13.03 – Driving Traffic & Sales with GMB
In addition to Google Ads, Google offers Google My Business (GMB), a free feature to manage your SEO appearance for local queries related to your product, service, or business. GMB also allows you to manage your presence on Google Maps, displaying your location and customer reviews when someone searches for your product or service using the term “near me.”
For instance, if you’re a coffee shop in a resort town specialising in lavender lattes, your business would show up on a map when someone searches Google Maps for “lavender lattes near me” or a related term like “specialty coffee near me.” The search results might include your location, customer review rating, pricing code, and distance from the searcher’s current location. For any retail business aiming to capture traffic from spontaneous shoppers, maintaining a GMB account is crucial.
The following sections guide you through getting your GMB account up and running.
Setting Up Your Google Business Profile
When you create a GMB account, the first step is to set up your Business Profile. Your Business Profile may already exist, and you just need to claim it to manage it.
To start, search for “Business Profile Manager” on Google. This will bring you to a page that guides you through setting up your Business Profile. Type your business name into the search bar and find your business. If your business doesn’t show up, Google will prompt you to create a profile with your business name.
After finding or adding your business, enter your Business Profile information, including your company name and category, locations where you serve customers, contact information, and hours. You can set up your profile so customers can message your company directly from your profile page.
Once you create your Business Profile, you can start advertising it through a Google Ads account. Google provides prompts to help you with this. You can respond to reviews, receive direct messages, take calls and orders, and more.
Creating a Profile That Stands Out
Setting up a Google Business Profile is a solid step toward driving local traffic and sales by aligning with real-time searches in your location. However, having a profile and showing up on Google Maps isn’t enough. Your location will appear among others, and consumers will likely choose the one with the best reviews and the most engaging images and descriptions.
Your message is key when describing your company in your Business Profile. Don’t just state what you do—highlight what makes you different, better, and more appealing.
Consider a profile statement like:
“ABC Donuts is Small Town USA’s highest-rated donut and coffee shop, with all products made fresh every morning, never frozen. Give your day a sweet start in our spacious store in the heart of downtown, or order a dozen to go. Our 5-star products include warm, fluffy sugar-glazed donuts, rich chocolate cake donuts, and maple bars with fresh bacon.”
This description references customers’ 5-star ratings, lists products with appetising descriptions that create impulsive triggers, and includes an inviting location statement. Choose your words carefully and use descriptors that set you apart from competitors while mentioning any unique experiences you offer.
Product details can also be listed in your Business Profile. Google allows most small and medium-sized businesses to showcase their products by posting photos, pricing, and details using the Product Editor tool. You can also include videos in your profile.
Managing Your Results
Google provides detailed insights about the impact of your Business Profile and GMB results. This data helps you understand how customers find your profile and what actions they take, including requests for directions and phone calls through your profile listing. You’ll get key insights, such as how many customers found you through Google Search or Google Maps, which days and product listings show the most results, and more.
One of the most important insights is discovering what customers do once they find your profile. Do they visit your website, request directions, call you, or view photos? Understanding where viewers click the most can tell you what captures attention and inspires engagement among your target customers.
You can add a Call Business button to your profile. If you include this feature, ensure the phone number is monitored by a live person who can answer customers’ questions. People engaging with businesses through GMB are typically in the middle of the shopping process and likely to make quick decisions. If no one is available to answer their questions, they will move on to the next listing on the map.
By effectively managing your GMB account and optimising your Business Profile, you can drive more local traffic and increase sales for your business.
