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An SEO Agency in Melbourne Explains Why You Need a Google Business Listing

4 Oct

When creating a new website and SEO strategy for our clients, one of the very first things we do is create a Google My Business Listing.

It isn’t just us either. Ask an SEO agency in Melbourne worth their salt, and they’ll all tell you the same thing: if you don’t have a Business Listing, you’re missing out on a lot of potential business.

A Business Listing should be the very first thing you set up as part of your digital strategy. Not only does it play a crucial role in your SEO strategy, but it’s also an important credibility indicator and can help drive people towards your business.

But what exactly is a Google My Business Listing?

How does one obtain theirs?

And most importantly, what role (if any) does it play in your digital marketing and SEO strategy?

What is a Google My Business Listing?

Here’s an experiment: open up Google and search up iformat. What do you see?

Asides from the website of one of the best SEO agencies in Melbourne, you’ll notice this box on the right side of the screen.

This is what we in the business call the knowledge panel.

Think of it as the digital equivalent of a street sign. This little box contains a high-level summary of your business and compiles all the essential information that searchers are looking for.

In addition to acting as a nice overview of your business, this listing is also an essential first step in your SEO and digital marketing strategy.

Claiming your Business Listing

Business Listings aren’t handed out automatically – rather, it’s something you have to claim manually.

Luckily for you, the process is straightforward:

  1. Follow this link and log into the Google Account you want tied to your business (all updates and communication will be handled using this email address)
  2. Enter your business details (name, address, contact details)
  3. If you deliver or operate from a private residence, be sure to tick the relevant boxes
  4. Choose your business category – Google recognises a wide range of different businesses, but if yours isn’t on there, choose the closest one
  5. Finally, link your website to your newly-created profile

Once all this is done, it’s time to verify that yes, this really is your business.

In the vast majority of cases, verification is done using good old-fashioned snail mail, though certain businesses have the option of verifying over the phone, online or through email.

Alright, so now all that stuff is out of the way. Now, it’s time for the important stuff: how a Business Listing plays into your digital marketing and SEO strategies!

How a Business Listing improves your SEO strategy

Two words: local SEO

So you’re searching for a dentist – naturally, you’re going to want results for dentists that aren’t too far away from you – for example, a dentist in Adelaide isn’t going to be much use if you live in Melbourne!

Google understands that, which is why it tries to tailor its search results for you. It takes into consideration a range of unique factors – your location included.

Hopefully, you can see where this is going!

When searching for local businesses, Google combines the location, delivery and service area information with individual searcher’s location data, prioritising businesses that are closer to them.

Hence, a Google My Business Listing is essential for local SEO!

Google Reviews

Every business owner knows the importance of having good reviews. In addition to contact details and business information, a Business Listing also conveniently compiles and aggregates reviews from all over the web. This includes other sites such as Facebook, Yelp, True Local and more.

This immediately establishes your credibility – more importantly, it also impacts your SEO!

That’s because reviews don’t just help potential customers – they also help Google too!

Google’s goal is to give you the best possible search results. That means the most accurate, credible and relevant answers, as well as the best businesses to meet your needs.

And reviews are just one of the ways Google gauges that credibility.

Naturally, businesses with high review scores are going to feature more prominently in Google’s results pages.

There’s a catch however: when it comes to feedback, Google essentially looks solely at Google Reviews.

And as we’re sure you’ve guessed, the only way to receive Google Reviews is to have a Google my Business Listing!

Other ways a Business Listing helps you

Credibility

We touched on this before, but when it comes to establishing your credibility in the eyes of potential customers, you can’t ignore the importance of a Business Listing.

One reason is because a Business Listing compiles reviews. Now searchers can immediately see that you’re trustworthy – they can even read excerpts of some of the most recent reviews.

Moreover, many searchers have become so accustomed to the presence of the knowledge box that a business without one actually starts ringing alarm bells in a searcher’s mind!

It makes things easier

Let’s face it, people as a whole are lazy. This isn’t meant as an insult – rather, it’s just how the human brain is wired.

Each of us are programmed to seek out the path of least resistance.

And for some of us, having to manually type in a phone number or visit a separate site to find a business’ contact details is simply too inconvenient to bother with!

Luckily, this isn’t a problem with a Google My Business Listing. In addition to presenting your details right there, your listing also features handy action buttons that:

  • Link to their website
  • Give you directions from your current location
  • Start up a phone call (assuming you’re on your mobile)

Each of these makes getting in touch considerably easier. For many, this might be all it takes to convince them to get in touch!

Effective digital strategies from an SEO agency in Melbourne

A Business Listing is just one part of a good digital presence – equally (if not more) important? A well-planned SEO strategy.

If you’re eager to take your business to the next level, an SEO strategy might be just what you need.

And for that, you need an SEO agency Melbourne.

iformat creates tailored digital strategies for your business. It all starts with an in-depth discussion about your goals.

Using this information, we put together a unique digital strategy that incorporates proven SEO strategies as well as other digital marketing tactics:

The goal? To get you found online (and by extension, to bring in more business!)

Click here to find out how we can help you, or give us a call on 1300 88 64 50.