Google My Business is a free and easy-to-use tool for businesses and organisations to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. To help customers find your business, and to tell them your story, you can verify your business and edit your business information.

Benefits of Google My Business

A Google My Business listing is free, and allows users to list their business and its details such as address, telephone number, opening hours, photos, reviews, logo, business description and products. 

When using a mobile device, the Google My Business listing will appear at the above organic search results (but below the ads). On the desktop, it’s displayed on the right-hand side of the search results.

Google likes businesses that provide clear signals to the search engine on what it does and what it is selling. Through optimising your listing, you are able to showcase your organisation and provide data for Google. The better understood your business is by Google, the more trust it will have in you, therefore helping you to be more visible in search results.

There’s no question about it: optimising your Google My Business listing is crucial if you want to improve visibility in the local search results.

Manage your information

Manage the information that Google users find when they search for your business or the products and services you offer. When people find your business on Google Maps and Search, they can find information like your hours, website, and street address.

Interact with customers

You can read and respond to reviews from your customers. Post photos that show off what you do. Businesses that add photos to their Business Profiles receive 42% more requests for directions on Google Maps, and 35% more clicks through to their websites than businesses that don’t.

Understand & expand your presence

Find insights to learn how customers search for your business, and where they come from. You can also find information like how many people call your business directly from the phone number displayed on local search results in Search and Maps. To spread the word about what you offer, you can create and track the performance of Smart campaigns.
 

How to create a Google My Business listing

Step 1: Log into the Google Account you want associated with your business (or create a Google Account if you don’t already have one).

Step 2: Go to google.com/business and select “Start now” in the top right-hand corner.

Step 3: Enter your business name.

Step 4: Enter your business address.

Step 5: If you go to your customers’ locations, rather than having them come to you, check the box “I deliver goods and services to my customers.” And if you work out of your house or another address you don’t want publicly shown, Check “Hide my address (it’s not a store) Only show region.” Finally, select your Delivery area.

Step 6: Choose your business category. Try to choose the most accurate category possible — you’re essentially telling Google which type of customers should see your business listing.

Step 7: Add your business phone number or website.

Step 8: Choose a verification option. If you’re not ready to verify your business yet, click “Try a different method” → “Later.”

Step 9: Add business hours, description, and store photos

The post How to create a Google My Business Listing appeared first on Grow My Business Online.

The fact of the matter is, your company’s best marketers and sales reps aren’t your employees — they’re your existing customers. 

Customer confidence in businesses is now dwindling. HubSpot Research discovered that customers seek for recommendations from friends and family over any type of online marketing and advertising. 

And without a trusted recommendation from friends and family, 85% of consumers trust online customer reviews much as personal recommendations. This is according to a study.

HubSpot Research as well discovered that a large percentage of consumers believed that customer reviews were either trustworthy or very trustworthy. This means that businesses with many positive reviews and product ratings had a good chance of them helping a customer make a purchase decision. 

It was also discovered on a separate study that positive customer reviews make customers trust a business. On the other hand, 57 percent of customers visit a company’s website after reading positive reviews. 19 percent will visit the business directly. 17 percent will search for additional reviews about the business.

So what is the benefit of positive customer reviews to your business? The potential customers make a purchase decision in favour of your business than your competitor. 

What percentage of customers write reviews?

The good thing is that your customers are more than happy to share their opinion regarding their experience with your business.

According to study, 70% of the customers were willing to leave reviews on the products and services that they have purchased. 

So don’t be afraid by the idea of asking your customers for a favour to leave reviews. Asking your customers will help with your customer interaction. 

It will also show that your business is willing to listen to your customer and that you are willing to find a way to improve your products and services as well as your customer service. 

Do not underrate the power of local business reviews, because local business reviews are a powerful tool to boost your Search Engine ranking. Therefore, your site will become more visible on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).

The purpose of SEO is for your organic visibility in the Search Engine.  And your customer reviews are your Trust Score in the online community. 

How do you get customer reviews?

