stand out in the search results. A viewer is more likely to see your website when they look up a relevant query.