Getting The Most of Your Google My Business Page

You are hungry, out of town for business and looking for some great pizza. You type in “Pizza Delivery in Downtown Houston” on Google on your smartphone to gauge your options. After a day of meetings in a conference room, nothing sounds better than a nice pie of pepperoni pizza.

Low and behold, there are three pizza shops that appear towards the top of Google. You notice that Frank’s, the first pizza shop to populate on the search engine, has a delicious looking picture of its pepperoni pie, and they have a 4.3 rating along with 198 reviews! Frank’s is also only 2 miles from your hotel.

You click on the link for Frank’s, make a phone call directly from your mobile device and sit back and smile, knowing that your ideal pizza will be delivered within 30 minutes.

When conducting this search, most people would ponder whether or not the pizza is thin or thick crust. For someone interested in marketing, the first thought that would pop into his or her mind is, “How does Frank’s dominate Google’s search?”

Frank’s puts great attention to detail in making its pizza. Ramiro gave this pizza shop a five-star rating on Google and said that, “It’s just awesome! Everything was good the service the food and the drinks!”

The downright good pizza joint located in Houston’s Historic District also hones in on its Google My Business strategy. They follow five crucial steps to get the most out of their Google My Business page.

This five-step process, which we have outlined below, results in new business, new customers and more referrals for the go-to spot for delicious hand-tossed pizza.

Frank’s Strategy:

1. Obtain Reviews

Customers might love Frank’s, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to leave an awesome review on Google.

Your business needs to be aware of the importance of Google reviews. These reviews will be one of the first things people see when searching for your brand. Additionally, it can help catapult you towards the top of the local listings on Google.

It is important to formulate a strategy to get more positive reviews on your Google My Business page. You’d be amazed how many more reviews you will start to receive by simply asking your customers for them.

If your entire staff is aligned on this mission to get more Google reviews, it will help your overall brand reputation and help your Google My Business page.

Frank’s has 198 reviews and a 4.3 rating. There is a direct correlation between the number of reviews and their ranking on Google.

2. Add Photos

Adding photos onto your Google My Business page literally takes 10 minutes to complete, but be careful. You want to make sure you convey a positive overall image of your business.

Don’t just snap pictures on your smartphone. Organize your thoughts and ideas for what you want your customers to see and take professional photos.

Frank’s has a nice diversity of photos, including its pizza, customers, its menu and even the hours the restaurant is open.

These images will populate on Google’s search and further optimize your Google My Business page.

3. Aligned Local Information

Some people might call your business “Frank’s” while others refer to it as “Frank’s Pizza”. Regardless, it is crucial to be aligned on all of your local information, which includes the brand name.

If your official business name is “Frank’s Pizza”, this should be reflected across your Google My Business page. Consistency with the phone number, address, website and store hours is a critical step that is oftentimes overlooked. Align your Google My Business page with the information on your website.

Another quick tip is to link to your Google My Business page from your website. This will add more authority to your local listing through Google. You should also add more information into the “About” section to give your business more personality.

4. Constant Content

You have a Google My Business page, so why not utilize it to the greatest extent, especially if it can result in more search traffic? 

If Frank’s has a special half-off promotion on Tuesday evenings, post about this and update your status.

If Google sees that you are active with your Google My Business page, they will reward you. It also is a good strategy to connect with other local businesses that have a Google My Business page. Google wants to see that you are popular, and networking is the perfect way to accomplish this.

5. Get Submitted

In tip #3, we mentioned aligning all of your local business information. Once you have consistency between your My Business page and your site, take a more advanced step and submit your business to a citation directory.

Yahoo Local Works and Moz offer great solutions. There is a small fee involved, but the more aligned local information that Google sees out on the web, the better chance your Google My Business page will have to rank.

The Secret Sauce

The aforementioned tips do not guarantee success for your Google My Business page to rank in a prominent position on Google.

Regardless, implementing our recommendations is a great way to get started so you can get the most out of your Google My Business page.

Frank’s has found the secret sauce for its pizza recipe and its Google My Business page. Now is the time to emulate their strategy, follow our tips and get more local exposure on Google.