21 Google My Business Benefits (eg. free advertising)

Are you one of the 49% businesses owners who need convincing that Google My Business is a benefit!

Google My Business has been around for several years now. Yet still almost half have yet to claim their business listing. Even though over 75% of businesses are already on the Google My Business maps and database, many owners haven’t made a claim to them.

So today’s post and video provides an ample amount of benefits and should convince any business owner to just get right on with it!

This article will take a look at:

• How to advertise my business on google for free?
• What are the 21 Google My Business Benefits?
• Video : 21 Google My Business Benefits
• What to do if I want to claim or optimise my GMB listing

What are the 21 Google My Business Benefits?

To help you with each listed benefit, I’ve labelled them and also pointed to the area in the video I cover. In this way, it should make sense when you read about it, but you can visually see it in action by clicking on the YouTube timestamp too.

Benefit 1. It’s Free marketing

Google My Business is helping to promote small businesses. So who doesn’t need free marketing? There are rumours it may eventually become a chargeable service once Google has the bulk of businesses registered. This remains to be seen. For now, it’s a totally free way to attract new customers.

3:40 Benefit 1. It’s Free marketing (currently)Totally free way to attract customers

Benefit 2. Aimed at local business

Quite often big businesses dominate the small and medium. But everyone is equal in Google Maps and business listings. In fact the GMB registration is aimed at a local businesses. So it’s ideal for small local shops and services.

4:18 Benefit 2. Aimed at a local business – ideal for small

Benefit 3. Google Ads Compatible

Google My Business works seamlessly with Google Ads. So if you combine the two you will find it gives a big boost to being seen online – links it through and advertises for a boost. Both your Google My Business account and your Google Ads account are separate and only join by using a location extension.

5:05 Benefit 3. it can use Google Ads – link it through and advertise for a boost

Benefit 4. Helps Customers Find You On The Map

Not every business is on the high street. Even on the high street, your shop front can almost become invisible overtime for the local neighbourhood. Google My Business Helps Customers Find Your Physical Location. It integrates street view, knows your latitude and longitude and uses maps to provide directions for visitors. With customers local GPS, everyone on the planet can now find you.

6:05 Benefit 4. Helps Customers Find Your Physical Location – street-view – uses maps / local GPS

Benefit 5. Better Search Visibility

SEO or Search Engine Optimisation can be a corrupt game with Black hat, white hat, grey hat etc. This should not be a concern if you know what to do and follow the correct instructions. In fact for many of you that regularly visit this blog and YouTube Channel you will know that following the correct process and sticking to safe methods is my entire approach. This will give better search engine visibility over time and the bonus is you could even make position zero or top of the local 3 pack listing.

7:43 Benefit 5. Better Search Visibility – (position zero or local 3 pack)

Benefit 6. Displays Useful Information

Displays Useful Information about your business. For example with holidays or if you have a temporary situation, a family crisis, you can adjust the hours and explain with a post the situation to your potential clients. This is like putting a sign up in the shop window, but if you were delayed on a vacation you can do that from your laptop.

8:50 Benefit 6. Displays Useful Information

Benefit 7. Awesome Communication Channel

Social media can get negative press and rightly so. Its often misused, and rarely offers anything of value. Having said that it’s not to be ignored. Google My Business is a professional Communication Channel. With it, you can promote useful information to your followers. This is accomplished through events, posts offers etc. You can combine this with LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

10:07 Benefit 7. Another Communication Channel – promote to followers using events.posts offers etc (with LinkedIn Twitter Facebook)

Benefit 8. Gain Customer Insights

If you have used Google Analytics or the Google Search Console, you will know that it can provide an incredible insight into where people go, which promotions worked and how people react to an offer or promotion.

11:20 Benefit 8. Gain Customer Insights – through reports and analytics

Benefit 9. Understand Your Audience – Track Website Traffic and Audience

Google My Business has a report area called Customer Insights. This will give you an understanding of whether your visitors are picking up the phone or going to your website to find you all through really easy to follow reports and analytics.

13:05 Benefit 9. Understand Your Audience – Track Website Traffic and Audience

Benefit 10. Actively Respond to Reviews

Reviews can help persuade other visitors to choose you, so although it’s not the biggest ranking factor (If you want to know the biggest then see my latest YouTube video). But reviews and positive feedback are effective at building trust.

14:05 Benefit 10. Encourage and Actively Respond to Reviews

Benefit 11. It provides a free marketing kit

The free marketing kit has been cut back somewhat. Though you will be pleased to know it’s not entirely disappeared. The online business marketing kit is still a cool benefit that most businesses are unaware of.

The last time I used the Google My Business Marketing Kit, it allowed you to have some videos too. It seems this isn’t in the current online offering. Hopefully, it will be reestablished in the coming months along with other new promotions and business items.

16:20 Benefit 11. It provides a free marketing kit – see video link 16:33

Benefit 12. It Authenticates your business

Google is Primarily a business. The search engine is its product. It makes a business out of other businesses. With advertising and owning the most traffic value, it works with and creates buying and selling of adverts.

For your business to be credited with quality traffic and paying consumers you need to have it authenticated and trusted by Google. Google My Business is the main platform Google uses to do this with. It is growing year on year and combines two groups.
Group 1 “Users and customers” and pairs them up with
Group 2 “Services, products and businesses”.

