Google My Business is a free tool that is provided by Google; it aims to help businesses to establish themselves better and increase their visibility to their target audience across all of Google’s platforms.
No matter your industry, you want your audience to have access to your brand easily and as often as possible. Whether people are searching for the opening times of your Sawtell restaurant, a contact number for your Coffs Coast electrical company or a potential guest wants to read reviews about your hotel in Coffs Harbour; this tool can be of great benefit to you.
Google My Business (GMB) is not meant to replace your website, but complement your existing site, giving it a public presence on Google.
The Benefits of a Google My Business listing include:
- Help your business to stand out. Your business will appear on the top right-hand side of the results page when a user searches for your business name.
- Your business will be listed prominently for your type of industry at the top of the regular Google results for localised searches (e.g. for ‘florist in Coffs Harbour’).
- When being searched for on mobile devices, users may be able to instantly see your business details, allowing them to contact you with one click.
- You will be easily found on Google Maps; by far the most popular map app used by people searching for directions. People will be able to access directions to your Coffs Coast business quickly.
- You can manage your reputation online by being able to respond to reviews and ratings and it enables you to track your ratings over time.
How To Set Up Your Listing For Your Coffs Harbour Business
Either create a Google account or sign in with an existing Google account. Simply enter your business name and location. If a listing for your Coffs Harbour business already exists, you can claim ownership by following the steps to claim your listing. If your business name does not appear, click on ‘Add your business’. In the following steps, you will be able to add your business information.
As part of Google’s quality assurance for their listings, you will be asked to verify your business address. A postcard containing an authorisation code will be sent to the entered address. Once you enter the code, your listing will be activated.
How To Optimise Your Google My Business Page
These steps detail how you can optimise your Coffs Harbour business listing by completing the necessary information.
Within your GMB account click on the ‘Edit Info’ tab to open the appropriate fields to fill in and remember the more accurate and detailed your information is the better.
Business name
You can update your business name if you need to, keeping in mind that it must match your actual business name.
Address
You can enter your business address details and even access the map to move the marker to your correct location.
Contact Info
Make sure you enter the correct phone number including your area code and your current website address.
Business hours
Select the opening and closing times. You can also enter sets of hours (e.g. for lunch breaks).
Introduction
This section allows you to introduce yourself and give a brief description of your business. It is recommended to focus on your products, services, demographic and point of difference.
Click ‘finished editing’ or ‘save’ when you have completed all the relevant sections.
Add Photos Of Your Coffs Coast Business
You can add photos and images to your page by clicking the ‘Photos’ tab. There are different categories of photos that you can add to your Google My Business listing. To completely optimise your listing it is recommended that you upload photos to as many categories as possible.
Identity Images
The profile image should showcase your brand and help people recognise your business. If you use your logo, make sure the image is square.
Cover
This image will usually be displayed as a banner for your listing and will allow you to show the personality of your business with something eye-catching.
Other Photos
Try to show your customers what your business location looks like by using interior and exterior photos. The interior images help to show your customer the ambience and decor of your business while the exterior shots help them to recognise your premises when they arrive. By adding product photos, you can give customers a better understanding of the goods or services you offer. Using team photos gives you the opportunity to show a more personal aspect of your company to your customers. Lastly, you will have the option to upload any additional photos that don’t fit into the other categories. If you are a service based business, you can have shots of your work in action.
Once you have followed the above steps, which we conveniently carry out for our Website Management Plan clients, your Google My Business page will be up and running, and your Coffs Harbour business listing will start to show up across Google. For any assistance or more ideas and resources, refer to the official Google My Business Help section here or get in touch with us at F1RST.
