The 9 Best Local SEO Practices for Google My Business

Are you sick and tired of others outranking you on Google? If you want to win at Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization), try these 10 often-overlooked ways to use Google My Business.

Promoting your business online may be time-consuming and costly. Although Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is highly successful, and local SEO is free to execute, it may quickly become a full-time job if not properly planned or resourced. Fortunately, Google offers a variety of helpful resources. It’s a terrific way to stay ahead of the competition and have your business pop up first in local results for those looking for physical therapists because so few other business owners are taking advantage of these tools.

Google My Business Explained

You may improve your company’s visibility in Google Search results by using Google My Business (GMB), a free service from Google. Whether you have a single office or numerous locations, customers will have an easier time finding you by managing and optimizing your Google Maps listing, online reviews, frequently asked questions (FAQ), business hours, contact information, and services. In case you haven’t already, create a Google My Business account, get in touch with Local Power SEO.

How to optimize my company presence on Google My Business

The proliferation of Google Ads and review sites has made it more competitive for local companies to achieve a high page rank in local SERPs. Another Google feature is the Google Local Pack, which highlights certain local companies at the expense of organic online listings and moves the latter down the search engine results page.

While we do believe that high-quality content is essential for search engine optimization and bringing in new customers through organic means, being featured in Google’s Local Pack is a tremendous opportunity to set yourself apart. To increase your chances of being featured in Google’s Local Pack and so gaining control of local search results, focus on the following critical ranking signals:

1 – One must first “own” their Google My Business page

This is the first and most crucial step towards claiming your GMB. When you do, remember to incorporate:
Both a brief (maximum 50 characters) description of your company and its offerings, and a more detailed (maximum 250 characters) description of your company and its offerings. Your company’s name, location, and specialty should all be included here.

2 – Verify your coordinates and NAP

Business and location verification establishes your NAP information with Google and ensures it displays consistently across all Google services.

3 – Modify your operating times

Google is more likely to display companies that are confirmed to be open at any given time than ones that are not, so it’s important to be aware of your rivals’ hours of operation and any holidays they may be closed for. Always remember to update your schedule if your working hours ever change.

4 – Make use of the many sections of Google My Business

When setting up your Google My Business profile, you will be prompted to select a core category as well as other categories. Google permits up to 10 categories per company listing, and there will be more than 3,000 categories by 2020. But don’t go crazy and utilize all 10! Use as many as you feel are necessary to accurately describe what it is that your company delivers, while also maintaining brevity.

5 – Reviewer feedback

There is empirical evidence to suggest that consumer decisions are influenced by reviews while researching local companies online. Almost 100% of consumers use the internet to find local companies, and 93% of those who read online reviews say they affect their purchase decisions. It’s not necessary to react to each and every review, but doing so demonstrates that you care about your consumers and their opinions. This is not only an excellent strategy for boosting social interaction, but it also shows that you’re actually delivering the service you claim to offer in your Google results.

6 – Upload some pictures to your GMB profile

Customers will have a more comprehensive understanding of what you sell if you include images of your business and its offerings in your ad. You may set yourself out from the competition by using photos. Be sure to include a high-quality cover photo and a square-shaped logo.

7 – Take advantage of Google- and user-friendly keywords

Keywords tell Google which pages should be displayed in response to which queries. If you’re familiar with GMB, the same idea applies there. Your company listing and description will perform better if you include appropriate keywords.

8 – Look at local listings and internet directories

In addition to verifying that your NAP is correct in Google My Business, you should also look at other online directories and local citations to ensure consistency. Put your company’s information into directories and citations where it is missing. By increasing the number of people who can find your business online, you will increase your online visibility. It’s another positive indicator for Google’s ranking algorithm, which means a higher position for your site in search results.

9 – Use the Google My Business app on your mobile device

Simply optimizing your Google My Business page is not enough. Google makes numerous adjustments every day to keep up with the dynamic nature of the web and provide its users with the most relevant search results. The good news is that you can use a mobile app that can be downloaded from the App Store or the Google Play Store to make instantaneous changes, respond to reviews, and upload photos. The app also has a followers tab, which isn’t available in the desktop version, so you can keep tabs on who’s following you there.

While we did cover some of Google My Business’s capabilities, this post just skims the surface of what the platform has to offer for local search engine optimization. You may spend all day, every day working to improve your site’s and GMB’s local search rankings and yet miss some important factors. The good news is that no business is capable of perfecting everything, and these 10 suggestions are easy ways to differentiate yourself and compete for a spot in Google’s Local Pack. If you take the effort to improve your local SEO and GMB page, you’ll get access to audiences that would not have explored farther than the first page of Google search results otherwise.

Local Power SEO can help you navigate your way around Google my business and so much more.

Get in touch with for a consultation today.