There is no doubt that local SEO (search engine optimization) is vital. In fact, it is among the major ways in which brick-and-mortar stores get found online and make sales. According to several industry professionals, SEO is even going to be more vital in the future.
Part of that significance can be because of sheer search volume. What’s more, the likes of Google Maps have about 155 million mobile users, and more than 62% of monthly Google users use the search engine when searching for a local business.
If you consider all these, you must learn how to advertise your business on Google for free and allow your business to optimize local SEO.
Fortunately, GMB (Google My Business) is among the perfect platforms marketers may use to achieve this. Having a listing on GMB means you will have a perfect platform to gather reviews and help your business feature prominently in the search engine result pages (SERPs). So without further ado, the following is the role that GMB plays in SEO:
1. Control Online Business Details
Your GMB profile will enable you to update and control contact details and business hours. You may as well post updates showing that you have temporarily closed, fully reopened, or expanded services.
GMB profiles come with strong local SEO. That means the details you share will rank above different third-party sites, which may have out-of-date information.
2. Boost the Local Ranking
For many years, experts have speculated whether GMB impacts search engine optimization and, if it does, to what extent?
Well, everything starts with three main factors, which Google uses to determine search results. Some of these results include:
- Prominence
- Distance
- Relevance
3. Improve Business Visibility
Normally, when making searches on Google, a business names list and map (Google Local Pack) appears on top of a search page. These details are the first to be visible to users immediately after their questions are submitted.
Such details include business hours, how well a company is rated, location on the map, and contact information.
GMB is an important tool when it comes to determining the ranking of Google Local Pack. So if your goal is to reach a certain target audience, optimizing and updating your business details online through Google My Business is key.
4. Share and Gather Reviews
With Google My Business listings, you may easily gather reviews from contented clients and use them to win their trust. Google can give you a shareable link you can use to gather client reviews, with all those reviews displayed on GMB.
A high volume of good reviews may help to improve your business position on SERPs, which is why it is the major benefit of optimizing and creating GMB listings.
Final Take!
GMB is an amazing tool you can use to get started on the path of improving the SEO efforts of your business. Having accurate listings of your business can go a long way to supporting local search rankings.
But this needs to be one small part of larger off-and-on-site SEO strategies. It is recommendable that you deal with a good team who is capable of auditing your online presence and, at the same time, addressing all the components of solid SEO strategies.
