Google My Business is a powerful free tool that helps businesses to manage their online presence on Google. With millions of user searches online, a Google My Business profile makes your business easily discoverable & helps to convert those searches into your customers.

With various customizations available on Google My Business profile, it becomes a daunting task to decide which ones should be optimized for better ranking on Search Engine Result Pages. Here are the most important fields which you should be focused upon for better results:

1. Business Name

Out of all the fields, the Business name field is the number #1 field that directly influences the ranking of your business profile which is rather unfortunate. Because you cannot change the business’s name easily.

Based on the local search ranking, if your business has keyword-rich business name, you will have an added advantage. You can directly influence this field much because adding descriptive words into a business name is against the guidelines.

Bonus Tip: Keep a check on your competitor’s GMB profile to find if they are doing this, you can report it to Google using the Google business complaint redressal form.

2. Category

The category helps customers to find your business if they are looking for something similar to Google. Currently, you can add up to 10 categories, but Google has over 4000 categories which they keep modifying frequently – one or two changes each month.

Some are either deleted or some new ones are added to the categories each month. So, you should keep revisiting your category field & choose the most relevant one from new categories.

If the appropriate category isn’t available, opt for a general category that still accurately describes your business as you still can’t create your category.

Bonus tip: Change categories of your business profile seasonally.

For example: During Christmas, you can opt for “Christmas Gifts” or “Wedding Cakes” if you are a bakery business.

For identifying high volume keywords, refer to trends associated with such keywords & your business.

3. Reviews

People generally trust what other people have to say about businesses. A good review can be a pivotal factor that can convert your prospective customer to your business profile.

It’s a good practice to ask your customers to leave a review upon your business profile – send a card/receipt asking for reviews or create a custom short link for making the process easier. Google offers a free marketing kit with posts, printable posters, etc.

The quantity of reviews directly impacts the ranking.

Bonus Tip:  Respond to the reviews to show that you value your customer’s feedback

Responding to the reviews represent that you listen to your customer’s feedback. Also, positive interactions build loyalty.

As for negative reviews, address the issues with the concerned customer. Be honest and apologize for the inconvenience caused.

Also, make sure to answer queries that show that your business profile is active and reliable. Though anyone can revert to the queries posted – try to ensure that you revert to the first which prevents the possibility of spreading misinformation.

4.  Website

The website field on your Google My Business listing provides great value to SEO for your website. The accurate link back to your website is crucial for driving organic traffic in addition to creating a better user experience.

Generally, the businesses have their website field linked to the homepage which is fine for a single location business but with multi-location businesses, it is better to link it to a location landing page.

This requires testing to determine which page is providing better results. Try setting your GMB listing to link to the homepage and run it for a couple of weeks with some rank tracking. Then, switch it to the location landing page with some rank tracking, and find out which one is performing better for your business.

Parting Note

Simply put, every business needs a Google My Business listing as it offers a rich local online presence, which is easy, free & quick once it’s done. It is also a great element of a well-structured SEO strategy.

Thus, optimizing your Google My Business profile is essential to let Google know to accurately manage your business’s presence at the right places and right time(Google Maps) & help you convert your prospective customer by bringing them across your GMB profile based on relevance, distance & prominence.

With its influence growing year-on-year, Google My Business profile is becoming a pivotal factor in local search success amongst users which could make or break businesses especially for small businesses.

Thus, it is essential to keep making the most of Google My Business to master the digital landscape.