With the latest Google algorithm update… you must have felt some kind of an effect, mostly in our case “negative”. Google has become smarter & therefore we need to become smarter & utilise the free tools that are out there.

Google My Business is one way of getting your business seen. Especially if you can get onto the top 3 of the map pack. This is the best way of getting organic traffic through to your website without spending money.

The thing is… most people get this wrong or they just verify their business & don’t update all their details.

Here are our top 10 tips on how to optimise your Google My Business Account

Make sure that you have completed all your information properly, especially your categories. You can add multiple categories relevant to your industry. This is important so that the right people can find you on the local map pack. Make sure you address & contact numbers are correct.
Add your Profile Short Name – choose something simple that customers can remember.
Add your companies short description / about us. Highlight your companies USP.
Use a custom URL so you can track your Google My Business traffic & separate it from you other traffic sources. You can use the following tools to set it up: https://ga-dev-tools.appspot.com/campaign-url-builder/
Add your logo, cover images & other relevant images related to your business. This will make your Google My Business account more prominent.
Depending on what kind of business you are, enter either your services or products. Take the extra time to complete this section.
Did you know you can get messages straight from your Google My Business account? This is easy to set up! All you need to do is install the app to your phone & Google My Business will now add a message button to your local map listing.
Post on your Google My Business Account. Share your latest news, products, offers & services. This is FREE advertising & should be utilised to your advantage. Try and do this at least once a week.
Add the Google “View On Search” Logo to your site with a URL to your Google My Business profile. This will give Google clear signals that this is your profile.
Lastly, Google has taken away the review snippet feature from 3rd party plugins & self-controlled reviews. But you can still display your Google reviews on your website by using Place ID API. It is easy to set up if you are using WordPress & can be set up using the plugin called: Google Reviews Widget.|