Are you thinking about listing your construction company with Google My Business?
Perhaps you’ve heard it’s important for attracting new customers locally, but you aren’t really sure where to start or whether it’d actually make much of a difference to your own business.
Plus, there’s only so much you can do when you have the business itself to juggle, am I right? As I also run my own business, I know exactly how you feel.
The truth is, it’s not actually that hard to set up. In fact, if your business is already on Google+ or has an existing listing you’re yet to verify, you might already be halfway there.
Below, I’m going to talk you through why your construction company needs Google My Business, and give you some tips to help you set things up.
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business essentially combines Google search, maps, and Google + together with Reviews, Insights and Google Analytics into one simple, user-friendly interface.
It also means your local construction company will be much easier for potential customers to find online, as when they do a search they’ll be able to see your construction business listing, including a description of your business, photos, contact details and opening times.
Actually, you’ve probably used this feature a lot yourself without even knowing it. Have you ever gone onto Google – either on your phone or computer – and searched for nearby restaurants or specific shops, and looked at the local listings that came up? Those are essentially Google My Business listings.
So, for example, if someone were to do a search for ‘builders Edinburgh’ or ‘roofers Edinburgh’, they’d see some sponsored ads at the top of the page and then below there would be the most relevant business listings according to their search.
Take a look at the photo below to see what I mean:
Why create a Google My Business listing?
The most obvious reason for creating a Google My Business listing is that more potential customers will be able to find you and visit your website. Plus, it’s absolutely free.
But another good reason to have a My Business listing is that it’ll also help your website rank better when people do these searches. As usually, if you’re not quite high up in the list, people won’t bother to click beyond that.
So, my own personal advice is this: If you can’t afford to do SEO, PPC ads or anything else on Google, set up Google My Business and encourage customers to leave reviews. You’ll benefit from the free exposure.
A Google Business listing also allows people to leave reviews about their own experiences with your construction company – and if those reviews are good, it’ll help build trust for those who are also thinking about using your services.
TIP: Just remember that doing this will leave your business open to reviews from anyone, and once those reviews go up, it’ll be tricky if not impossible to get them taken down (unless they are clearly fraudulent or spam)
How to set up Google My Business
Below, I’m going to talk you through the basic steps for setting up My Business.
Step 1:
Visit the Google My Business page and click on ‘START NOW’.
Step 2:
Create a Google account for your business, or if you already have one, select it now and sign in.
Step 3:
Google will ask you to search for your business either by name or address. You may have a listing already.
Step 4:
If you cannot find your business, Google will then ask you to add your business. Don’t forget to choose the correct business sector for your business!
Step 5:
Google may create a Google+ page for your business (if you don’t have one already). You will need to confirm that you are authorised to manage the business, before clicking ‘continue’.
Step 6:
Now all you need to do is verify your business, and you’ll be ready to add your details in for the world to see! To verify your business, Google will usually send a code to your business address.
Step 7:
You should then be able to update your photo, business description, contact details, opening hours and more, to give yourself the best chance of being found by potential new customers.
TIP: You don’t have to worry about keywords or optimisation when setting up your My Business listing – it really is this simple!
For a more detailed, visual guide of how to get your Google My Business listing set up properly, check out this video (via the Online Marketing Giant):
Conclusion
If you’re considering listing your construction company with Google My Business, but aren’t sure where to start or why it’s important, you might be surprised. My Business is actually quite easy to set up – if your business already has a Google account or an existing listing you’re yet to verify, it could be a lot simpler than you think.
Google My Business is a one-stop shop which combines Google search, maps, and Google + together with Reviews, Insights and Google Analytics into one simple, user-friendly interface. It also makes it a lot easier for potential customers to find your business, as well as increasing your Google ranking.
One thing to bear in mind is that by doing this, you’ll be leaving your construction business open to reviews from anyone, and you may get the occasional negative review that may be tricky or impossible to remove (unless it is spam).
Follow my above tips to get started on Google My Business today – and once you do, let me know if you have any feedback. Were my 7 steps easy to follow? What can I do to improve them?
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