There are many different factors to consider when it comes to local SEO. One of the biggest is Google My Business (GMB), and anyone in the know will tell you Google for business is a tough landscape in which to compete – but it is possible with the right approach.
If you’re a beginner in online marketing, you may only have seen a passing reference here and there to Google My Business. However, GMB is the central point for controlling your local business’s information on both Google and Google Maps.
When you consider the vast majority of local searches are done through Google, it’s essential that your business’s information is up-to-date, accurate, and readily available for potential customers to find – not to mention, your GMB SEO needs to be up to scratch on top of the basics.
If you’re ready to take control of your GMB listing and boost your local SEO efforts, the following guide is here to help you learn what GMB is and how to optimize Google My Business. This will help put you in the driver’s seat of your company’s online presence and bring quality customers to your storefront.
What’s more, our in-depth guide also takes into account the high-performing Google My Business optimization 2020 saw, along with newer updates and techniques business Google accounts need to incorporate into their GMB profile strategy.
Ready to learn? Let’s get started.
What Is Google My Business?
Before diving into our guide to optimizing Google My Business, it’s important to establish just what is GMB before curating a GMB strategy or anything else.
Simply put, Google My Business is a platform that is free to use for any business. Once you have claimed your profile, you can take control of your business information. This information includes:
- Business name
- Category
- Phone number
- Address
- Website
- Opening hours
- Photos
When you consider these details, GMB is a particularly effective tool for local companies that have physical premises. If people are interested in your business, they will search Google for information such as your address, photos, what products or services you sell, and when you’re open, among other things that customers want to know about you as a company.
Given their mindset, customers searching online for businesses and those like yours are high-value to you; they’re looking for the product or service you offer and are usually ready to purchase since they’re already on the hunt.
At this crucial point in their shopping habits and the sale process, your customers have typically made their minds up to buy. Based on that search, they’re looking for where they should spend their money – and you can capitalise on their purchasing decision and behaviour by ensuring they find your business through their internet search. This is where Google My Business comes in – and more importantly, your business info and content need to be optimized to enable your spend-happy customers to find you.
Google My Business Content Optimization
Once you’ve got the basics covered – like your company information, contact details, and business address on your Google business account, you’ll need to upload regular, SEO-enriched content full of appropriate keywords that keeps your audience engaged and maintains your Google search engine rankings. Doing so is vital if you want your business to stay relevant and visible online.
Of course, uploading regular content isn’t mandatory. Still, if you read any “optimize my business on Google” guides, each will tell you that frequent SEO-focused content that engages customers is a paramount approach to boosting your business’s search engine rankings and garnering your audience’s attention.
Regular keyword-rich content, such as Google posts, images, videos, and also your business’s profile photos, are all key pillars in your SEO optimization and customer engagement. It’s an ongoing effort; you can’t just create your business profile, upload some company info and a few pictures, and be done with it. That’s not how Google My Business works – nor any of Google’s outlets, for that matter.
With this in mind, take the following content tips into account when crafting your Google My Business content strategy.
1. Optimize Google My Business Photos
What is Google business without good photos? From your business profile picture and product photos to your cover image, all GMB post dimensions demand optimisation for the best results – both in terms of customer engagement and optimising SEO. The GMB photo part is critical to optimize GMB accounts, and simply uploading any old image won’t suffice.
Google My Business photo size optimisation is an important piece of the Google business pie – and getting the GMB photo size right is crucial for better visibility across all of Google’s online platforms. There are several GMB image size types to think about when improving your Google My Business strategy.
Google My Business Cover Images
The Google My Business dimensions for cover photos need to be optimized; according to Google My Business cover photo size 2020 guidelines, the recommended GMB cover photo size is 1024 x 575 pixels coupled with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Still, the minimum GMB cover size can be as little as 480 x 270 pixels. Having the optimum GMB cover image size dimension and aspect ratio enables the image to display properly in Google Search and on Google Maps, which makes Google look more favourably on your Google business account.
Google My Business Profile Image
Also, your Google My Business profile picture size needs to be optimized. Generally, a Google business profile logo size needs to be 250 x 250 pixels, optimally speaking – although a company’s logo size for GMB can be anywhere from a minimum of 120 x 120 to a maximum of 5200 x 5300 pixels.
