Google My Business: What Is It & Why Should It Matter To My Business?
July 19, 2017 4:38 pm | Category: FAQ, Marketing, SEM, Support Packages
What is Google My Business?
When you sign up for a Google My Business account, you have taken a step to control how your brand “shows up” when people Google your business or related keywords. You will also be able to see, control and respond to how people are responding to your brand.
1) Get Up To Date
When you have a Google My Business account, you can ensure that your business information is always up to date and accurate for Google users to find and contact you easier
2) Manage Your Reputation
When your information is accurate and complete, you look more reputable and reliable to Google users. Though they may not always click on the map showing your location, having this map up to date conveys a sense of trust to the user if they are able to see your physical location on the map.
So, what does it look like when users search for your business? Something like this (Figure 1.1):
Here, you can add up to date business contact information, photos of your business, ensure that the map location is correct, add your logo, and manage and reply to any Google Reviews that have been left for your business.
What does the Google My Business Report show?
Your Google My Business Report Summary will come to you in email form and will look something like this (Figure 1.2):
This summary shows the impressions (views) that your business is getting per month by Google users.
- The first number you see in the summary (as pictured in Figure 1.2 above) is the impressions that your business received on Google Maps.
- Fresh Focus Media Tip: Keep in mind that impressions are not the same as how many people clicked through to your website or Google Business Page. Impressions are just that: how many people saw your business in a particular place. In the example above, 47 people saw the business on Google Maps
- The second number you see in the summary is just as above, but this is the number of people who saw your business on Google Search, rather than Google Maps.
- The third number you see in the summary is the number of people who clicked on the phone number hyperlink to call your business (refer to Figure 1.3 below).
- Fresh Focus Media Tip: 51% of Google searches are done by mobile users (Smart Insights), so ensuring that your Google Business contact information is correct is paramount. When users click on any hyperlink on your Google Business profile, they are hot leads. You need to make sure that these hot leads are captured, and you can ensure this with accurate contact information
- The last number that you see on the summary is the number of users who clicked on the Directions button on your Google Business profile (refer to Figure 1.3 below).
FAQ:
Does it show how many people clicked on my website?
The Summary Report will not show how many users clicked on your website. To see these numbers (if applicable), click on the “Get all the details” button (as shown in Figure 1.2). Keep in mind that this will only show you the number of Google users who clicked through to your website using the Website button (refer to Figure 1.3).
- Fresh Focus Media Tip: The most reliable way to view your website clicks is through your website host as this report will show you all website clicks across a variety of sources and search engines. Though Google is the most frequently used search engine, you will not get completely accurate results without looking at the report directly from your website.
Not sure how? Ask us about our Website Development and Management services!
Do Google star ratings matter?
Yes, absolutely. The better your Google star rating (as shown in Figure 1.3), the more visible your business will be to Google users. You can achieve these ratings by Google users leaving a review for your business on Google, Facebook and Yelp if you have synced your business Yelp page to your Google Business page.
- Fresh Focus Media Tip: Have a string of happy customers? Ask them to leave your business a 4-5 star review on Google and Facebook! This will help to boost your overall star rating and overall visibility.
Can anyone leave a review?
Yes, just like how reviews work on Facebook and Yelp. Don’t recognize the customer? You can dispute the review as irrelevant with Google to help your star rating if the review is poor.
Is this report different from my Google AdWords Statistics Report?
Yes. Google AdWords tracks the amount of users who engage with your Google ads. These reports will track things like CTR % (the percentage of people who viewed your ad that clicked through to the link provided on the ad), and how often your ad showed up on Google.
Though you can set up an AdWords account through Google Business, they will not be sending you the same reports on the same statistics.
Fresh Focus Media Tip: Don’t dive into the world of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Google AdWords without a life preserver! Let us keep you from drowning. Contact us about our SEO and SEM Optimization services.