17:22 Benefit 12. It Authenticates your business and Ties Everything Together

Benefit 13. Communicate through video

Hopefully, you have experienced the power of video. This website has had traffic overwhelming amount of traffic since I started using video. My channel is about to hit 1000 subscribers as I write this. Six months back I decided to no longer underestimate the power of video. Google My Business naturally promotes video too.

19:20 Benefit 13. Communicate through video

Benefit 14. Allow other customers to speak on your behalf

This can feel like a dangerous strategy. But they say the cream always rises to the top. So if you are good at what you do, you have nothing to fear. Although you may not please everyone, get your Google ratings and customer reviews out there. Respond professionally to negative reviews and the quality and trust will become evident.

20:40 Benefit 14. Allow other customers to speak on your behalf (rating/video/pictures)

Benefit 15. Increases branding visibility through Google

When you search for your business in Google, what do you find? Firstly do this in an incognito browser to avoid seeing your search results that are biased towards your common search terms. These results are personalised and won’t give you the same results as Joe Public. Do you see your branding, images, listings, if not, your branding is not working for you?

Here is an example if I type in my company name and the results are unmistakable branding of name and logo everywhere. All businesses should aim for this type of result.

22:34 Benefit 15. Increases branding visibility through Google

Benefit 16. It intergrates well with voice search – find local / nearby etc

In 2020 an estimate of 200 billion voice search queries per month will take place. So this videos is a voice search seo complete optimisation guide for 2020. Find out more on https://zanet.co.uk/5-awesome-tips-for-voice-search-for-business-owners/

24:16 Benefit 16. It integrates well with voice search – find local/nearby etc

Benefit 17. Can take bookings and direct calls

The most important way to get this feature working is to download the Google My Business app to your mobile. Once you have authenticated the app, you can then take messaging, quotes and direct calls from your Google My Business listing

25:50 Benefit 17. Can take bookings and direct calls

Benefit 18. Provides a free business website

The website is just a compilation of all your posts and details entered into Google My Business. while this may prove useful for a starting business with limited funds, this shouldn’t be the basis for a business website. There are plenty of good value web designers “ahem” clear throat, to help you if you need some advice and costings.

27:00 Benefit 18. Provides a free business website if you don’t have one

Benefit 19. It has an FAQ section

Surprisingly few use this to their advantage. A well filled out FAQ section can bring in great traffic as you are really helping customers. Especially if these are genuine questions being asked. If you answer them, guess who they will turn to next time they want a related service?So fill it out and immediately answer customers regular concerns.

28:35 Benefit 19. It has an FAQ section -s o you can immediately answer customers regular concerns

Benefit 20. Certain business enable attributes often updating and changing – see video on attributes

Google My Business attributes are constantly being updated and most businesses don’t even know what I’m talking about! As an introduction to Google My Business attributes, I want to consider the fact that your business category controls what attributes are shown for you. If you wanted to include attributes in your business name, that is an option to be careful with. Many use this tactic, but Google considers it to be spam unless it’s absolutely accurate. You want these extra attributes to set you apart, not to cause you to lose your listing.

29:30 Benefit 20. Certain business enable attributes often updating and changing

Benefit 21. Its always up to date and changing

Google My Business is always up to date and changing. For example, currently, it allows messages about lock-down during covid19. It’s always current.

31:05 Benefit 21. its always up to date and changing – for example currently it allows a message about lockdown covid19 etc

The Video : 21 Google My Business Benefits

Todays video will demonstrate and explain the 21 benefits.

Take a look at the video above and you will see the reason why you should today get your Google My Business updated and optimised. For a further breakdown, all of them heading on this page link to the relevant part of the video.

21 Google My Business Benefits For your Business in 2020. I jotted down a few for this video, then several more and before I knew it, I have an ultimate guide of 21 benefits for your business. Many you may never have heard of!

So if you are a Google Business beginner or an SEO expert, you are going to love working through these 21 tips and benefits for your local business listing. A business boost is ever needed in these challenging and competitive times.

Conclusion

A small investment of time gives big returns – 4 courses have now been prepared for you. Google My Business for – beginners/ intermediate / advanced / experts

Google My Business Benefits Are So Many That Every Time I number them I have to update my Video. So rather than only give my favourite 21 Google My Business Benefits, I’m also going to give a general overview and then direct you to several amazing videos that will cover the most important benefits.

Think in terms of marketing, SEO and advertising and you are then getting in the right mindset. But the one difference is you need no budget to succeed in Google My Business. That is probably the most generous benefit. Google rewards active GMB listings with a lot of traffic and genuine local enquiries from real clients.

What Next?

Google My Business is for those businesses that want to operate in the local area. If one of your business agendas is to target local customers, then creating a GMB account is always going to be beneficial.

With Google My Business accounts free to register, why hesitate? It is the best start for your business to work locally and then work in a bigger market. If your business is not getting enough customers, GMB marketing is what you need to do.

If you need expert help in registering or creating a Google My Business account, then contact me at Zanet Design for me to arrange to help you.

Want to start doing it yourself?

Head over to the popular How to Max Out Google My Business