29 Aug 5 Mistakes Most Small Businesses Make When Setting Up Their Google Business
5 Mistakes Most Small Businesses Make When Setting Up Their Google Business
As a small business, setting up your Google Business can be a game-changer when it comes to your business’s online visibility and long term growth. However, there are several things you should consider when setting up your Google Business online. Here are the top five mistakes small business owners make when initially setting up their Google Business:
1. Limiting Your Business Categories
Oftentimes, businesses will only choose one or two categories to define what type of services they provide. It is very rare, though, for a business to offer only one type or even only two different types of services. Google will actually allow you to choose up to ten categories for you to classify your business, and they provide over 3,000 categories to choose from. Choosing more categories will create more search visibility for your business when potential customers search for various keywords. So, make sure to add more categories!
2. Not Adding Media
It is no secret that our world is becoming increasingly more visually-oriented. Because of that, photos and videos make fantastic online tools to tangibly show people both what your business looks like and what it is all about. Examples of great photos and videos to add to your Google Business listing include either photos or a 360 video of your brick-and-mortar business (if you have one) or high-quality images that put on display the services you provide. For a restaurant or catering company, this may be photos from your menu. For a mechanic, you might upload photos of cars you have worked on.
3. Inconsistent Info Between Your Website and Google Business
If your address on your website says “1234 Location Ave.” and your Google Business says 1234 Location Avenue, this is confusing for Google’s ranking algorithms. This is extremely important if you want your website/Google Business to show up on Google searches. Google looks at consistent information as a point of criteria when ranking websites. That said, it important that your web address, phone number, and email address are also consistent.
4. Not Adding a Business Description
A business description helps customers to further understand what your business is all about. This is the place where you really have the chance to sell a customer on your value proposition, or what your business brings to the table. What is more, adding a business description is the perfect opportunity to add valuable keywords to your Google Business that will make it appear in more searches.
5. Not Responding to Reviews (Positive or Negative)
Do not just set up your Google Business and then forget about it! When you begin to receive reviews, it is important that you actually respond to them. This type of personal interaction is huge for prospective customers to see on your Google Business. It truly does not matter if the reviews are positive or negative as long as you are sincere and intentional in your response. In fact, responding kindly to negative reviews may even entice the negative reviewers to come back and change their ratings.