The time is ripe to get your business listed on Google! Read on to know why!

2020 has been a bumpy ride for the entire world and online businesses have been no different.

With the market adopting a more dynamic avatar than it ever has, a large number of digital marketing trends have emerged which have naturally caught the attention and imagination of marketing gurus from all over the world.

Among the most noted trends, one that is claimed by Google themselves is the fact that nearly 46% of Google searches have local intent!

While a further update on the figures hasn’t been provided by Google thereafter, it is strongly sworn by digital marketing agencies that the gross volume of these local searches has risen exponentially.

This can be attributed to consumer behaviour. Today, consumers are eager to check out businesses in their locality and with the natural bonus of proximity in the mix, they unanimously lend support to these local businesses.

Google My Business (GMB) listings present an excellent opportunity for online businesses to have an absolutely dominating run in the local market.

Being Google listed equates to a brand that means business (pun intended).

As such, being listed on Google lets local businesses connect tremendously with their local consumers, and have the wheels of their business prospects zoom ahead relentlessly.

Today, business owners have come to realise the mammoth levels that their business can scale if there is a strong local presence in the market.

Correspondingly, local consumers have had an upsurge of interest in these local businesses and it wouldn’t come as a surprise that these very local consumers flock to their nearest local business when searching for products/services that fit into their niche.

Google My Business Services: Making local businesses have a successful home run, literally!

Today, many successful online businesses do not consider local SEO and GMB as mere options…

Rather, they have become bare necessities owing to the undeniable business prospects one can gain for their business through sheer local market dominance.

The only catch here is the fact that almost every successful brand out there is equipping their business campaign with a Google business account.

So it goes without saying that not only do you need to get your brand Google listed, you will have to adorn your business with a powerful Google My Business campaign that edges out the competition and helps you dominate in your niche of products or services.

This can be achieved by a highly successful digital marketing agency that is a master of the know-how on local SEO services and establishing businesses among the GMB listings.

Quint Digital is a result-oriented, performance-driven and Melbourne-based local SEO and GMB company that boasts of a tremendous track record of making online businesses in Australia have a tremendously successful run in the local online market.

Quint Digital: Taking your local business to the cream of the GMB listings!

As a premier digital marketing agency in Melbourne, our Google My Business team has always kept itself abreast of any updates from Google in this regard.

Consequently, we have always adopted a dynamic approach to making the most out of the latest exciting features being rolled out and as such, function as the ultimate GMB and local SEO company that helps local businesses gain the most with their listings.

We have published a wholesome guide to Google My Business previously which would help you understand the various nuances of Google My Business and its many benefits.

The aim of this write-up is to get you acquainted with the hottest GMB updates out there, which can be a game-changer for your local business.

10 Hot Special Google My Business Features That Help Your Business Hit The Bull’s Eye

Support Links

Local businesses are the core of any local community.

With the local search volume being on an upward curve, it is quite evident that consumers are more than willing to support local businesses.

To help in this regard, Google My Business provides optional support links to be placed on their listings. Through this support link, consumers can make a monetary donation or purchase gift cards.

For donations, Google supports GoFundMe and PayPal.

For gift card purchases, Google supports Toast, Square, Vagaro and Clover.

It is worth noting that in order to be eligible for support links, your business should have a physical storefront.

Temporary Business Closure

COVID-19 continues to hamper seamless business proceedings. With unexpected lockdowns cropping up at any given time, your business is bound to be temporarily closed.

With your business listed on Google, GMB offers you the provision to disclose this information on your listings.

Google gives you the option to mark your business “temporarily closed”, thereby putting up a red bar below your brand name in the GMB listing. This will let your customers be aware of your temporary business closure.

From the point of local SEO, your temporary closure will not have any effect on your local search ranking and would be in the same boat as open businesses.

However, it should be understood that if your business is still operating from a limited capacity and is still open for deliveries or pickup, do not mark your business “temporarily closed”.

Secondary Hours

As businesses start reopening, it is not always possible to go back to the same operational hours as before.

As such, GMB listings now give you the option to include secondary hours. This feature will give a clear picture to consumers who are searching online and avoid confusion regarding your business’ work hours.

Short names

URLs have been previously notorious for having long and cumbersome names, making it a tedious affair to share online.

With the advent of short names, GMB has made it easier to share your Google business account.

In the GMB ‘Info’ tab, you can aptly put up a short name for your GMB business listing by clicking on the @ symbol.

On completion, your brand new URL is a short name that looks better and works better for your business prospects.

Service Areas

More often than not, your local business may not have a physical location.

In such cases, Google comes to the rescue with their amazing Service Areas feature on GMB.

Under this, businesses can define their service areas via city, region or even zip code without having an actual physical location.

Products

The Products feature lets local businesses present a complete and systematic list of their products on the brand’s GMB profile.

Through this feature, consumers can seamlessly scroll through a wide array of product images without leaving the GMB profile of the business.

Each of the product images goes on to its own page containing further details, pricing and related products from the same brand.

Having a Google My Business account also gives you the feasibility of highlighting featured products of your choice on your GMB listing, just above the products section.

Social Media Icon

Linking your brand’s social media profiles to your business’ GMB listings is definitely a huge perk.

At the very bottom of your knowledge panel, you can put up icons for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr, SoundCloud and MySpace.

Adding these icons which are linked to your brand’s social media profiles would notify Google about the association of these icons with your business and thus, help to reinforce your business’ local standing even more.

Photos & Videos

Google My Business now gives you better control over the photos and videos on your Google business account listings.

You have the provision for choosing the logo and cover photo that will be present right at the tip of your GMB listing.

Earlier, logos could only be displayed at the top of the listing. But now, you can feature logos on both Google Maps and online search results.

Appointment URL

Google My Business gives you the feasibility of providing a second link to your listings: the Appointment URL.

Clicking on this link directs consumers to schedule an appointment, place an order or simply contact you for more information (whichever is convenient for your business).

An added bonus of this feature is a good user experience (UX). Clicking on the Appointment URL link reduces the time spent by the consumer in clicking around your business website in search of contact details or scheduling a meeting with you.

Google Marketing Kit

The Google Marketing Kit lets businesses highlight their excellent customer reviews from Google My Business.

You now have the opportunity to make customised graphics, videos and photos that aim to showcase the 5-star reviews for your business.

In addition, the Google Marketing Kit also lets your customers review your business, follow your brand or schedule meetings with you. This is particularly very useful for businesses whose GMB profiles are highly interactive.

The Takeaway

Being listed on Google with a Google My Business account for your business gives you a monumental opportunity to carve a fabulous working relationship with your consumers.

By applying a strategic and effective local SEO and GMB campaign, business owners can propagate their brand by showcasing all relevant information and details required to have the kind of business proceedings that they desire.

Partnering with Quint Digital, renowned throughout Australia for its exceptional local SEO services, would be the most monumental step in flaring up your local business and letting it shine in your local market! 

Get aboard Quint Digital and ensure that your business takes full advantage of these mouth-watering GMB features!

You are just a few steps away from creating Australia’s favorite online shopping website!

Partner with us and craft a business website that sells your products like hotcakes!