Google My Business Listing Checklist and Optimization Guide

 Google My Business Listing Checklist and Optimization Guide

Following - Categorization of Business Under Google My Business

Showing up at the very top of a Google search can mean money in the bank due to the fact that 33% of all clicks go to the first result listed (not including ads). As a local business, showing up in the 3 Pack (see below) is an opportunity to stand head and shoulders above your competitors. It’s also a way for you to beat all of those directory-listing services trying to get your customer’s attention.

When it’s all said and done, your Google My Business listing is only as good as the content you post and optimize.

To ensure you’re getting the most out of your My Business listing, make sure that you’re optimizing your information by doing the following:

· Enter your business location correctly. The format should be your business name, your physical address, and your phone number (it is important to keep this the same across all listings and update it whenever it changes).

· List your official website on your Google My Business listing. This will help Google improve its search results and display your listing for more Google users.

· Fill out your profile completely. This means you should include high-quality videos and images and provide as much information about your business as possible. Think about answering your customer’s questions before they have a chance to ask them – this practice makes for a great listing.

Business Description

Have your business description sound natural and human, as opposed to stiff and formal. Don’t attempt to keyword stuff. Google will catch that.

Here’s a Good Example of a Great Business Description

Add Photos

It’s very important to add a profile photo to your GMB listing. Customers who see an attractive, inviting cover photo are a lot more likely to click on your listing than another one that doesn’t include a photo.

Below are the types of photos you can post to your Google My Business listing.

· Cover Photos

· Profile Photos

· Other Photos

**Other people can add photos to your listing as well. It’s best you treat your GMB listing the same manner you would your Facebook page. Your photos should portray what your business does.

General Photo Guidelines

· Format: JPG or PNG

· Size: Between 10 KB and 5 MB

· Minimum Resolution: 720px × 720px

· Quality: Your photos should be in focus and well lit, and have no significant alterations or excessive use of filters. In other words, your images should represent reality.

Add Videos

Video performs very well online and continues to grow rapidly. A good practice to perform prior to posting is asking yourself, “If my competitor uploaded a video like this, would I make fun of them or envy them?”

Google My Business Video Requirements

Video posted on your listing must be:

· 30 seconds or shorter

· 100 MB or smaller

· 720p resolution or higher

Video creation resources:

If you’re a non-technical person and or just don’t have the time to create your own videos, there are some excellent and low-cost ways for you to have someone else create them for you. You may want to look at Fiverr or Renderforest to see if you want to get some help with the project.

Categorizing Your Business

Google My Business offers three different categories of businesses.

1. Brand pages: Brand pages are a slightly different than other forms of local listings. These pages help brands, and organizations reach out to their fans. Unlike true local listings, these pages don’t include information about an entity’s physical location.

2. Storefront business: If you run a brick-and-mortar business with a physical storefront, this category allows customers to locate you in the Google Maps feature and is what businesses like hotels, stores, and restaurants should be using.

3. Service area business: This local page option is meant for businesses that go to a customer’s location to conduct your work. This is true for plumbers and delivery services as well as others.

Following - Improving Your Page Ranking ON GMB