Google My Business and SEO: The Complete Guide for 2023

In 2023, having an optimized Google My Business listing is more important than ever for local search engine optimization and driving customer acquisition. This in-depth guide will teach you everything you need to know about Google My Business and Google My Business and SEO.

We’ll cover what Google My Business is, why it’s vital for SEO, how to create and optimize your listing, best practices for content, reviews, Q&A, and more. Whether you’re new to local SEO or looking to level up your existing efforts, this guide will help rank your GMB listing and website higher.

Let’s get started with the basics!

Chapter 1: What is Google My Business?

Google My Business and SEO — Source – ProiDeators

Google My Business (GMB) is Google’s free online listing service that allows local businesses to manage their digital presence across Google platforms. Specifically, GMB enables businesses to:

Create a public business profile that displays key information like address, phone number, photos, etc. This profile surfaces prominently in Google Search and Maps for relevant queries.
Interact directly with customers via posts, messaging, and reviews.
Surface special offers and events on Google through posts.
Track insights into how customers discover and engage with your business on Google.

In essence, GMB acts as a mini website on Google for your local business. It helps you get discovered locally, connect with customers, and drive website traffic.

Having a complete and optimized GMB listing is vital for local SEO in 2023. It serves as a powerful signal to Google about your local relevance for searches related to your products/services and location.

Let’s now see why GMB matters so much for SEO…

Also Read – Google My Business: A Guide to Google Business Profile

Chapter 2: Why Google My Business Matters for SEO

Here are some of the key reasons why Google My Business is critical for local search optimization:

Higher Local Rankings

GMB acts as a strong ranking signal for local pack rankings in Google Search and Maps. Businesses with optimized profiles tend to rank higher than those without a GMB listing.

Complete and accurate business information helps Google understand the relevance of your business for local searches. This in turn leads to higher local pack visibility.

Increased Clicks & Traffic

Appearing prominently in the local pack results increases your clickthrough rate (CTR) from Google Search.

Studies show that ~50% of searchers click on local pack listings, while only ~15% click on regular organic results.

Higher local CTR ultimately drives more qualified visitors to your website. A complete GMB profile with good reviews and photos further boosts CTR.

Customer Trust & Loyalty

An accurate, responsive GMB profile helps build familiarity and trust with potential customers.

Features like messaging, Q&A, and reviews enable direct customer interactions that improve sentiment. This drives more conversions and repeat business.

Insights for Data-Driven Decisions

GMB provides an insightful analytics dashboard to track key metrics like searches, calls, direction requests, website clicks, etc.

These insights help identify customer acquisition channels and locations. You can use this data to tweak your local SEO and marketing efforts.

To summarize, optimizing your Google My Business listing should be a core part of your local SEO strategy. Let’s now see how you can create and enhance your GMB profile.

Chapter 3: How to Create a Google My Business Listing

Follow these steps to get up and running with a Google My Business profile:

Step 1: Go to google.com/business and click on “Manage now”

Step 2: Sign in using your Google account credentials

Step 3: Choose whether you want to create a new listing or claim an existing one:

If claiming, search for your business name and select the matching result. Verify ownership as per Google’s process.
For a new listing, select your country & language then enter your business name.

Step 4: Enter complete business information – address, phone, website, opening hours, etc.

Step 5: Select suitable business categories that describe your offerings.

Step 6: Add engaging photos that showcase your business. At least one exterior photo is required.

Step 7: Double-check all information added and click ‘Finish’ to complete profile creation.

Once done, your GMB listing will go live within 2-7 days after Google verifies and approves it.

Tip: Always keep your business information updated, especially contact details, address, and operating hours. Customers depend on accurate GMB data.

Now let’s look at best practices to optimize your new GMB listing and level up your local SEO.

Chapter 4: Google My Business Profile Optimization

Source – BEdigitech

Follow these key tips to optimize your GMB profile:

Complete Your Profile

Fill out every section of your Google My Business listing for maximum visibility. Key fields include:

Business name, address & phone number
Opening hours
Detailed services/products description
Business category selections
Website URL
High-quality photos

The more complete your profile, the better Google understands your business relevance.

Optimize Title & Description

Though not overtly visible, your title and description impact Google rankings.

Keep the title short & descriptive e.g. “John’s Pizza Place Boston”.

Use the description to include targeted keywords e.g. “Artisanal pizza restaurant in Downtown Boston”

Categorize Correctly

Choose the most specific categories relevant to your business offerings from Google’s list. This helps Google correctly classify your business.

For example, a shoe business can select a Shoe Store, Footwear Store, Custom Shoe Store, etc.

Add Engaging Photos

Include exterior and interior photos that showcase your business. Try capturing special services, products, storefronts, staff, etc.

Photos boost clickthrough rate. Update periodically for freshness.

