Why Google My Business is Critical for Your Business

Google's entire business model is based around being unquestionably the single best search engine. Suppose you didn't find what you were looking for quickly and easily every time you searched Google. In that case, you might eventually try using a different search engine! So everything Google does is for the searcher's convenience.

Suppose a potential customer is just looking for a phone number and address or opening hours for your business. In that case, there is no need to click through to your website – those details are provided in your Google My Business listing, right in the search results.

You shouldn't consider this as one less click to your website; look at it as a potential customer finding the information they were looking for more easily. If they only wanted your phone number or saw if you were open on a Saturday, they quickly discovered that information. This is much easier than having to click on your site. 

That customer is entirely satisfied!

Of course, if the customer wanted some other information, they would have clicked through to your website. For this reason alone, setting up a Google My Business listing is a worthwhile exercise. But when you start looking a little deeper, a Google My Business listing is absolutely essential for every business.

Even if your business is solely "online" – i.e., you may not want to share a street address because you run your business out of your own home. You would still provide your physical location for verification purposes. Still, you can choose not to display your address in your public GMB listing.

Benefits of a Google My Business Listing

Suppose someone is searching for your business name. In that case, they are already aware of your business – perhaps even a returning customer. Your complete Google My Business listing will display in the search results. You've probably seen these listings before, to the right of the search results.

But what if someone is searching for a more generic phrase? Such as:

• best Thai restaurant
• mechanic near me
• pool shop open Sundays

Each one of these searches results in a "three-pack" result above the standard organic search results. You've probably seen these three-packs before as well – a map with three local businesses pinned onto the page. 

Those business details are pulled from each business's Google My Business listing. In fact, the backbone of Google's entire Local Search directory is Google My Business.

Simply setting up your Google My Business page can be enough to get you featured in a three-pack result. And the fact that these three-packs appear on top of the standard organic search results makes them critically important.

Don't Miss Out on the Benefits of Google My Business

Make sure that your business has an up-to-date and detailed Google My Business listing. If you have not taken the time to create and optimize one, then you're missing out on one of the best free (and guaranteed!) ways of appearing in the Google search results.

Google My Business pages aren't complicated, but they are essential. While you may feel like it's just one more web page to keep on top of, Google My Business should go to the top of the pile as one of the most important.

It takes just a couple of minutes to set up your basic Google My Business listing, so make sure you do so – you could see the benefits instantly!

Jeff Kikel is the CEO and Founder of T-Werx Coworking and the Entrepreneur Center. Jeff is an entrepreneur, host of the Money Trekker Podcast (www.moneytrekker.com), and the author of several books on Personal Finance, Business Exit Planning, and Entrepreneurship.