Google My Business or GMB is a convenient service that allows you to manage the information about any company on Google Maps and the Google search engine, completely free of charge.

However, it is necessary to know some nuances about SEO optimization so that users can easily find information about your organization through queries in Google. If you are the owner of an offline business and want to attract new customers to your establishment, or if you are an SEO specialist, this article is a must-read.

If you have not yet created accounts in Google Ads, Google Analytics, and Google My Business — it is the perfect time to do so right now (preferably with one email). A properly filled-out profile will definitely attract free traffic to your web resource.

What can visitors find out from your card?

• where your company is located;
• the working hours of your organization;
• what amenities you have;
• how many people visit your establishment on different days (weekdays, weekends, holidays);
• what your establishment represents and who works for you;
• how to contact you (by phone, email);
• read reviews about you.

GMB Setup

• Registration

So, let’s start with the registration. In your My Business account, you need to go to the "Branches" tab and then click "Add." Here, you must enter the name of your company, and if the requested organization is already on the list, request access to the account.

Enter the address that suits you, click "Continue," and "Claim Rights." The form will be sent immediately. If, for example, you do not remember the password, contact Google support, where they will guide you on how to recover access.

If your organization is not on the list, fill in all the details about it. In your personal account, you will be able to edit the information provided.

• Data Confirmation

In the "Branches" tab, you can select the location, and receive confirmation in any way convenient for you. For example, via email, phone, or receive a letter from Google within two weeks. However, during the quarantine conditions, these terms may be longer.

If your website has already been verified in Google Search Console — immediate verification will occur.

And if your company has branches (at least 10), you can use bulk verification. The most important thing is to have access to the phone listed at the branch. You should not have any difficulties if you follow Google’s help instructions.

Keep in mind, if you do not receive data verification — access to reviews and statistics will be impossible.

• Filling out the branch card

Once you receive confirmation, specify:

• an additional category that you can enter on the "Information" page. Change the primary category if it does not accurately describe your area of activity;

• service area. The entered data will appear within 3 days;
• the branch's working hours, holiday schedule;
• physical address, current phone numbers;
• link to the website and additional web pages;
• additional information in attributes;
• phone number that will be visible in advertisements.

Also, don't forget to add a short description (750 characters) of the company, which will give an understanding of what you represent and what services you offer. However, please note that GMB rules do not allow links in the description, the use of HTML code, or the mention of discount information.

The main information will be visible in the Google ads extension, and photos will attract a larger number of potential customers.

• Access

If you want others to manage your branches, you can assign them the role of administrator, owner, or manager. Go to the personal account of the specific branch, select "Users" and enter the email. An invitation will be sent to that email. If you want to remove a user, go to the My Business help section, where you will find detailed instructions.

Statistics in GMB

To familiarize yourself with the statistics, you need to log into your personal account and select the "Statistics" tab, which has 7 sections. With its help, you will be able to find out how many users interact with the company card, what actions they take, how many of them made a call, how many viewed your images, how often you are searched in Maps and search, and what queries the card appears for. The last point deserves special attention, as it will help you use the most popular queries in the card and on the site.

We recommend testing the effectiveness of the service by adding new photos, videos, or changing the company details. Over time, you will understand how to improve the statistics.

If you follow all the rules, synchronization with Google Analytics will be automatic. In this case, you will be able to track all transitions, views, and the number of unique visits.

How to add an address in a new Google Ads account?

It's simple: go to the "Extensions" tab and add "Address" (from the account or request it from another user).

If you want to change an outdated address in Google My Business that was submitted earlier, delete it and send a request for a new address. The address will be updated approximately within a day.

Optimizing your Google My Business account

• Fill your account with useful information and share the phone number that can be used to contact you. Choose a category (it must correspond to the theme of your business) and move on to attributes. Also, don't hesitate to add quality photos of the office, store, and showcase your employees.

The more data you add, the more interactions you will receive.

• Update data and maintain account activity. Share fresh photos and news about your organization, inform about current promotions (no more than 1500 characters), and events that are about to happen. This information will be displayed for 7 days on Google Maps and in Google Search.
• Describe the products that appear in search. To do this, upload a photo of the product, indicate its price and name.

Remember that companies adding images receive 42% more inquiries about how to get to them.

• Don't ignore reviews. Respond adequately to negative feedback and answer questions.
• If you own a hotel, a 3D tour will be relevant for you. This way, you can show potential customers the ambiance of the establishment, various amenities, and advantages. However, this service must be paid for by trusted Google Photographers.

The visibility of your card in Google My Business is influenced by:

• the location of the person. The closer they are to you, the higher the chances they will notice you in the results;
• ratings and reviews. If people start showing interest in you, the visibility of your card will increase. However, note that Google recognizes purchased reviews, and dishonest business owners may be blocked;
• user actions. The more people visit your website or make a call, the more new visitors will come;
• personalized results that depend on user preferences;
• GMB settings.

Some tips for working with Google My Business:

• Fill in all fields in your profile as much as possible. This way, you will appear in results more often and attract more users to your services.
• Add key phrases to the description. With the SEO module PromoPult, you can gather internal keys from your web resource. You need to choose high-frequency ones and add them to the description, but don't overdo it.

• Update your information. Remember that people who might become your clients are interested in you. If, for example, the phone number you provided is no longer valid, you could lose a client who wanted to call you to purchase your product or service.
• Share photos. Make sure to have quality photos that will evoke a desire to visit your establishment or office.

• Upload videos. Create an interesting video review of your establishment, working process, or shoot something that your competitors don’t have.
• Respond to reviews. Customers should feel that their opinion matters, so answer questions and delicately resolve conflicts.
• Use FAQ. Write answers to questions that users ask on your company card. Notifications about them will come to your email. The more answers you provide, the more useful information you will convey to other visitors about your organization.

GBL is a simple and convenient tool that will help you get free targeted traffic!