Can you remember when was the last time you ask a customer or a client to leave reviews on your social media page or your website or Google Business page? 

We have gathered some tips on how to ask your customer to write a review of your product or services without being forceful.

1. Identify the right moments to ask
2. Choose a method that best works for you
3. Make it easy for them to leave a review

Tip#1 – Identify the right moments to ask

Make sure you are asking customer reviews at the right moment in their journey with your business to get optimal results. 

If you will ask for a review at the wrong time, it could result in a customer leaving a negative review that hundreds of more people read online. 

Here is a suggestion from Hubspot

Ask for customer reviews at strategic moments along the customer journey, like:

• After they experience or demonstrate success with your product or service
• When they re-purchase or re-order
• After they tag your brand in a post on social media
• If they are spending time on your website browsing other products or services
• If they refer another customer to you
• After a project is completed and the client has personally expressed his satisfaction

These are just a few examples of signs that your customer is satisfied enough that they would leave a positive review of your business.

Tip# 2 – Choose a method that best works for you and your clients

Every type of business has a unique way of interacting with their clients. For example, eCommerce business usually asks for customer reviews through their mobile applications. Some ask for reviews through email or through their social media accounts. 

However, Google reviews are one of the best social networks to ask your client to leave reviews. It is because more positive reviews in your Google My Business page will help boost your ranking in the Google Search as well. 

First, we would suggest that you send your customers to your Google My Business review page. You can do that by giving them the link to your business page. If you have more positive reviews on Google, your business will show up on Google Pack or in Google Maps.

To share your Google My Business page link – 

Go to https://www.google.com.au/maps/ and then search for your business. 

Once you find it, click “Share” then copy the link. Then send the link to your client through email, private message or SMS. Make sure to include a personalised message asking your client to leave their feedback.

Second, you can ask them to leave reviews on your social network accounts such as Facebook or Twitter. If most of your clients are on Facebook, then you need to enhance your Facebook Page reviews. 

Login to your Facebook Page, then click “Reviews”. In the address bar copy the URL  and share or send it to your customer through email, SMS or direct message on Facebook.

The Right Way to Handle Negative Customer Reviews

Here is a suggestion from AquaMagazine on how to handle the negative customer reviews your business received from unsatisfied clients. 

5 Ways to Handle Negative Customer Reviews

• Don’t ignore bad reviews – A negative customer review means you have an unhappy customer and a good business will want to try to make things right. How or if you respond shows other potential customers how you’ll work with them too.
• Don’t respond immediately – It’s tempting to reply right away to a negative review. But before you respond, take time to really look at things from the consumer’s perspective. Think about it for a while and be sure to cool off. A rash or unprofessional response will only hurt your business.
• Keep your reply short, simple, and professional – Empathize with the consumer’s experience and ask them to contact you so that you can help make things right. Nothing else is needed and you’ve just scored major points with anyone else reading through your business reviews.
• Don’t respond more than once – Don’t get into a back and forth argument with a consumer online. It’s not productive and only reflects poorly on you.
• Encourage more positive reviews – Ask your other customers in-person to review your business online. Don’t be pushy or annoying, but a couple of negative business reviews don’t look that bad when they’re outweighed with a lot of positive reviews.

Other Resources:

• The Ultimate Guide to Customer Reviews and Testimonials
• 31 Customer Review Sites for Collecting Business & Product Reviews
• The Comprehensive Guide to Google Customer Reviews

Digital Marketing Services:

• Affordable SEO
• Affordable Web Design
• Affordable PPC Marketing
• Affordable Graphic Design

The post How Do You Encourage Customers to Write a Review? appeared first on Grow My Business Online.

The Benefits of Google My Business

• Engage with Customer on Google for Free
• Stand out on Google with a free Business Profile
• Get customers with a great Business Profile
• Give customers more ways to reach you
• Keep customers up-to-date
• Find out how many people are connecting with you on Google
• See how customers connect

• Connect and get results

• Get to know your followers
• Build customer trust by responding to reviews
• Discover what works best for your customers

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business is a free tool from Google that allows you to promote your Business Profile and business website on Google Search and Maps. With Google My Business account, you can connect with your customers, post updates about your products and services to your Business Profile.

