As a small or medium-size business owner in Bloomington, Illinois, Google My Business (GMB) is one of the most effective local marketing tools available to you. Getting listed on GMB can help you show up on the famed “Local 3-Pack” and drive more traffic to your business. Listed below are a few tips that will help you get the most out of your business listing.
Control information about your business.
The key purpose of your Google My Business listing is to make it much easier for potential customers to know more about your local business in Bloomington. If your listing has incorrect information, it is a certainty that other aggregator websites will pick it up and republish it. If this happens, it will make it more difficult for potential customers to find your business, and it is a mess of time and energy to track this stuff down to the source and clean it up. So, make sure you verify all the information on your Google listing — such as your business name, address, and phone number (otherwise known as NAP) — for accuracy. DO NOT leave anything to the guesses or assumptions of your customers.
Make your listing more visually appealing with pictures.
Google loves to offer an enhanced experience to its users that is above and beyond what a phonebook would offer, so it makes sense that when you add more visuals to your Google My Business listing, Google will bump you to the top. Photos of your storefront, staff, happy customers, inventory, or user-generated photos can go a long way toward making your listing look more personal. This will help you “connect” with your audience and earn their trust.
Don’t forget to add videos.
Most users see video as no better or worse than pictures, but just another addition that gives more legitimacy to the user experience. It is a great way to let your customers get a “behind-the-scenes” look at your business. The video you upload does not have to be a professionally produced advertisement. In fact, an informative narrated PowerPoint presentation uploaded to YouTube and embedded into your Google My Business listing can be more effective than an advertisement on many levels. Other small businesses in Bloomington have found success in embedding customer video testimonials taken with a simple handheld video camera or webcam. We recommend that you do it all. At this point in the game, you really can’t go wrong with the video. After all, Google only allows you to add a 30-second video to your listing!
Focus on your online reviews and responses.
Online reviews are the cornerstone of local SEO. They can help your business build customer trust and loyalty, and they can help your business rise up in local search results rankings. With all other variables being equal, if you have more positive customer reviews in your listing than your market rivals, you are much more likely to be listed above the competition. Keep in mind that there are customers that are not so happy with your business, and they are online too. When customers start leaving bad comments, make sure you respond to them appropriately.
Looking for a Top-rated Listings Management Agency in Bloomington, Illinois?
The team of search experts at Digital Destination can help your small business position itself in front of potential customers and ahead of market rivals. With our listing management services in Bloomington, we can help you maximize your profitability by driving more qualified leads to your business. Contact us to request a free quote!