Online Marketing Tactics for Local Businesses

Google My Business for Local Businesses

One unfortunately common mistake among business owners is thinking that since they are enjoying success, they don’t need to explore new ways to grow their business. Our consultants have seen this become a serious problem for the company down the line, again and again. A new competitor who appears in the marketplace that is competitive in most ways but actively seeks out new methods for growth will always appear.

Word of mouth, a great reputation, and a strong presence in your community are fantastic assets for securing your customer base, but to maximize growth, you must make your business easy to find online. The vast majority of your potential new customers probably use their mobile devices to browse the local services or products they’re interested in using. If you ignore this source of new customers, we can assure you that your competition will not. While you might not see the damage immediately, it will become apparent soon enough. It’s much easier to build your local rankings now than try to recover from being too far behind the times later.

You might wonder why Google would offer Google My Business—such a powerful tool—for free. It’s simple, really. It’s Google’s goal to make sure everyone is happy with their search results and that the companies that advertise online are happily gaining new customers. The happier Google’s users are, the more they use Google, and the more ad revenue the company can generate. So, it makes sense for Google to introduce better, powerful tools for business owners. They don’t just help you improve your rankings, but they help Google deliver the search results that its end users value.

It’s also in Google’s best interest to make tools like GMB as accessible as possible. There’s a desktop interface, as well as Android and iOS applications for mobile devices. While getting the most from GMB does require more advanced knowledge of SEO and local search result rankings (which you’ll learn in our free course!) the interface is very intuitive.

Google My Business matters for every local business, because the benefits it offers are so extensive that they provide a competitive edge—a significant one—against any business who isn’t using them.

Here is a list of just a few of the benefits it offers:

  • Consistent information about your business online

If you don’t take control of the information about your business online, misrepresentations will proliferate. Have you ever looked up a restaurant and only been able to find an out of date menu? Have you tried to look up the hours of a business online only to arrive and find them closed? When you claim your Google Business Profile and manage it through Google My Business, you ensure that potential customers are getting correct, up-to-date information.

  • Online visibility

Online visibility extends beyond simply appearing higher in local search results. Third-party online publishers often rely on Google Business Profiles to decide what businesses they’re going to feature. For example, if your local newspaper is doing a spread on the best salons in your town, you want them to be able to find accurate information about your salon, don’t you?

  • Insights

When you take our Google My Business training course, you’ll learn more than you ever thought possible about how customers are finding your company. You’ll be able to use that information to market and promote your business more effectively and efficiently. You’ll know what corners of the market you haven’t reached yet and where your marketing is oversaturated. You’ll be able to do all of this and more because of the insights and analytics data provided by Google My Business. We’ll teach you how to use that knowledge to its full potential.

There are so many more benefits you’ll learn about, as well. For example, if your business takes bookings, you can do so through GMB. You can respond to reviews online to soothe a disgruntled customer or thank a happy customer for sharing a good experience. You can create a better first impression with featured photos and videos.

Our Google My Business Local SEO Specialist course offers so much for free. Can you afford not to take it?