Enable Features Strategically

Optimize additional GMB features based on business goals:

Use posts to highlight offers, events & news from your business.
Turn on messaging to let customers contact you directly.
Promote your review profile to build credibility. Respond professionally.
Enable Q&A if customers research your business offerings online.

Features that engage customers directly can powerfully complement your SEO efforts. Enable strategies based on customer acquisition and retention objectives.

Monitor Insights

Regularly check your GMB insights dashboard for metrics like search impressions, calls, direction clicks, website clicks, etc.

Use this data to identify new opportunities and tweaks to your local marketing. Connect insights to your website analytics for a complete view.

Proactively Manage Reviews

Actively encourage satisfied customers to leave 5-star reviews on your GMB profile. This builds social proof.

Respond professionally to negative reviews. Be polite and offer resolutions. This shows you value customer feedback.

Adding reviews helps boost clickthrough rates and local SEO ranking potential.

Stay Updated

Keep all business info updated, especially contact details, addresses, and operating hours.

Update photos and posts periodically to keep the listing fresh and engaging.

By following these best practices consistently, you can create a standout GMB profile that helps drive more local traffic and sales.

Now let’s look at important GMB content optimization tactics.

Chapter 5: Optimizing Google My Business Content

Your GMB listing offers multiple avenues to add optimized content that engages customers and search engines. Let’s examine them:

Title & Description

As covered earlier, optimize these fields with relevant target keywords to improve the clickthrough rate.

For example, a shoe store can include “shoe brands” and “sports shoes” in the description.

Posts & Events

Strategically post updates showcasing products, offers, and events.

For example, a restaurant can promote new menu additions or a special Valentine’s Day deal via posts.

Posts keep your business info fresh and drive visits from Google. Use keywords naturally in content.

Q&A Snippets

Adding Q&A pairs helps answer common customer questions directly on Google.

For example, a salon can answer “What haircut services do you offer?” or “Do you provide hair coloring?”.

This builds trust and credibility. Use keywords relevant to customer questions.

AdWords Express

This free service lets you create bookable ad slots on your GMB listing on Google.

Use it to promote special offers, events, or new products/services. Helps acquire new local customers.

Category Details

Expand the categories section to highlight all your service offerings and business specialties.

For example, a contractor can list services like “Plumbing”, “Electrical”, “HVAC” etc.

The more descriptive your categories, the better.

Optimizing all the above content elements on your GMB profile helps improve local SEO and visibility for relevant searches. But quality trumps quantity – focus on useful, engaging content rather than keyword stuffing.

Now let’s examine how to get quality GMB reviews to boost your local authority and SEO.

Chapter 6: Managing Google My Business Reviews

Reviews on your GMB listing serve as crucial social proof signals. Follow these best practices to acquire and manage reviews:

Enable Review Collection

First, ensure your GMB profile is set up to collect and display reviews publicly. You can toggle this on/off.

Ask Customers Directly

Politely request satisfied customers to leave reviews on Google after providing service.

Focus on happy customers to get more 5-star ratings. Direct outreach is best for high-quality reviews.

Promote Indirectly

Place review stickers with QR codes on store windows/receipts allowing customers to easily leave GMB feedback later.

Respond & Resolve

Always acknowledge negative reviews professionally. Apologize for the bad experience and offer a resolution.

This shows you value customer feedback and aim to improve.

Stay Above 3 Stars

Maintain an average rating above 3 stars. Anything below hurts local rankings and credibility.

If needed, offer incentives for fresh 5-star ratings to increase the average rating.

Monitor Sentiment

Keep tabs on review volume, ratings and sentiment changes month-to-month.

Increase outreach during bad review spikes. Use insights to address issues.

Quality GMB reviews directly impact your local SEO success. So put systems in place to continuously generate and manage reviews effectively.

Now let’s discuss how to connect your website with your GMB listing.

Chapter 7: Linking Google My Business to Your Website

It’s crucial to integrate your GMB listing with your business website. This signals to Google that they are affiliated and helps drive SEO benefits like:

Higher local rankings, since signals connect your physical and online presence.
Increased organic traffic, as GMB listing visitors hit your site.
Brand consistency across platforms.

Follow these best practices for linking your GMB profile and website:

List Website URL

Input your website address in the dedicated GMB profile field. Keep it updated.

Add GMB Links to the Site

Place links pointing to your GMB listing on relevant website pages like Contact Us.

For example:

Find us on Google [https://g.page/YourBizName]

Match Business Details

Ensure your website and GMB listing have matching business names, addresses, es, and phone numbers.

Use Structured Data

Add schema markup specifying your business info on the website code. Helps search engines connect GMB details.

For example, include organization schema or Google’s LocalBusiness structured data.

Cite in Content

Reference your business’ GMB listing in website blog posts and articles where relevant.

