Are you using Google My Business?
Since it was released in 2014, Google My Business has offered businesses around the world a way to make their company more visible on the search engine. Five years on, we take a look into what the platform offers and what possible future changes are in store.
Google My Business Features
If you’re not listed already, you can sign up for free on your desktop or through either Google Play / App Store. Here are some of the many benefits you get from creating an account.
Visibility
Simply put, Google My Business improves your business’s visibility when people search for your company on Google; you’ll see a large portion of your business details in the right of the web page (try searching Direct365, the above image is an example of what it looks like). You can also categorise what your business does, which will help people find you in local search. For example, If you’re a bakery you would include this information in the “info” category section.
Photo & Post Features
Google My Business gives you the ability to post photos and videos which can show off your products and services. Alternatively, like ourselves, show a more human side to the business by allowing your customers to see the people behind the company. Another feature is the posts function, which will enable you to craft promotions, events and content your audience may find appealing. This function only shows two-three posts at a time, so it’s worth updating weekly.
Review Management & Insights
Google Reviews are just as critical to your reputation as Trustpilot, Yelp and other review sites. More so as it’s one of the first things potential customers will see before exploring your business further. The review management feature then, is a huge benefit, allowing you the opportunity to respond to positive or negative reviews. Having a better score also has the bonus of ranking you higher in the search engine. Keep in mind, that review scores are editable so, an unfavourable score can be turned around if you act fast enough.
Google My Business also gives you the ability to see how customers search for your business — allowing you to see various metrics such as the queries used to find you, what customers do on your listing and how your photos rank to other competitors in the area. With this feature, you can gain insight into how customers search for you and alter the content to improve your overall ranking.
Website
Image credit Google My Business: https://www.google.com/business/how-it-works/website/
Google My Business offers a secure, customisable website builder. If you don’t have the budget to hire or expertise to create one, this could be an option. While the platform is free, it will cost you to have a .co.uk domain name. If that doesn’t matter to you, then you’ll be able to make a free, one-page website in no time at all, that includes your posts, contact details and custom photos without the added cost that you’d get with web hosting.
Those are just a few of the features that have been made, updated and tweaked over the years. One of the best qualities with this platform isn’t the extensive features, mobile responsiveness or easy to handle layout. You can put as much or as little effort into creating a listing. Though, it does fit the saying, the more effort you put in, the more you get in return.
The Future Of Google My Business
Unlike a vast number of services Google has “killed” over the years, be that hangouts, Google+ and the YouTube video annotations, Google My Business is still going strong. Unlike the previous services, you’ll find detailed in the Google Graveyard, the sheer benefit of being placed upon the front of the search engine makes it invaluable to businesses around the world.
While it seems that Google will keep this service on for the near future, it may not be for free. In a recent survey to members of the service, they were asked to fill in a short survey asking if they’d be comfortable in paying for a monthly plan in exchange for new services to the platform.
Image Credit Search Engine Land: https://searchengineland.com/google-may-decide-to-charge-for-google-my-business-listings-316098
These new features include the likes of showing up prominently on Google Maps, removing competitor ads and placing featured reviews at the top of your profile. However, this brings up the question of when and how Google will start charging for the platform. While it’s still free for any business to start an account, in the future, this may be at a cost.
Supporting Your Workplace
In the meantime, while you ruminate over these future changes, make an immediate impact on your business for the better with our range of workplace products and services. Have you noticed the washroom supplies running low? We stock toilet tissue, soap refills and air fresheners to uplift your washroom experience if you’re tired of having to sort that out yourself, we also provide a multitude of expert and reliable washroom services.
That’s even before we mention our latest range of quality training services; equipping your staff with the universally beneficial knowledge of fire safety or first aid training. You can also visit our health and safety section to purchase the likes of fire safety equipment and first aid kits.
This is just a small snapshot of the products and services we can offer your business. Please visit us today to find out more.
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