Google My Business is a tool that lets you manage how your local business appears across Google products, like Maps and Search

Google My Business is a  tool that lets you manage how your local business appears across Google products, like Maps and Search. 

If you run a business that serves customers at a particular location, or you serve customers within a designated service area, Google My Business can help people find you. Verified businesses on Google are twice as likely to be considered reputable by users.

Imagine yourself in the shoes of a potential customer. This customer is three blocks from your storefront and looking for exactly what you do best in the neighbourhood, maybe they’ve seen your sign or heard about your business from a friend. 

If they search for your services on Google, what will they find?

Maintaining your business presence on Google My Business can help customers discover the products and services you provide, contact you, and find your location.

Now let's look at how local search results fit into the landscape of online marketing.

There are several ways to manage the way your business appears online:

Search engine optimization, or SEO, refers to how results appear when someone uses a search engine like Google. We call these organic search results. You can’t pay to change how and where organic search results appear: they’re determined by a few factors, like how relevant they are to the original search.

Learn how to improve your SEO.

Search engine marketing, or SEM, refers to ads you buy to appear near search results—it’s what you can do with Google’s online advertising program, Google Ads. 

When you’re ready to advertise your business, we suggest that you get started with the easy-to-use Smart campaigns in Google Ads.

Google My Business helps you maintain local results, which appear in several ways in Maps and Search. These results are tailored to geographic areas and help users find nearby businesses. Learn how Google ranks local results.

To recap: SEO, SEM, and management of local results are all ways to improve your online presence. 

Now, let’s take a closer look at local results and what you can do with Google My Business.

You can think about the benefits of Google My Business in three categories.

1.  Maintain accurate information about your business online

 -   Tell Google your hours, website, phone number, and location (a street address, service area, or place marker, depending on your business)

 -   Use the mobile app to stay up to date with your online presence wherever you are

2.  Interact with customers

 -   Post photos of your business and its products and services

 -   Collect and respond to reviews from customers

3.  Attract new customers

 -   Improve how your business appears online so new customers can find you

 -   Point customers to your website

 -   When you’re ready, consider using location-based ads with Smart campaigns in Google Ads to reach an even larger audience

Is Google My Business for you?