Most local businesses suffer from fierce competition with the big brands next door, with dwindling revenues, lost customers and shrinking margins and Google My Business (GMB), now called Google Business Profile, is the most economical way to get found online and rank higher on Google. If you have a business you should have a Google My Business account, period and this guide shows how to register your listing, verify it and optimize it.
Serving businesses across North America from Toronto, IDL Web Inc can set up and optimize your Google Business Profile in Toronto and beyond, ask for a FREE audit or a FREE quote and we will tell you where your listing stands.
What Is Google My Business?
Google My Business is a free and easy-to-use local business listing from Google that helps you manage your online presence, so your customers find you through Google Search and Google Maps. Registering and verifying your business is what makes you appear on Google Maps and in the Google 3-pack when a user searches for a keyword or an industry relevant to you and when a searcher searches for your business by name.
You should have your local listing on Google even if you do not do business online, because Google uses location to give users the best possible experience and when you use it correctly the listing drives consumers your way and gives every business a chance at a prominent result.
Why Does Having a GMB Matter So Much?
Say you open a restaurant in Toronto, Ontario and a big brand or another local business opens right across the street and the only difference is that your competitor listed on Google and you did not. Your customers are online and they search online, many of them read reviews before they visit and many search from a mobile device and then call or walk into the shop soon after.
Google trusts and prefers its own platforms and shows them first in the search results, using a large share of the first page, so your listing is often where searchers click and they can contact your business with a click or a call without leaving the results page. That is why the listing is your best option to beat a big brand competitor.
How to Register and Verify Your Google Listing
Follow these two steps in this order.
Register your business
Open the Google Business Profile registration page and follow the steps. Start with your business name, business address, category, whether you want your address to appear to searchers and your contact details.
Verify your business
When you complete the steps Google asks you to verify. Google wants to confirm that your business is located where you say it is, which usually means waiting 1 to 2 weeks for a postcard with a verification PIN, although you are occasionally offered a text message or an automated phone call. Sign back in, click Verify Location and enter the 5-digit code from the postcard.
Google recommends that you do not edit your business name, address or category or request a new code while you wait for the verification postcard, because it can become a nightmare to untangle with Google customer support. Once the code is accepted your business listing on Google is set up and it is time to optimize it.
Want a second opinion on your Google listing?
IDL Web Inc can audit your listing, your reviews and your local rankings and tell you what to fix first.
How to Completely Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
What you add is what you show up for, so optimize every field. Your listing shows the searcher information such as:
- Business name and business type.
- Address and hours of operation.
- Phone number and link to your website.
- Images and a link to Google Maps.
- Reviews and the overall star rating.
- Popular times to visit and related searches.
The more Google knows about you, the more types of searches your listing can appear in and the more often Google shows your business on the map and the most valuable of these is Google’s 3-pack and the map. When people type the name of your business your knowledge panel shows next to your website links and if it does not, add your location to the search.
Fields That Let You Optimize and Scale
Working hours including days
Add the extended hours you really work. If a competitor operates 9 to 5 and you list 9 to 6, a searcher at 5:30 is likely to find you first and home service providers can add 24-hour support for that extra business.
A specific business description
Google gives you up to 750 characters, so use them to the maximum with your product and service keywords, your industry keywords and your value proposition, because what you put here is what you show up for.
A logo that represents your business
Add your logo and geotag it to your office address as a bonus step to build your local presence. Use the same logo on your website and social profiles, so customers recognize you everywhere.
Photos and videos
Visual content appeals to your audience and helps your listing perform better than most owners expect, so add relevant photos and videos and geotag them before you upload.
Responses to reviews, all of them
Reviews can decide whether a buyer engages with your brand. Respond to positive reviews and respond to negative ones by offering to understand and resolve the issue and if you resolve it you can ask the reviewer to revisit the review.
Posts for events, offers and content
Your content shows up on Google Search and Maps in your knowledge panel, so post blog articles, company news, upcoming events, special offers and product promotions.
Products
Products let you add collections with names, images, descriptions, prices and a button and the call button goes to the primary number on your listing. Collections do not expire until you remove them.
Services
If you are an accountant, a financial advisor, a locksmith, a plumber, a doctor or a jeweler, list every service with a full description of up to 1,000 characters and the cost, which improves your ranking for your category and for individual keywords.
Final Thoughts
This is the complete process to register, verify and optimize your Google My Business listing so it ranks as high as possible on Google. Follow these steps and you can see organic traffic and calls go up, because you now hold one of the most powerful tools a local business can use to stay in front of new buyers and ahead of competitors, whether they are national or another local business.
Want your listing optimized for you?
Tell IDL Web Inc about your business and we will send you a plan and a price.
How IDL Web Inc Can Help
You can do all of this on your own, however, a listing needs steady attention to photos, reviews and posts and that is where IDL Web Inc helps. IDL Web Inc is Toronto based and covers businesses across North America.
Listing and local SEO audit
We review your Google Business Profile and local rankings, see our free audit.
Review and profile management
We respond to reviews and keep your profile current, see our social media management.
A website that supports the listing
We build the website your listing points to, see our web design service.
Don't forget
Remember to keep your name, address and category unchanged while you wait for the verification postcard and to respond to every review you receive.
If you have concerns about your Google My Business listing, leave it to the local SEO team at IDL Web Inc, ask for a FREE audit or a FREE quote and we will tell you what to do first. Our team is Toronto based and helps businesses across North America. Keep up with us to know more of SEO news/fixes!
Schedule Consultation with An Expert
IDL Web Inc can set up and optimize your Google Business Profile in Toronto and beyond, ask for a FREE audit or a FREE quote and we will tell you where your listing stands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Google My Business only for local businesses?
It is useful for any business with a physical location and it also brings remote clients if you have an online store next to your physical shop and it makes you visible to tourists and to people who visit the location from time to time.
How do I set up Google My Business for local SEO?
Create an account, add all your business information, verify your business address, optimize the listing with photos, reviews and posts and then monitor and update the information.
