Get on the map: a guide to have a presence in Google My Business

Improve the visibility of your business with a Google My Business profile. Learn the benefits of creating an account and be part of the choices of people around you.

How Google My Business works 

Google My business is a multifunctional service offered by Google. By using it, we can appear on Google Maps, receive and manage reviews from our customers and even develop a website for free.

This may be similar to a web page, but its optimization is totally different. Its functionality consists of geolocation, as Google results vary depending on the user's location.

That's how, when a prospective customer is near you or looking for options in your area, your Google My Business profile will appear on the results page and they may consider it a good suggestion. 

To achieve this, it is important to remember that the audience from 30 years down consult on their smartphone where to go and how to get almost anywhere.

Benefits of appearing on Google My Business

Google My Business is an opportunity to boost your business' diffusion. All the content that you publish in your GMB file, will have an impact on the number of people who have access to your services, offers, etc.

When we work on local positioning, this tool connects you directly to the most used search engine in the world.  Positioning you within the reach of thousands of people who are near you.

Other practical benefits in Google My Business are: 

• Managing multiple brands
• A brand can be managed by multiple administrators
• We can add multiple locations for the same brand, all your branches and sale points in a single profile.
• Your Google My Business tab allows you to post, so creating a profile on Google+ won't be necessary.

We can customize our images and publications depending on the area.

How to create a Google My Business account 

Thanks to Google's simple interface, it is possible to create an account in Google My Business without going through much trouble. To do this, we only have to enter the search engine and log in with our account.

Next, we must enter the section in the upper left corner and look for the “My Business " button. Once you enter the page, an assistant will ask you step by step for your business information.

The data required to open an account are:

• Your company logo or profile image.
• A header image (similar to a Facebook page cover, but wider).
• Description of your business and the sector in which you work.
• Links to your social networks and website.
• Opening and closing hours.
• Physical address. In this section we must give our location on a screen similar to Google Maps.

As an additional option, we can indicate whether we offer delivery services, in addition to the range in kilometers in which we can provide this service. 

Once we provide our data, Google will send a letter to your physical address. This card has a code that will allow you to validate your location and end the operation.

Tips for having an image that causes an impact Google My Business

Images are the ideal content for a Google My Business account. As the information we offer is practical and timely, the images become an element that will give you visibility against the competition.

Consumers focus on photographs to decide between one business and another, as they are able to compare, at least by view, the quality of what your business offers. 

Therefore, it is extremely important to maintain a high quality standard and take the most professional photos possible. Because, through the content of your photos, you will transmit the image of your business to your potential customers.

The sections in which photographs are included are:

• Photos of the owner.
• Customer photos. These are uploaded directly by the people who visit your business. They record your visit to our business and have the option to add a photo and a review.
• Photos of the exterior. Adding photos of your business' front view is useful for customers to easily locate our business.
• Photos of the interior. Showing a clean, well-lit and good-looking place, will give a positive impression to potential customers.
• Product photos. Here we can take a photo of our best dishes, work done or the most popular products offered in the location.
• Team photos. Knowing the people behind a brand gives it an image of closeness that is favored by both the user and the algorithm.
  
  

Google My Business is a service that gives you the ability to make your local business visible to people in your area and potential visitors. With just a few steps you can put your brand within the reach of thousands.