La SEO is a strategy for referencing aimed at optimising a company's visibility on search engines for local queries. These queries are generally accompanied by geographical indications, such as the name of a town or district. The aim of local SEO is to attract potential customers located close to the company, thereby increasing traffic to the site. website and on the premises.
Google My Business is a free tool offered by Google to help businesses manage their online presence. It lets you create a business listing that appears in search results and on Google Maps. This listing contains essential information about the business, such as the address, telephone number, opening times, customer reviews, etc. It is therefore a virtual shop window for the business, which can be consulted by Internet users at any time.
Why optimising your Google My Business listing is essential for your local SEO? In this article, we'll explain how to optimise your Google My Business listing to maximise your local visibility. We'll also look at how to take advantage of the features offered by this tool and how customer reviews can impact your local SEO. Finally, we'll give you a few tips for improving your local SEO beyond Google My Business.
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business is a free online service that allows businesses to manage their presence on Google, particularly in search results and on Google Maps. It is essential for local businesses that want to attract customers located nearby. By creating and optimising a Google My Business listing, a business can improve its visibility on search engines for local queries, thereby increasing traffic and sales.
The Google My Business listing contains key information about the business, such as the address, telephone number, opening hours, customer reviews, photos, etc. It can also be used to provide information about the services and products on offer, current promotions, upcoming events, etc. It can also be used to communicate information about the services and products on offer, current promotions, forthcoming events, etc. In short, Google My Business is a central tool for managing your online presence and local SEO.
The importance of optimising your Google My Business listing
Optimising your Google My Business listing is crucial for your local SEO, as it helps to improve your visibility on search engines for local queries. Businesses with a well-optimised Google My Business listing are more likely to appear at the top of search results for local queries, which increases traffic to their website and premises.
An optimised Google My Business listing also helps to project a professional and reassuring image to Internet users. By providing accurate and up-to-date information, adding quality photos and responding to customer reviews, you show that you are a serious business that cares about customer satisfaction.
Finally, optimising your Google My Business listing will enable you to take advantage of the features offered by this tool, such as the ability to publish posts, respond to customer reviews, add photos and videos, etc. These features will enhance your listing and make it more attractive to visitors. These features will enhance your listing and make it more attractive to Internet users.
Steps to optimise your Google My Business listing
Here are the steps to follow to optimise your Google My Business listing and maximise your local visibility:
- Create or claim your Google My Business listing: If you don't yet have a Google My Business listing, create one by visiting the Google My Business site. If you already have a listing, check that it is associated with your Google Account and claim it if necessary.
- Check and complete the information on your listing: Make sure that all the information on your listing is correct and up to date. Fill in any missing sections, such as the company description, categories, opening hours, etc.
- Add photos and videos: Photos and videos play an important role in making your listing attractive to web users. Add quality photos of your establishment, your products, your team, etc. You can also add videos to present your company and its services.
- Encourage your customers to leave reviews: Customer reviews are a key factor in local referencing and the credibility of your business. Encourage your satisfied customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business page and respond to all reviews, whether positive or negative.
- Use the features of Google My Business: Publish posts to inform visitors about new products, promotions, events, etc. You can also use the other features of Google My Business, such as the ability to create special offers, manage bookings, etc.
Improving local referencing thanks to Google My Business features
Google My Business offers a number of features that can help you improve your local search engine optimisation. Here are some of these features and how you can use them to optimise your listing:
- Posts: Posts allow you to publish news, promotions, events, etc. directly on your Google My Business listing. These posts appear in search results and on Google Maps, which can attract the attention of Internet users and encourage them to visit your website or your establishment.
- Replying to reviews: Replying to customer reviews shows that you're listening to your customers and care about their satisfaction. What's more, it can encourage other customers to leave reviews, which can improve your local referencing.
- Photos and videos: Photos and videos give an attractive, professional image of your company. They can also encourage Internet users to find out more about your company and choose it over another.
- Special offers and bookings: Special offers and bookings allow you to offer promotions and services directly on your Google My Business listing. This can attract customers and generate traffic and sales.
The impact of Local SEO and Google My Business
Customer reviews have a major impact on the Local SEO and on your Google My Business listing. Reviews are a key factor in local referencing and can influence the ranking of your listing in search results.
What's more, reviews help to establish your company's credibility in the eyes of Internet users. A listing with many positive reviews and responses to negative reviews will give a reassuring and professional image of your company, which may encourage Internet users to choose your establishment over another.
It is therefore crucial to encourage your satisfied customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business page and to respond to all reviews, whether positive or negative. This shows that you're listening to your customers and trying to improve their experience. What's more, it can encourage other customers to leave reviews, which can improve your local SEO.
To encourage reviews, you can send thank-you emails after a visit or an order, or set up incentives, such as offering a small gift or discount in exchange for a review. It's also important to respond quickly to reviews, ideally within 24 hours of their publication. This shows that you take reviews seriously and that you care about your customers' satisfaction.
Using Google My Business Insights to make data-driven decisions
Google My Business also offers data on the performance of your listing, called Google My Business Insights. This data enables you to understand how users interact with your listing and to make data-driven decisions to improve your local SEO.
Here are some of the data you can obtain with Google My Business Insights:
- Search queries: Search queries show the search terms used by Internet users to find your listing. This can help you understand which keywords are most relevant to your business and adjust your content accordingly.
- Listing views: Listing views show how many times your listing has been seen on Google Maps and in search results. This can give you an idea of the popularity of your business and the impact of your marketing efforts.
- Engagement: Engagement shows how many users have interacted with your listing, for example by clicking through to your website, calling your business or requesting directions. This can help you understand how people interact with your listing and optimise your content accordingly.
- Reviews: Reviews show the number of reviews left on your listing, as well as their rating and content. This can help you understand customer satisfaction and respond to reviews accordingly.
Using this data, you can make data-driven decisions to improve your local SEO and your visibility on Google. For example, if you notice that users often search for specific services that you don't offer, you can adjust your content to include those services. Similarly, if you notice that users interact a lot with your listing but don't take action, you can adjust your content to encourage them to take action.
Essential tips for local SEO beyond Google My Business
Google My Business is an essential tool for local SEO, but it's not enough on its own to improve your local referencing. Here are some tips for improving your local SEO beyond Google My Business:
- Create local content: Add local content to your website, such as pages dedicated to local services, guides to the region, local events, etc. This can help attract local users and improve your local SEO.
- Use social networks: Social networks can be an excellent way of promoting your business locally. Share local content, add local hashtags and interact with local users to increase your visibility.
- Get backlinks Local: Local backlinks, i.e. links from local websites, are important for local SEO. Contact other local businesses to get links to your website or take part in local events to increase your visibility.
- Optimise your website for local queries: Make sure your website is optimised for local queries by including local keywords in your content, adding geographical tags, and creating pages dedicated to local services.
Local SEO and Google My Business as a competitive advantage
Local SEO is a key element for local businesses wishing to attract potential customers located nearby. Google My Business is an essential tool for optimising your online presence and local visibility. By optimising its Google My Business listing, taking advantage of the features offered by this tool, and encouraging customer reviews, a business can improve your referencing and its appeal to local Internet users.
