8 Google My Business Benefits for Small Businesses

Plus, people who find a business through their GMB listing are up to 50% more likely to convert into paying customers. Simply by creating a listing on Google My Business and completing the necessary steps, your business location will start to pop up in Maps for local searches as well.

If, for example, you have an appliance repair store, a GMB account will allow your company to show up for related searches in Google Maps like this:

What many business owners don’t know is that just by setting up a free GMB listing, they can boost their local rankings and the odds of being featured in Google’s local 3-pack.

The best part about being in the local 3-pack? It not only shows your business location on Google Maps, but it also shows up high on the search results page, which is the first place users look for results. Not only that, but it can also link to your website or a phone number they can immediately call and reach out to you. This is one of the undeniable benefits of Google My Business — it offers a direct line to your customers.

To put things into perspective, the top three listings that are featured in the local 3-pack get a whopping 700% more clicks compared to those outside of the 3-pack.

Any business owner knows that the key to long-term success is customer loyalty. Loyalty comes from trust, and trust comes from being a transparent and dependable provider. GMB lets you list all important details about your business that a potential customer would need to know before choosing you or moving on to another company.

In addition to your location, working hours, services, and contact details, GMB also features online reviews that your past customers have left. Nothing builds trust like customer reviews in 2022. What is more, businesses that show up on Google are up to three times more likely to be considered trustworthy and reputable by consumers.

Since Google verifies listings to ensure their legitimacy, people rely on it to show dependable results for local searches.

More than 90% of users read online reviews before making a purchasing decision. With a well-maintained Google My Business listing, people will be able to review your company and decide if they want to hire you on the spot. They will also be able to leave feedback for others to see.

By doing this, you will receive honest evaluations of your work (what you’re doing right and where you can improve). You will also have a star rating system next to your business on Google that will show the average evaluation your customers give you. Over time, as you start to collect more reviews, you will be able to get a higher overall rating (you need to respond to reviews to help with this as well). This simple yet often neglected aspect of managing your online presence can help you gain a competitive edge with little effort.

GMB is a proven method to boost your traffic numbers. Statistics show that just by having a GMB listing and appearing in local searches, businesses are 70% more likely to attract potential customers. Plus, companies with a GMB listing can get up to 35% more clicks to visit your website! In other words, the importance of Google My Business spans beyond increasing your online visibility — it translates into more leads for your business.

By analyzing your analytics, you can focus on what’s working and understand what isn’t as successful — helping you to grow. In learning the types of customers your company is attracting online, you will be able to adjust and improve your marketing strategy to better capture those leads and reduce your bounce rates.

In fact, one of the seven things that can discourage customers from working with you is if they can’t find your contact information instantly. GMB helps you display that for everyone to see without people having to go through your website to find it. There’s even a “Call” button that lets them call you whenever they want – straight from your listing.

According to Google, local search result rankings are based on “relevance, distance, and prominence.” By optimizing your Google My Business profile, getting to the local 3-pack, and putting your business at the top of search results, you will be ticking all three boxes that Google values.

Previously, it may have been fairly easy to predict business hours, but with the constantly changing health and economic landscape today, things aren’t as simple. Therefore, business owners need to be able to communicate any changes in their working hours, health protocols, and important announcements to their customers as soon as possible. This is where one of the most important Google My Business benefits comes in.

Since Google is the first place customers turn to when they need information about your business, it’s crucial not only to have a GMB listing but to also update it frequently. So the answer to why Google My Business is important is really simple — it is the first point of contact between you and your customers in a vastly growing digital landscape.

You can easily update your operating schedule on the GMB panel, and you have 750 characters to write an update about how your business has adjusted to the challenges of the pandemic, as well as what sanitary measures you’re taking to protect the health of your customers.

What is more, a study by Whitespark found how GMB has risen in importance in recent years, and has become one of the most influential ranking factors today.

Yes, you can still do business with offline advertising. But you can make THAT much more money if you invest in SEO and digital marketing and set up a Google My Business account. The road to success is pretty straightforward if you follow the advice above.