Numerous Business Profiles on Google fight for the top 3 spots on the Local Search Results page every day. Businesses tend to get more relevant traffic, leads, and sales to their Local Businesses with this awesome feature offered by Google.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a kind of optimization practiced to increase your online presence for your Local Customers/Audience. Local SEO helps Small – Medium cum Brick and Motar Businesses to establish their online presence in the Local Market or a specific city.
Eg: Dentists in Bangalore, Dental Surgeons near me
What is Google My Business (Google Business Profile)?
Google Business Profile is formerly known as Google My Business (GMB). It is a free tool provided by Google to any business that registers for a listing. Here you can optimize your listing for numerous indications that shall be useful for the people who are looking for the products/ services your business offers.
List of things you can add to your Google Business Profile:
- Business Name
- Description
- Location
- Hours (Open-Close)
- Address
- Areas Served
- Health and Safety
- Phone
- Website
- Replies to Reviews and Questions
- Photos
- Attribute
- Posts
Do You Need Local SEO?
If you are a Local Business in a city and do not have a Google Business Profile? Then you are missing something really important that can drive business to your company. Local SEO gets you found on the internet among the local customers in a particular area.
List of Businesses That Need SEO!
- Realtors
- Medical Services
- Restaurants
- Pet Services
- Plumbers
- Lawyers
How does Google determine local ranking?
Ever wondered why certain businesses pop up in a box type on Google when you search for some keywords/phrases. Well, it’s the optimization of Google Business Profiles that has brought them up in the top 3. It is also known as the Local SEO 3- Pack.
The above Image Shows Local SEO Pack -3 for the keyword iPhone repair in Bangalore that we have managed to rank in the 1st position.
There are numerous factors that participate in the ranking of your Google Business Profile but here are the most common ones:
Relevance
Relevance is one of the vital factors when it comes to Google Business Profile ranking. It simply means that your listing must comply with what your customer is looking for.
To make your listing relevant you must do the following:
The description must contain the relevant searches your customers are searching for.
Primary and Secondary Categories should be relevant to your business nature. It’s the best practice to replicate what your competitors have already done.
The name, address, and Phone (NAP) of your business must be accurate on the business profiles and across all the citations.
Distance
As the term itself says “Location” it clearly means that the location of your business must be accurate as well as the areas served must be in accordance with or nearby your location.
For instance, if you are searching for ‘Vegan Restaurants’ Google calculates according to your GPS or the proximity of your phone and shows the location you are in now even if you do not type in the area.
Google will also show the mode of transportation you can opt from such as Bike, Car, Train, Flight, etc to reach your destination.
And make sure you have included the locality/city in your description so that your chances of showing at the top for that particular locality are much higher.
Prominence
This is the only ranking factor that can and cannot be controlled.
It means how well known your brand is. This can also play a vital role in National SEO.
But you are thinking “ Well one of my competitors’ are well known and already established, don’t I have a chance?”. The simple answer is no.
You can outrank such competitors in your area with positive reviews, good customer satisfaction, photos of your physical business, and frequent interaction with the profile.
How do I optimize my Google My Business listing for local SEO?
There are different ways to optimize your Google Business Profile but is a much simple and actionable plan.
Ensure that information provided is accurate and that the name, address, and phone number are consistent across all the platforms.
Make sure the address is the same as your registered business address which also matches the geo coordinates on the map.
Do not stuff keywords in the description and keep it natural. Carefully browse and choose the primary and secondary categories that describe your business.
Ask for reviews and respond to them very often. This builds trust and engagement on Google Business Profile.
Answer all the questions your customers have asked. This is the sign of care and genuineness of a business owner.
Add relevant posts to your GMB using graphics and call to action buttons such as buy, sign up, learn more, get offers, and reserve to generate instant sales.
And after all consistently updating information I have mentioned has a huge impact on rankings.
Conclusion
Google My Business is one of the prominent ways to optimize for Local SEO.
Not claiming your business profile is like saying ‘No, Thank You’ to potential leads, sales, and long-term customers.
This can be an intimidating task if you do not hire an agency such as Percoyo to do the hard work for you.