{"id":25740,"date":"2020-09-01T11:35:54","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T18:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/how-to-use-google-my-business-for-seo-with-kraig-bond-elite-results-marketing\/"},"modified":"2020-10-05T13:20:52","modified_gmt":"2020-10-05T20:20:52","slug":"how-to-use-google-my-business-for-seo-with-kraig-bond-elite-results-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/how-to-use-google-my-business-for-seo-with-kraig-bond-elite-results-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Google My Business for SEO – With Kraig Bond Elite Results Marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEO can feel like a nebulous term and strategy for businesses looking to expand their online presence. And yet, it\u2019s one of the most important tools a business can invest in for local marketing. Think of it this way: if you sell lawn mower maintenance in Cleveland and there are three other competitors nearby who sell the same service, what is an advantage you could have over the competition? Consumers like to take the path of least resistance. If they Google, \u201clawn mower fixer Cleveland,\u201d it\u2019s advantageous for your company if you\u2019re the first search result to come up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Google My Business<\/span><\/p>\n

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One of the best ways to boost your local SEO is to claim, verify, and optimize your \u2018Google My Business\u2019 listing. In recent months, GMB has added a host of new features that makes it a must-have tool in a business\u2019s online SEO toolbox. Think of GMB like this: if you have a new gelato shop, consumers likely won\u2019t know about it until it\u2019s in their Google Maps, a local finder, and Google\u2019s Local Pack. By claiming your shop online, you help to optimize your SEO locally. This can help even if you want to optimize your SEO on a global level, because it\u2019s been reported that <\/span>46 percent of searches<\/span><\/a> are intended locally. That means that even if you sell something that can be offered virtually, from anywhere, approximately 46 percent of searches are still intending to find that service offered nearby.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This can also be done if you don\u2019t own a brick and mortar store. Create a \u201cheadquarters\u201d for your online business\u2019s office so you can take advantage of the local SEO boost. Google <\/span>shared that<\/span><\/a> there\u2019s been a 500 percent increase in the number of \u201cnear me\u201d searches that contain \u201ccan I buy\u201d and \u201cto buy\u201d keywords in the past couple of years. That could include a gelato shop, or a service you offer (like UI\/UX design) beyond your current city that still may stand out to someone who wants to shop local .<\/span><\/p>\n

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GMB listings also help you stay in control of the information about your business online. Otherwise, customers may look to sites such as Yelp or other review or rate sites, where there can be false information, outdated menus or links, and sometimes, bad reviews!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Google My Business Key Features\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Once your GMB listing is live, Google users can review your business and suggest edits (updates will sometimes be sent to you or your administrator, but not always, which is why checking your listing frequently is critical to make sure no detrimental or inaccurate changes have been made).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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There\u2019s also a functionality for you to \u2018post\u2019 on Google My Business that will also show up in the knowledge panel when people search for your business. Think of this as a place to post updates about your business (such as an upcoming event, new hours of operation, a sitewide sale, or a new product launch) with a call to action. To draw more visual attention, consider adding photos to these posts (depending on the size of the images and what Google allows). The \u201cknowledge panel\u201d refers to the square with information about your business that appears when a user searches for your business name in Google. This is where they can maneuver to press \u2018call,\u2019 find your website, look at your reviews, find your address, and more. Posts underneath add more dimension to this information, and according to research from Google, creates more trust with a consumer.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Google My Business SEO Reports<\/span><\/p>\n

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Another feature of GMB that many business owners enjoy is the monthly reports that are generated. It will provide the total number of searches on Google for your business, broken down by <\/span>direct search<\/span> (someone typed your exact business name), <\/span>discovery <\/span>(when they found your business by searching for a category or type of product), or <\/span>branded<\/span> (they searched for a brand connected to or similar to yours).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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These categories alone point to the tremendous exposure boost that GMB offers. This means that if someone is more generally looking for what you offer without knowing that your business exists, they can find you because of GMB. Or, they could be searching for your competition or a brand similar to yours and find you. This can also be achieved through SEO keyword optimization indexed on your website, but is another great advantage that can lead to more eyeballs and therefore, more leads.<\/span><\/p>\n

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GMB also offers the following insights on its monthly reports:<\/span><\/p>\n