Building a Google My Business listing is wonderful but that doesn’t mean you are done.
There are several steps a business has to account for when it comes to optimizing the listing and making sure it is ranking well on Google. Here are the most important tips to think about.
Maintain Up-To-Date Contact Information
This is a silly mistake and something businesses make because they aren’t paying attention. You have to focus on the account just as you would any other part of the business. It is an extension of your online presence and has to be handled with a sense of professionalism.
If not, you are going to be in trouble because the information won’t work out as intended. You have to focus on information that is easy to piece together and is up-to-date with what is on your website.
Use High-Resolution Images
What types of images are being used on your listing?
There is nothing worse than putting up a tremendous listing and then using mediocre images. Blurry images are going to detract from everything you are doing and that is the last thing anyone wants to deal with.
The goal should remain to find valuable images that are going to keep things as simple as you want them to be while offering visitors an opportunity to see what your business is all about. Try to offer as much value through the images as possible because that will increase your engagement level.
Encourage Reviews
Are people reviewing your business?
To showcase your business and have it stand out among the others, you have to take the time to encourage reviews. This doesn’t mean you start paying customers for a good review because that will become obvious quickly.
The goal is to ensure you are simply letting people know about the listing and taking the time to reply to them on the main listing.
This will work well and is going to boost your listing in a hurry. It is one of the best ways to gain traction on Google.
Focus on Finding the Right Category
There are specific categories for each listing and you have to make sure your business is in the right one. There is no reason to put up the listing if you aren’t taking the time to place it under the right category.
This is a real waste and is going to keep pushing you down as other “relevant” listings show up according to Google’s algorithm. You don’t want Google’s algorithm to focus on other listings because you missed this step.
Don’t Redirect URLs
This is a common issue that happens when businesses try to redirect URLs rather than using their newest one. This is a mistake because Google isn’t going to like a redirected URL. It doesn’t seem authentic and is going to take away from your business.
Plus, it is going to look like the listing isn’t updated and that is the last thing you want to present to the customer or to Google.
It is better to swap the URL and make sure only the new one is being used.
Redirects are okay in other scenarios but not this one.
Final Thoughts
These are the best tips to focus on when it comes to optimizing your business and making sure things are done the right way. The goal should be to set the right tone by offering an up-to-date listing that is filled with quality information. This is how you are going to gain traction on Google and generate reviews over the long-term.
If you do this the right way, your business is going to see a tremendous amount of traffic both on your website and in-person for retail stores.
If you need some additional step-by-step instructions then check out this great video on optimizing your Google My Business listing. This is probably one of the best that I’ve seen around.