For example, “See our location on Google Maps here [URL]”.

Strengthening these integration touchpoints makes it explicit to Google that your GMB profile and website are officially connected. This results in powerful SEO synergies.

In the next chapter, we’ll explore some key Google My Business SEO factors beyond your profile itself.

Chapter 8: Other Google My Business SEO Factors

While optimizing your core GMB profile is crucial, other factors outside your listing also impact local SEO success. Let’s examine them:

Google Maps & Search Settings

Ensure your business is findable in Google Maps on desktop & mobile. Check visibility for relevant geography-based searches.

If needed, expand your business service area in Google Search settings to increase discoverability.

Local Citations

Having your business name, address, and phone number listed consistently across directories, review sites and local citation sources helps reinforce your local SEO. This signals greater credibility to search engines.

Links from Local Sites

Earn links and mentions on neighborhood blogs, business directories, and local sites relevant to your industry and location. Helps establish your local authority.

On-Page SEO

Optimizing your actual website with local keywords, addresses and schema markup complements your GMB efforts. Both improve search visibility.

Local Content Marketing

Create blogs, videos, and posts showcasing your community involvement and local area. Can improve local rankings and appeal.

Local Link Building

Get listed on niche local business directories related to your industry, build city-specific landing pages, and cultivate authoritative local links. Boosts trust and authority signals.

To optimize both your GMB profile AND these wider local ranking factors for maximum SEO and traffic benefits.

Now let’s switch gears and examine some key Google My Business advertising options available.

Chapter 9: Advertising with Google My Business

Your optimized GMB profile offers powerful options to advertise locally on Google and attract nearby customers. Let’s examine them:

Google Ads for GMB

This seamlessly integrates Google Ads with your business profile on Google Search and Maps. You only pay for clicks.

Use to promote your products, services, offers, events, and website to nearby searchers. Appears as a banner on your GMB listing in results.

Local Services Ads

These text ads promote your business services alongside Google Maps and local pack results. Charged on a cost-per-click model.

Ideal for service area businesses like contractors, lawyers, etc. Helps you stand out locally.

AdWords Express

As mentioned earlier, this free tool lets you easily create ads that appear directly on your GMB profile.

Quickly make ads for sales, events, etc without managing a full Google Ads campaign.

Reserve with Google

Paid service that enables booking of services directly on GMB like appointments and orders. Appears as a “Book” or “Order” button.

Allows you to capture leads from Google searches more conveniently.

Strategically utilizing these advertising options can help attract more local customers to your website and physical location.

Now let’s switch gears and cover some key Google My Business analytics you should track.

Chapter 10: Google My Business Analytics & Reporting

Monitoring key GMB analytics provides crucial insights into your local SEO efforts. Make sure to track:

Metric Purpose

Impressions – How often your GMB profile appears in search results
Views – Number of times your listing was viewed
Clicks to Call – Phone call clicks from the profile
Direction Clicks – Clicks for navigation to your location
Website Clicks – Clicks driving website traffic

These metrics showcase GMB searcher engagement and traffic contribution. Compare month-to-month performance.

Go deeper by checking analytics for:

Queries triggering the most views
Best performing posts
Highest clicked website pages from GMB
Locations driving most customers

Connect insights with your website analytics for the full picture.

Create custom, annotated reports highlighting key GMB trends. Set up monitoring dashboards using platforms like Google Data Studio.

Share reports with your marketing team and stakeholders to showcase GMB ROI and opportunities.

Now let’s cover some key troubleshooting and moderation capabilities for your listing.

Chapter 11: Moderating Your Google My Business Listing

As your GMB presence grows, you may need to moderate and optimize based on issues like:

Inaccurate business info or attributes
Fake or irrelevant reviews
Abusive posts/photos
Unauthorized edits by others
Unauthorized duplicate listings

Here are key moderation capabilities:

Suggest Edits

Suggest changes if you find any incorrect info on your listing like address, categories, etc. Google will review and update accordingly.

Flag Reviews

Flag clearly fake or irrelevant reviews. Google will investigate and remove invalid ones that violate policies.

Report Listings

Report duplicate or unauthorized listings falsely representing your business. Google will take down infringing profiles.

Remove Posts/Photos

Delete any irrelevant or inappropriate posts, photos, or videos on your profile posted by others. Keep your listing authentic.

Restrict Users

Block specific users from modifying your listing without approval to prevent misuse or vandalism.

Verify Location

If your business location is wrong on Google Maps, submit correction requests with evidence like utility bills proving your address.

Proactively monitoring and moderating your listing helps tackle misinformation or misuse. This maintains accuracy and maximizes your local SEO potential.

In our final chapter, we’ll cover some key Google My Business best practices summaries.

Also Read – How to Set Up and Optimize Google My Business [2024]