What is a Business Profile? is it Free?

Your Business Profile on Google My Business page is free. It helps your business show up on Google Search and Maps when it matters most, especially when the moment customers are searching for your business or products or services.

Just log into your Google My Business account and update your business address, phone number, website, open hours and more to help customers find and connect with your business. Also, keep your profile always updated with fresh photos, special offers and promotions to make it easy for customers to choose you.

How to Create Google My Business Profile?

• Sign up for Google My Business

  • Sign in to Google My Business
  • Sign in to your Google Account, or create a new one for your business.
  • Enter your business’ or chain’s address. Then, click Next
  • Choose how your business will display on Google Maps.
  • Search for and select a business category. Then, click Next.
  • Enter a phone number or website URL, then click Finish.
  • Select a verification option.

For more details on the instruction visit Google Support

• Review your business information

  • Make sure to verify or confirm that your business information is correct. When you verify your business information, it means all your information is ready for customers to find across Google.

• Verify your business

  • According to Google, verification protects you from anyone who might try to pose as a representative of your business. You must verify your business before you can edit your business information on Google products.

Free Google My Business Website

So you want to grow your business online, but you have a limited budget for web design. Don’t worry, Google is very generous to SME’s (Small and Medium Enterprise). Along with your Google My Business account, you can have a user-friendly website that is attached to your Google My Business profile. Sounds good! Right?

It’s effortless to design or to do it on your own, or you can also contact us so we can assist you to grow your business online. But if you already have a website, don’t worry because Google Business Profile complements your website by adding more visibility to your current business website on Google Search and Google Maps. You can even add a link to your website on your Business Profile.

Related Posts:

• SEO and Web Design FOr Traffic and Business Branding
• SEO and Web Design:  This Two Must Work Together
• How is Your Business Adapting to COVID-19 Pandemic?

Advantage of Having a Google My Business Website

• You are showing to customers that your business means business

  • Nearly 70% of consumers agree that they are more likely to buy from a business that has a website over one that does not

• Optimised to Attract More Customers

• Showcase What Makes Your Business Special

• Get Up and Running Right Away

• Reach More Customers on Google Search and Maps

Here is an example of a Google My Business website:

Here is a video on how to create Google My Business Website

New Features of Google My Business

There are new features in Google My Business that were added to it since it was launched by Google back in June 2014.

• Google My Business Post: You can connect with existing and potential customers through your Business Profile on Google Search and Maps through Google Posts. You can create and share announcements, offers, new or popular items in stock, or event details directly with your customers.
• • The benefits of Google post for business are:
    • Directly communicate with your local customers.
    • Improve your customer experience with timely information
    • Promote your sales, specials, events, news, and offers
    • Engage with your customers through videos and photos

Affordable SEO For Your Small Business

We at GMBO (Grow My Business Online) works with Small and Medium business to grow their business online at a lower cost of SEO in order to give them an edge against the big brands in the search engine.

Is it possible for a small business to rank side by side in Google with Big brands? Absolutely, yes.

As an expert in digital marketing, we at GMBO have seen how the search engine works and how they rank websites. Google algorithm has a rigorous process that involves both live tests and thousands of trained external Search Quality Raters in order to meet high standards of relevance and quality in the search results page.

In working with your website, we consider what Google also consider in order to rank a website, such as understanding the intent of search query, the relevance of a website/web pages, quality content, usability of a website, context and settings.

Google My Business is one of the many steps that we are doing to many of our clients who have enjoyed our affordable low-cost SEO designed to rank their website on Google especially during this pandemic. You can enjoy the same privilege by connecting with us so we can discuss the future of your business growth.

Digital Marketing Services:

• Affordable SEO
• Affordable Web Design
• Affordable PPC Marketing
• Affordable Graphic Design

The post How Does Google My Business Grow Your Small Business Online? appeared first on Grow My Business Online.