Digital marketing has dramatically expanded the channels by which businesses can promote themselves online. Digital marketing like social media, paid search, and content marketing have reshaped the way businesses establish themselves digitally. As a business owner, it can be challenging to know where to start. That’s why we recommend starting first with your local business listings (like Google My Business).
Local business listings are business directories that companies can sign up for. When a company signs up for a business listing, they are building a search citation with that listing, and they are more likely to appear in the search results when people are looking for businesses like yours in your area. Signing up for a few directories is a great baseline for your digital marketing efforts. Please note that while it’s important to build search citations for multiple directories, this blog post will focus mainly on Google My Business pages, as Google is the most widely-used digital business listing service.
Here are some tips to remember when building out your local business listing for your business.
Uniform & Current Business Information
If you’re building citations for multiple listings, make sure your business’ information is consistent from listing to listing. This includes the name and address of the business, the phone and fax numbers, hours of operation, website URL, etc. If you plan on changing any of that information, be sure to do so for every listing. Here is an example of an ideal Google My Business (GMB) page with up-to-date business information.
Consistent Posting of Images and Content
Adding images and video content to your business profile humanizes your business and helps potential customers get a feel for what they’ll be getting when they utilize your services. From a user experience standpoint, Google interprets time spent looking at images and other content as a positive user experience, and your organic SEO rankings will improve as a result. We generally recommend having at least 12 images on your GMB listing page. These images should include exterior & interior photos, product photos, and photos of your team members. If you can offer a 360 degree walkthrough photo or video of your business, that’s a welcome addition. Here is an example of a GMB page with a good mix of photos.
When it comes to content, we also recommend taking advantage of the posting tools like those found in GMB listings to keep your listing fresh and your customers informed. It’s a good idea to keep your page stocked with posts that promote company & industry news, promotions, new hires, and special events.
Reviews and Reputation
Consumers are smarter than ever; they want to make sure their money is being spent on worthy expenditures, and they often make decisions on how they spend their money based on a company’s reviews and online reputation. Your review score and overall volume of reviews play a role in search ranking performance. So it’s important that you actively manage your reputation in Google and other listing services. Make a concerted effort to get feedback from your customers in the form of reviews. It’s also a good idea to respond to reviews, positive and negative, and make improvements on your business accordingly. Here is an example of a business’s GMB review page that demonstrates a solid score, a large volume of reviews, and responses from the owner or managing partner.
Did we miss anything about local business listings? Need more information on Google My Business or business listings in general? Let’s talk. Feel free to contact our team at MA1440.
MA1440 is a marketing consulting and digital agency located in Glenview, IL – serving small and mid-sized businesses locally and nationally.
