Your Google My Business listing is perhaps the most important piece of digital real estate you can own. It’s the first thing customers see when they search for your business online, making it incredibly vital to your digital marketing strategy. So, how can you make sure your listing reaches its fullest potential? Let’s start with the basics: 

What is Your Google My Business Listing?

Think of it as a modern-day phone book listing for all the businesses in an area. Each listing includes a business’s name, phone number, hours of operation, website, and more. Your listing goes hand in hand with local SEO, making it an important part of your digital strategy. For example, if a person searches “dry cleaners in Chicago”, Google will display the relevant businesses that align with the search. If you’re a dry cleaner in Chicago, you’ll want your name to appear in those results. It’s generally a customer’s first impression when they search for a business or service, and that’s why it’s critical that you have ownership of your listing.

How Can You Make Your Listing Stand Out?

Focus on your Service Areas: Most Google searches involve a specific location in the query, so it makes sense that Google is constantly updating and improving its service area features in the Google My Business platform. This year alone, Google created extra functionality that allows business owners to share their service areas with Google Maps. That’s why it’s important that you configure your listing to include the service areas you serve, so your business can reach more customers on more platforms.

Get Specific! The more detailed and accurate your listing, the easier it will be for Google to promote your business in search. Make sure your core information is always up to date. That means your phone numbers, hours of operation, and website URLs should always be clearly visible and accurate.

Pro tip: Take your listing to the next level by adding photos and videos! Google reports that listings with more visual components experience higher clickthrough rates by users. Help potential customers get a sense of who you are and what you do by adding high-quality assets to your listing.

Own Your Reviews: Google My Business houses all your Google Reviews, making it arguably the most important aspect of your listing. That’s why it’s imperative that you develop a procedure for asking satisfied customers for reviews after a project is complete. Reviews build trust with customers and help your business perform better in search results. However, it’s not enough to just ask customers for reviews, you must also develop a process for responding to the reviews you receive. The more active you are in responding to feedback, the more customers know your team is dedicated to ensuring a positive customer experience.

Let’s Optimize Your Listing

Spectrum is a Google Premier Partner and the leader in lead generation for the home services industry. If you’d like to take control of your Google My Business listing and digital reputation, request a free Consumer Market Analysis. We’ll analyze your performance to help you identify new opportunities for growth.