The purpose of Google My Business (and a tip for you!)
Let’s talk about the purpose of Google My Business. In short, it’s to associate your local business with a local address so that you can come up in local searches. That’s the key.
But, what most people don’t understand is that a Google My Business account and presence is only a small part of SEO (search engine optimization aka getting found on Google) strategy for my local business owners. So, let’s break it down.
What is the actual purpose of a Google My Business?
The purpose of a Google My Business is to tell Google that a business exists at a particular address. It allows business owners to collect reviews, list their services and hours, and give prospective clients a look inside what exactly the business is and where it is located.
You can link your website, recent blog posts, and even your photos inside your Google My Business account.
What does a Google My Business account NOT do?
A Google My Business alone does NOT put you at the top of Google Search results. This means that if you have a Google My Business, you won’t just start ranking on Google when people search for what you do.
Now… this should make sense.
If 10 physical therapy practices exist in the same town at different locations and they all have a Google My Business, they all can't have their website or their address/business be #1 in the map pack...
Which means that something has to be the differentiator here to rank them 1-100+.
That's where optimizing for Google aka SEO comes in. And that's why SEO School exists, tbh.
If you’re not ranking locally, it's so much more than just a Google My Business problem.
So, what can you do if you’re not ranking locally?
If you’re wondering what you CAN do when it comes to your Google My Business account and coming up locally in search, here’s my suggestion:
When you write content for your website, like a blog post, make sure you're giving your audience a call to action at the end. Focus on educating and then give them a place to go for a solution.
Let them know that they can book an appointment with you in *insert your town and state here* office.
Example for a blog post about dry needling: If you're looking for dry needling treatment and you're located in *insert your town, your state here* area, we'd (or I) would love to help you. Feel free to book a free discovery call by clicking here (link to your online scheduler).
With that simple statement, you're associating your town and your state with a specific service on your website. One small differentiator for helping with improving your ranking in search results.
Now, let’s make it meta…
If you’re looking for help with SEO, here are three ways I can help you:
Book a one-on-one coaching call (you’ll leave with LOTS of tangible SEO solutions for your specific website as well as specific guidelines for how to implement and execute an SEO plan)
You can also download my service brochure and check out my SEO Services page.