After all, the better the GMB logo dimensions, the higher the quality of your Google business profile, so you should still aim for the optimum GMB logo size despite minimum and maximums still being permitted in a Google business strategy on the GBM platform. For example, a Google business profile post image size that’s too small or too large won’t display properly, which looks less appealing to customers and also displeases Google from an SEO viewpoint.
Google My Business Product Pictures
Last but not least, your Google My Business product image size also requires optimization. If you’re posting from your GMB dashboard, the best image size for any Google My Business post (or GMB product image size) is 1200 x 900 pixels along with a 4:3 image ratio.
2. Google My Business Video Optimization
Another crucial component of content that needs addressing when learning how to optimize GMB is video use. Naturally, you should produce excellent, informative, and engaging videos that entertain, inform and call your audience to action while avoiding content that goes against Google’s guidelines. However, much like with GBM image optimization, the technicalities on a microscopic level are also important when creating video content for Google My Business – like size, length, and resolution.
The Optimum Google My Business Video File Size
According to GMB optimization 2020 guides, the ideal GMB video size is between 10 KB and 5 MB, with a recommended resolution of 720 px tall and 720 px wide. Although this is the optimum Google My Business video file size, the minimum resolution can be as low as 250 px tall by 250 px wide. In contrast, the Google My Business video size limit can go up to 75 MB and be a maximum of 30 seconds in length.
Google My Business Reviews, Google Posts & Analytics
There’s also more to GMB than simply adding company details to your GMB description, photos, and videos about your business in an optimized, SEO-geared way. You can use the platform to monitor any reviews posted by customers, where you can leave replies or even flag reviews you deem inappropriate. GMB also provides free analytics, giving you a greater insight into how people came across your business online.
Furthermore, another feature worth mentioning is Google Posts. Via your GMB account, you can craft Google Posts to share news, announcements, offers, and other content related to your business. Posts can be as long as 300 words, and they’re said to be helpful in enhancing search rankings for businesses. This is especially the case if you know how to optimize the posts – or hire a specialist writing service to do so.
If you want to learn how to sign up for a GMB account, simply visit the following link:
https://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/business/
If on desktop, this is where you’ll go for your GMB sign in. There’s also an official GMB app you can use on mobile devices.
The Importance of Google My Business
Although navigating GMB optimization can be tricky, the rewards of putting in the continuous time and effort into getting your Google My Business strategy right and maintaining it are well worth it. If you’re not convinced already, it’s time to reiterate: Google My Business is one of the most vital elements of a local managed SEO campaign.
Search “Google optimize guide” online, and you’ll see that every single how-to page will tell you that not only is GMB a significant component in ensuring your business scores high rankings in organic search results, but it’s also considered the biggest ranking factor for any local map searches.
If your business is visible in local search, your customers will have a much easier time finding you. This is integral to local search, as, more often than not, these customers are ones that are ready to make a purchase.
With a profile that has optimized all GMB ranking factors, your business stands a greater chance of appearing in general searches. For example, someone may search for “plumber in Newcastle.” If you operate a plumbing business in Newcastle, your GMB listing could appear high up in search results.
If you’re fortunate enough to rank in the “3-pack” – also known as the top three local GMB search results for a relevant query – your business has an enviable position on Google. In fact, it will even rank ahead of all organic search results.
Simply being on Google Maps is also advantageous for your business, as customers can quickly and easily find where you’re located. That said, if you don’t claim a GMB account, you could look at your location on Maps and wonder, ‘What is my business doing there?’ This is because Google may only make an educated guess for your location based on your address. With GMB, however, you can specifically place the “pin” exactly on your business premises.
As touched upon above, customers can leave reviews on your GMB account. Reviews are a major factor in your search ranking, so you should try to accumulate as many as possible. Also, while it’s not nice to receive any negative reviews, don’t be too perturbed; if you’re proactive and respond to any negativity in a professional, considerate manner, other customers will judge you positively as a result. Oh, and remember to reply to positive comments and thank them for taking the time to leave a review – this works wonders for your PR strategy and is a polite, courteous thing to do that shows your customers you care about what they have to say.
Need Help with Google My Business? Get in Touch with the Professionals
Google My Business is an essential component for any local business. While link building, keyword use, on-page optimization, and other marketing elements play their part, GMB can massively improve your presence on Google for local searches. If you need help setting up and optimizing your GMB profile, send our friendly team here at Click Intelligence a message.
We’re always happy to offer assistance and will gladly show you how we can boost your business’s profile and optimize your company’s SEO to increase your Google business rankings and drive customers to your door.
