Statistics from Google reveal that one in every three searches conducted on Google is for a local business. What this means is that there are millions of people who are looking for a restaurant, a hardware store or a hair salon in their own local area. If your business relies on the traffic of local area customers, then it should be abundantly clear to you why your business should be showing up in your local area Google results, and why you should undertake local SEO.
These days it is easier to attract local customers to your business because of the technology which permits you to market in your local area. It is much more effective to target your local area customers than to market an entire country and it is easier to reach those customers when you target market.
One effective way to reach your local customers is to be listed in an online directory such as “Google My Business”. About 50% of mobile customers searching for local businesses will use online directories. Of those, about 20% will make a purchase. The importance of your website being ranked on Google’s search engine is something every business owner is aware of and the massive search engine market share of Google isn’t going to decline soon, that’s for certain.
If you want your business to be noticed in the SERPS (search engine results pages), there is a lot of work that goes into the background. Having an optimized and verified Google My Business listing will allow you to connect with your intended audience in many ways.
Without customers, your business cannot be successful. The internet has made a connection with customers easy for businesses. It is also important to keep in touch with existing customers so that they stay loyal to your company. The process of finding and securing new customers is time-consuming and complicated. Google My Business offers some incredible features that your business should consider, including:
Important Information is Instantly Displayed
Google my business provides you with the place where you can update all your business information so that people searching for your business will see it immediately. The most up-to-date information will display, including directions, busy periods, hours of operation, a description of your business and a convenient “call now” button for mobile users. Customers can access your information on smartphones and tablets just as easily as it is on laptops or desktops.
It is Completely Free
Google My Business not only increases the probability of your business being found online, but it will also help you to generate more revenue and best of all, it is free! The most important aspect of this tool is that you ensure all the information about your listing is complete and optimized so that your business shows up near the top of searches for local listings. If you don’t use this tool you are missing out on a great opportunity for more exposure for your business.
Track Your Audience and Traffic to Your Website
Google My Business contains a built-in analytic tool so that you can get those important statistics about traffic to your website and your audience. Insights can examine the traffic and where it is coming from, but Google Analytics is the key to taking an in-depth look at all these stats.
Google My Business is a Central Hub
When you log into the dashboard for Google My Business it is a central hub for Google tools, so you can review Google+, Insights, AdWords, Search or any other tools that you use from the Google suite of tools. It is much easier to manage your online presence when it is all in one place.
Customers Can Use it to Find Your Physical Location
Through Google My Business, you can add in your exact location and address on a map so that people searching for your business know exactly where you are. Now they don’t have to write down directions to find you, they can see exactly where you are and use Google maps to navigate to your location.
Hangout with Your Customers
There is nothing better than your customers being able to access you directly. Customers can have a chat session with you so you can answer their frequently asked questions, or you can gather a group of customers and engage with them. Hosting a hangout is simple because you can click on “Join a Hangout” at the bottom of your Google My Business dashboard and start one.
Invite and Respond to Reviews
Customers will leave reviews whether you want them or not and plenty of customers will make a purchase decision based on the reviews left by other customers. If you make it simple for customers to leave a review, then a customer can simply search your business name and add a rating through Google My Business. The dashboard in the app allows you to monitor reviews and then respond to them. It is important to encourage customers to leave reviews and you can do that by sending them an email with a link to Google My Business asking them for feedback. Don’t forget to thank your customers for their comments if you get a positive review.
Better Visibility in Searches
When you conduct a search on Google you should see a panel near the top of the page which stands out. It is located below the paid ads but before the organic results. This panel usually contains three local business listings and the information associated with them. These are “Google My Business” listings. When your listing is complete and fully optimized it can get your business into this section. With one click people searching your listing will get to the balance of your content – your website or they can make a phone call.
Most consumers will conduct local searches on search engines to locate local businesses and Google My Business increases the chances of local businesses coming up in those searches. Connecting with prospects through their searches is a free way to attract new clients to your business and it doesn’t take much time at all. With this free tool, you can generate free direct targeted traffic to your website.
Reproduced from: https://webstratskb.livejournal.com/3059.html
