Google is the most utilised search engine on the web, accounting for around 70% of all searches on a desktop and nearly 95% of searches on a mobile device. So making sure you’re doing everything you can to highlight your business on Google to reach the right audience is essential.
Ranking on Google is primarily based on relevance, distance and prominence, with these factors being combined to help find the best match for a customer’s search. For example, Google might decide that a business that is further away from a customer’s location is more likely to have what they are looking for than a business that is closer to them. As a result, ensuring your listing is as complete as possible is crucial, as relevance is given priority.
Here are some top tips on maximising your Google visibility and authority.
1. Create a Google My Business account
Google offers this free tool to help businesses create and manage their listings so they appear when people use Google search and/or maps to find a shop or service near to where they are. Using this to create a business identity is pivotal, as 46% of Google searches are made to find local information.
2. Update your hours of operation
The more accurate your information, the better informed your customers will be and that is good for business. You can amend opening times and add a breakdown of hours within the working day, something that was previously not possible on Google My Business. This means you can flag if your business is operating special hours, offering additional services or temporarily closed.
3. Describe your business
Enter unique and valuable information about your business. You need to get to grips with which keywords are most relevant to your business and include these in your description. These are the words that a potential customer is most likely to put into a search engine to try and find what they are looking for.
For example, if you are an electrician in Hull, then someone may find your business by searching for “electrician in Hull”. Or if you specialise in house rewiring, then the keywords you should consider might be “house rewiring Hull”.
Getting this right is important and can take some time. A good place to start is to choose five to 10 topics that relate to what you do and then use these to come up with keywords that are relevant.
4. Verify your location or locations
This will enable your business to appear to users across a range of other Google products such as maps and shopping. You can verify your business by post, email, or phone.
5. Add photos
Using images to show potential customers what to expect from your products or services gives customers confidence that you are the business they need to visit. Some 60% of consumers say local search results with good images encourage them to make a decision about using that business.
However, whatever you do, don’t use generic stock photos, as Google will delete these when they are found.
6. Manage and respond to reviews
Engage with your customers by replying to their reviews. Responding will show you value them and positive reviews may improve your business’s visibility and appeal – 85% of people trust positive reviews as much as a personal recommendation, with 73% of customers saying they trust a local business more if it has positive reviews.
You can encourage customers to leave reviews by creating a unique review link, which can be shared. We take a deeper dive into why Google reviews are essential for your business to gain visibility online here.
7. Consider advertising your business on Google
The first page of your Google search results is valuable internet real estate; you might want to invest in placing Google Ads to get your business top visibility in those results. The search engine offers ad credit for first-time customers to try it out.
Another advantage of advertising on Google is the ability to assess the performance on Google Analytics. The data will be able to give valuable insights – such as how visitors engage with your ad and how likely they are to convert – and you can then take those learnings and optimise your website.
When you're ready to invest your marketing budget on Google, an American Express® Business Gold Card can make it go even further. The Card is accepted by Google, and gives you up to 54 days until payment is due¹, so you have extra time to pay back your bills – and can focus on meeting your other business outgoings in the meantime. Plus, you can earn Membership Rewards® points every time you spend.²
- 3. The maximum payment period on purchases is 54 calendar days and is obtained only if you spend on the first day of the new statement period and repay the balance in full on the due date. If you'd prefer a Card with no annual fee, rewards or other features, an alternative option is available – the Business Basic Card. If you'd prefer a Card with no annual fee, rewards or other features, an alternative option is available – the Business Basic Card
- Membership Rewards points are earned on every full £1 spent and charged, per transaction. Terms and conditions apply.
