SEO is an important consideration for any business to make. Without it, consumers looking for the product or service that you offer can often never even find you, making it increasingly difficult for you to get sales. Suppose that you offer a shoe cleaning service, and someone Googles shoe cleaning near me or shoe cleaning in Boca Raton; Google suggests a list of nearby businesses that offer the service. If your content is not optimized, it can be very difficult for a consumer to find your business compared to other organizations that have incorporated SEO into their website. The ability to quickly find a business near you that offers the service you are looking for is a major convenience, and many take for granted. This is all possible due to companies signing up to Google for a My Business page. This is an invaluable tool for getting your store shown to locals who need the products or services you offer. By following the steps provided in this article, you can find ways to give your business an edge over the competition and ensure that its profile ranks above those other businesses offering the same services as you.
Create and Verify Your Google My Business Profile
When most people think of SEO, the first thing that comes to mind is focusing on having your business rank highly on Google search results. This can be done by implementing various content and keyword strategies that have been shown to have better results when trying to improve your website's Google ranking. However, when it comes to local SEO and Google My Business, there are some twists to take into consideration. When you search for a particular service on Google, the information that pops up regarding the business name, address, website, reviews, and phone number are not from the business' website but rather from their Google My Business profile page. By not having a My Business profile, you miss out on the opportunity to promote your business and get it shown to thousands of potential customers. This is especially important when operating in areas such as Florida, where there are so many businesses offering similar services. These My Business pages are also free to set up and take about 20 minutes in total to complete. This means that there is no reason for you not to do so. Just remember to verify your profile, as if you do not, your profile does not get shown to potential customers.
Add a Description, Categories, Photos, Services/Products, and Business Hours
Once you've completed the setup and verification of your My Business profile, it is time for you to add some substance to it. A very bare and empty profile can often turn consumers away as it appears that the business is not legit or is not run particularly well. When adding the description of your business, Google allows you to add a description of 750 characters. It is recommended that you take full advantage of this and add a detailed description of the business, what it offers, and the area it operates in. By doing this, you are sure to attract more customers. In terms of the categories section, it is one of the most important considerations to make. Adding relevant categories to your profile significantly improves your chances of getting higher rankings. The more sections that you are in, the higher your chances of getting found by potential customers in need of your services. The categories that you add should be relevant to your business as it is against the terms and conditions of Google to include irrelevant categories. The business hours, products, services, and photos are relatively self-explanatory, and adding them to your profile also makes your profile look more legit and trustworthy.
Ask for Reviews on Google
Getting positive business reviews is a great way to make your business stand out from your competition. Regarding the reviews that you receive, you should look to have more reviews, more frequent reviews, and better higher average ratings than your competition. To achieve this goal, you have to ask your customers to provide reviews on a reasonably regular basis. Reviews are extremely important for improving your online credibility as well as your ranking. Most businesses struggle to get online reviews as it is challenging to get customers to give you a review; however, if you can do so, it is definitely recommended that you do.
Regularly Update and Post on Your Google My Business Profile
Posting regularly is essential for SEO. You can do this by using the "posts" function on Google. By posting regularly, you can have a significant positive impact on your business' local rankings. Posting on your Google profile is very similar to posting on other social media accounts such as Facebook or Instagram. You can write a short caption coupled with a picture. It would help if you considered posting promotions and announcements on your profile so that customers are always aware of what you are currently offering.
Adding Relevant Keywords to the Content on Your Website
Many individuals are under the impression that your website has very little to do with improving your local Google rankings. This is far from the truth. While your Google My Business profile and your business' website are entirely separate, your website has a major impact on your local rankings in Boca Raton. For the best chances of your business appearing in the local search results, you want to make sure that your business website mentions all the services you want it to rank for on Google. An even better option is to create separate pages on your website dedicated to each service you want to rank. Each of these pages should have about 500 or more premium content words that include keywords customers are likely to search for when looking for the service. Answering frequently asked questions on these pages is another great way to increase traffic to your website, improving your ranking in return.
Optimize Your Website for Mobile Devices
In 2021, the majority of searches are conducted on mobile phones, about 60% if you want a number. Most of these searchers are more likely to engage with your website and complete a purchase if your website is mobile-friendly. If anything, your mobile site is more important than the site designed for browsing on a computer. Should your mobile website be slow and frustrating to operate, it can cause you to lose valuable customers as they do not wish to be frustrated by a poorly designed website. Having a bad mobile website is a surefire way to turn customers away and send them to your competitors instead.
The Bottom Line
Search engine optimization is crucial for the success of any business in the modern era. This is because most of your business comes from people finding your store online and then choosing to do business with you. By implementing all the tips provided in this article, you can improve the likelihood that your business is shown to customers online. More people seeing your business and the products or services you offer directly translates into more sales. Therefore, optimize your online presence and enjoy the benefit that comes along with it