To boost visibility on Google, many businesses create a Google business listing, officially known as a Business Profile. However, simply creating a Business Profile does not give you management control over it, which is essential for using it effectively as an SEO and lead generation tool.
To manage your Google Business Profile, you need to create a free Google My Business account. This account is the only way to claim ownership of your Business Profile, gain management rights, and access additional features to enhance your visibility on Google.
Google My Business is a tool that allows you to manage and optimize your Business Profile on Google, which is a crucial business directory listing. To understand Google My Business, we need to first clarify what a Business Profile is.
A Business Profile is Google's term for your Google business listing, which appears in Google Maps and in the local results of Google Search.
Google My Business (GMB) is a tool to enhance your Business Profile's visibility and effectiveness. Here are four core ways to use it for local marketing:
Engage with consumers: Use GMB to respond to reviews, answer questions, enable direct messaging, set up alerts, and publish posts to your profile, similar to social media.
Highlight your business: Through GMB, provide detailed information like hours, website link, products, pricing, and unique attributes, and make updates as needed.
Gain insights: Use the GMB dashboard to access analytics on search queries, profile actions, and photo performance.
Perform local SEO: Optimize your Business Profile with keywords and other enhancements via GMB to improve its ranking in local search results.