While hiring a proper SEO and social media company is never a bad idea when working on your company’s internet presence & rank, there are some easy and free ways to make your business stand out against the competition in search.
By simply following these tips and staying consistent, it is possible to make your business edge out your competition and potentially improve your rank in maps and search.
#1: Make sure your business description is engaging, comprehensive, and easily readable.
It doesn’t need to be long…a paragraph is usually plenty. Think about what makes your company stand out against your competition and and include that in your description.
#2: Keep your business hours updated.
Google MyBusiness gives you the option to update your holiday hours in advance for the entire year. Many businesses do not keep their hours (especially holiday hours) updated. By keeping your holiday hours up-to-date, Google will not display the holiday hour warning on your business profile.
#3: Keep your products and services section updated.
If you are a business that has a huge range of products and services, just feature your top products and services. This helps Google better understand what you offer and recommend you for the correct kinds of searches.
#4: Add photos and videos!
Visual media is very important to users, particularly if your business offers physical products. Professional, high-quality photos will beautifully showcase your products and services while also providing consumers with a better understanding of what you offer/other business information.
Example: One of my clients had a somewhat hidden business entrance. In order to aid customers in finding the business, we provided several leading photos along with a walk-up video and added them to their business profile.
#5: Utilize the “Posts” feature that Google offers you.
Posts on GMB can be utilized in a few different ways. You can post “Offers”, which is where you would advertise sales, coupon savings, etc. You can use “Events” to post about any upcoming functions you may have. And my personal favorite, “What’s New”; this form of posting is more general and can be used for any variety of things you want to post about.
I always recommend that my clients use it like they would a social media account and post interesting photos and videos. Posts show up in your GMB sidebar for 7 days as “Updates”. When using “What’s New”, I ALWAYS encourage my clients to use the call-to-action buttons, particularly ones that allow you to link to your website. More visits to your website ultimately translates in a climbing search rank, so business owners need to take any opportunity they can to get consumers to visit their website. Most businesses do not keep this updated, but I have found that it is an easy and engaging way to encourage customers to visit your website and take the next step in visiting or utilizing your business.
