4 Tips for Better Ranking on Google my Business
Google my Business is a free business listing tool provided by Google that enables businesses to appear in Google search results and maps.
When a user searches for businesses in the Google search engine, they come into contact with the respective Google my Business profiles of the businesses.
However, there are a number of factors that determine which business will appear higher in search results.
So it is not enough to simply register your business on Google my Business.
In order to stand out from the high competition and climb high in the search results, there are several factors.
Proper guidance and attention to detail are among the most important.
It is more than certain that Google my Business is a valuable weapon in the hands of businesses.
If used properly it can significantly help in attracting new customers for your business.
It is worth noting that most businesses do not make the most of the tools it offers and lose valuable ground in searches.
How can you get a Better Ranking on Google my Business
Let’s look in detail at some useful and practical tips, capable of bringing about such a result:
1. Business Name
One factor that significantly affects Google my Business ranking is the name of the business.
If your business name includes keywords related to your industry, then you have a significant advantage. The problem starts in the scenario where this is not the case.
It is also obvious that you cannot change the name of your business to make it more “friendly” on Google my Business. Nor of course would anyone ever suggest it to you as a solution.
What you can do, however, is to indulge in market research to see if your competitors are engaging in unfair practices. There are many who fill their Google my Business brand with keywords, thus attempting to “steal” positions in the ranking.
The above is a bad practice, incompatible with the terms of operation of the platform and you can submit a report if you see it happening.
In addition, Google considers the description of a business to be particularly important. To perform optimally in searches, business information on Google my Business must be accurate, complete and attractive.
Alongside Google my Business, Bing is also worth looking at. There you are allowed to use descriptions with keywords in the brand where you can leverage it accordingly.
2. Business Category
An equally important factor in ranking on Google my Business is categories. The platform allows you to add up to 10 categories.
But what you have to keep in mind is that there are almost 4,000 categories available on Google. In fact, new ones are added every now and then, while some are removed. So things are not as simple as they seem at first glance.
Google follows the trend of improving its categories and very often. When you create a profile on Google my Business, you may not find the category that corresponds to your business at the moment, but it will be added in the next month.
Just consider that on average 2 to 10 new categories are added every month. For example, Google recently added categories related to restaurants as well as car dealerships.
The platform treats categories like a living organism and invests in them. A business needs to monitor the changes and adjust its categories, thus achieving better ranking performance.
3. Your Website
In addition to the business name and categories, the company’s website also plays an important role in ranking on Google my Business.
Which page you list plays a decisive role in the ranking of your business. Most businesses choose to link their profile to the home page of their website. An easy and effective practice.
However, what about businesses that have branches, and therefore different locations – addresses? Or businesses associated with other professionals – partners? What is the appropriate page to be listed?
In this case, more detailed actions and a series of tests are required. You can experiment by linking to different pages from your website.
4. Reviews
User reviews are another factor that also affects your Google my Business ranking. The number of reviews accompanying your business plays an important role in ranking.
They don’t always have the same impact on businesses, but undoubtedly their contribution to the final ranking does not go unnoticed. If for example a business has no reviews at all and 20 or 30 reviews are added then it will automatically see a significant lift. If, however, from 30 reviews, it reaches 70, the increase in ranking will not be as great.
This is definitely a factor that a business should focus on in order to improve its ranking. In fact, it has been observed that companies that lose reviews are correspondingly demoted in the ranking.
In conclusion, the 4 things that significantly affect the ranking of a business on Google my Business are the name, the categories, the website listed and also the user reviews.
Google my Business can significantly help a business to reach new customers and increase its revenue.