Google My Business user guide - Customise your Google Business Profile

With Google My Business, you can edit your business information in Google search results. For example, when you search for the opening hours of a local restaurant in Google, you will usually see a box with information about the business on the right-hand side of the page. This information can be updated by the entrepreneur themselves using Google My Business. In this guide, I will show you how to set up this service and how it can be useful. I'll also explain how it affects search engine optimisation as well.

Google My Business rollout

Without further ado, let's get the service up and running.

1. Open this page and press the "Manage now" button.
2. Sign in to your Google Account. If you don't already have a Google Account, create one for your business.
3. Enter your company name in the field, select your company from the list if it is found. If your business is not found, click the "Add my business to Google" button.
4. Fill in your address details if Google My Business asks for them. It is important that you fill in the correct information, as you will receive a letter to this address later.
5. The next step is to determine the most appropriate category for your business. More information on the categories can be found here.
6. Add your outlet details if necessary. It is advisable to add detailed information if your sale takes place on your premises. This information is also updated on Google Maps.
7. Fill in the other information requested, such as: email, phone number and website address.
8. Google My Business requires verification of your business and this is almost invariably done with a postcard. If Google offers you another option, such as a phone call, you can try to verify using that. Google will send you a postcard with a verification PIN to the business address you provide. Once you receive the code, enter it in the confirmation field on the Google My Business page.
9. The service will only be fully available to you after verification. It can take up to a couple of weeks for a letter to arrive.

Benefits of Google My Business

When you get access to the Google My Business (GMB) dashboard, you'll be presented with a huge number of things you can do. It is advisable to first go through all the tabs and sections to see what is there. Below are some tips on how to boost your GMB profiles and increase sales with it for free.

Google Reviews

Google reviews are even more important today. Many companies collect reviews in different ways, but one of the most important is Google Reviews, as these reviews appear on many different services. For example, restaurant reviews are displayed directly on Google Maps with pictures. So it's really important to collect positive reviews. Google also recommends responding to reviews through the GMB dashboard. If you receive a negative review, it is advisable to write a very comprehensive comment underneath the review, which could possibly dissuade the person from writing a negative review. Reviews cannot be deleted. The only situation where a review can be removed is if it violates Google's terms of use.

Google My Business posts, events and offers

Make the GMB service part of your social media channels. Post updates related to your business in the same way you would post them on other social media channels. Posts, offers and events appear in Google search results when users search for information related to your business. Photos added through Google Posts will also appear in non-Google search results. So with these updates, you get free online visibility and your business looks active at the same time.

Products and services on display

Add all the services and products you offer to Google My Business. These products and services appear directly in Google search results and other services.

Benefit even more from Google My Business

Add all the information you can about your business. Add a working phone number, email and update opening hours. Always remember to update exceptional opening hours well in advance. Also update as many pictures as possible of your business premises, services, products and staff.

Publish posts frequently. I recommend making a reminder in your calendar to make a weekly post to Google My Business. This way you will always have at least one recent post in the search results.

Reply to all reviews. Respond to each and every review in a professional and respectful manner. When a customer writes a positive review, thank them and offer your support. If you receive a negative review, think about why the customer feels the service is as bad as they imply in their review. Did you perhaps do something wrong? Could you perhaps turn the tables by apologising and offering to make amends for the distress caused? Maybe you can turn a bad review into a positive one.

Search engine optimisation with Google My Business (Local SEO). By keeping your Google My Business profile up to date and diligently updating your profile, your ranking in local search results will improve. This is very important for restaurants, for example. Google Maps has a feature to search for local restaurants. If your restaurant is active on Google My Business and constantly updates new content (photos, offers, events), your ranking on Google Maps will increase. With good reviews and active responses, you will raise your ranking to the top of local services.

Turn on the Google My Business phone app. An easy way to update your Google My Business profile with new photos is to do it with the GMB mobile app. When you have the app enabled, you can also receive messages from users via Google search results.

• Google My Business Android app.
• Google My Business iOS app.

More media, because it increases clicks. According to Google, businesses with images on Google My Business get 35% more clicks on their website.