Google pioneers and constantly evolves, keeping up with cutting edge technology, trends, and refining its users expectations. One such offering from Google is "Google My Business". Google My Business is a platform, where consumers can search and find local businesses and services through Google maps and Google search. This is particularly useful for small businesses, in terms of marketing and brand visibility, as it provides an opportunity to be found, stand out and get chosen.

Do you already have a GMB listing? Congratulations! You are well equipped to set your business rolling. Don't have your GMB listing? Read ahead, we are here to help you.

All that said, irrespective of having a listing on Google, or being acquainted with how Search Engines throw up results, whether you should do the digital marketing yourself, or employ services of a Digital Marketing Company, this post as to what exactly Google My Business is.

Business Qualification:

Check if your business qualifies for a GMB listing and ensure that your business qualifies for a GMB listing and follow the simple on-screen instructions. An important point to note here is to answer every question relevant to your business - remember, the more details you give, the better your listing. Also note not to skip any relevant questions.

Posts are adverts:

Consider posts like advertisements your customers see when they Google your business listing. They not only are an opportunity to interact with your Posts are a great way to interact with your present and prospective customers, you can get creative, add images, links, and maps to keep them current and relevant. For example if you are organizing an sale, create an post that gives all details about the sale. Similarly you can let customers know about a new menu, a tasting event, festive greetings, or any event.

You can access posts from the dashboard when you logon to GMB portal from the left hand side. You can also schedule your GMB posts through the Google My Business API for times you have other things on hand. 

Google likes users who are active, and therefore even though posts would not directly help achieve a higher ranking, it'll definitely add value to your business' brand.

Q&A:

We all know the power the right answers to queries can unlock. Higher conversion rates, potential customer acquisition, but the most important aspect being, that if someone’s asking a question about your business listing, they are most likely interested in doing business with you. Google My Business lets customers not only view the listing but pose questions and queries they might have about the business or services offered.

Currently offered only on the desktop version (not offered on mobile), you can subscribe to push notifications in real time.

Ensure that your response time to a question is optimal, and if someone else has answered a question on your behalf about your business, make sure it is accurate.

You can also go to Google My Business support forums and report if you think that someone is spewing misinformation about your business through this feature.

Reviews:

Everyone loves a good review. GMBs online reviews are different from other listing tools, because Google literally pushes the customer to write a review for the listing through constant prompts, requests and messages. As a business owner you can request your customers for ratings and reviews too, guidelines for which are  here Google’s guidelines for Google My Business reviews.