How Google My Business Helps New Clients Find Your Business

Google My Business Improve Ranking

Google My Business is a free tool that can help you reach new clients. After an easy setup process, Google My Business reaches hundreds of people who are actively searching for businesses like yours in your area, saving you time, energy, and resources.

Why Google My Business?

There are hundreds of marketing tools and online platforms claiming to help your company. What makes Google My Business different from the rest?

First, Google My Business is free. Unlike other platforms, there isn’t a secret price tag that pops up once you want to use its more robust features. Whether you want to create a new account or claim an existing listing, Google My Business is free to set up and to use.

Second, Google My Business exists on the world’s largest search platform. More than 1 billion people search on Google every month. Four in five consumers use search engines to find local information, such as business hours or directions to local stores. If you want to show up where people are already looking, Google My Business is your best bet.

Finally, Google My Business communicates credibility to potential clients. In a survey of 500 consumers, more people used Google My Business to find local information about a business than the business’s own website.

Five Ways to Get New Clients With GMB

Here are just a few ways Google My Business can help new clients find your business:

  1. Show up in local search
  2. Present accurate information
  3. Highlight positive reviews
  4. Compete with no-click searches
  5. Rank higher in Google search results

1. Show Up in Local Search

Not everyone opens Google to find local businesses near them. Instead, they may go straight to Google Maps, a website and mobile app that provides maps and directions to users’ destinations.

With a Google My Business listing, you’ll show up on Google Maps. People who are looking for businesses like yours will be able to see how close they are to your offices or facilities. They’ll also get links to your website, your phone number, and your address as well as additional information about your business, such as photos and online reviews.

Google’s Local 3-Pack

In addition to showing up in Google Maps, you will also increase your odds of showing up in a Local 3-Pack in Google search.

People often search for queries that imply a location, such as “restaurants near me” or “restaurants Grand Rapids MI.” Sometimes, Google highlights local business with a feature that appears directly in the search results called a Local 3-Pack.

This card-like feature shows part of a map as well as three local businesses that may fit the searcher’s query. It also includes interactive buttons such as office hours, directions, phone numbers, service areas, and a link to your website.

Searchers can choose to expand this card to show more businesses, but in general, Google only shows the top three results, which is why it’s called a Local 3-Pack.

One of the biggest benefits of showing up in the Local 3-Pack is that Google sandwiches this card directly between its ads and its organic search results. That means that, excluding ads, businesses included in the Local 3-Pack are the first ones people see on the search results page, increasing the likelihood that they will choose your business over your lower-ranking competitors.

2. Present Accurate Information

People love Google My Business because it is a one-stop-shop for basic information about a place of business.

If you’re not staying on top of your website, information can quickly become outdated. Even worse, if you don’t have a website at all, it can be practically impossible for people to find basic information about your company, such as your hours or phone number.

Not presenting your own information with Google My Business also leaves room for your competitors to get away with saying things that simply aren’t true.

For example, a competitor may proudly proclaim they are the only local business offering a specific service that your company also provides. You can easily refute that with a Google My Business account by listing that service as one of your practice areas. Better yet, with a GMB listing, you can let your previous clients leave glowing reviews about your exceptional services.

3. Highlight Positive Reviews

Gone are the days when we relied solely on friends and family to find the next best restaurant, hair salon, auto shop, or more. Now, consumers turn by and large to online reviews to determine if a business is worth their time and money.

82% of consumers read online reviews for businesses. Most read an average of 10 online reviews before they feel comfortable trusting a local business.

With a Google My Business listing, you can begin to gather a collection of Google Reviews from past clients. With starred ratings, new clients can get a quick impression of your business. Written reviews can add depth to who you are and what you do for your customers.

For example, a five-star review with no text might encourage a new client that you provide a quality service. But a five-star review with a heartfelt thank-you note from someone who was impressed with your above-and-beyond customer service will encourage a new client to pick up the phone or make a purchase.

Google My Business and Google Reviews are a package deal. If you want to highlight your positive reviews from past clients, you’ll need a Google My Business account.

4. Compete With No-Click Searches

Today, no-click searches account for 47% of all search queries.

What does that mean? Simply put, Google is answering people’s questions right on their search results page. That way, people don’t have to click on a website to get the information they need.

If your phone number, address, and hours are only on your website, you’re losing to your competition who display this information on their Google My Business pages. Google will automatically pull this information from your GMB when you’re included in a Local 3-Pack, for example.

The goal, of course, is to get someone to click—on your website, your phone number, or directions to your office. Google My Business is your best chance to turn a no-click search into an engaged search.

5. Rank Higher in Google Search Results

Google My Business is an important tool, but it’s just one of many in a digital marketer’s toolbox. That’s why your ranking in Google search results still matters—which means it’s good news that GMB can help boost your ranking!

Google rewards websites that provide high-quality, accurate information to readers with higher rankings on Google search results pages. Conversely, it will lower the rankings of websites that provide inaccurate or incoherent information.

Who does Google trust more than itself? By signing up for a Google My Business account, you’ll create a digital resource full of great, helpful information for readers. Google will see this high-quality information and understand that it’s associated with your website. It won’t be long before your website starts ranking higher in Google search results.

Why Search Ranking Still Matters

Your Google My Business listing won’t show up for every search. For example, Google probably won’t show any Google My Business listings if someone types in “what is a [product]”; they’ll just show pages that include definitions of this term.

That’s why your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy remains essential for your online presence. Even if your Google My Business listing won’t show up, a blog from your website called, “What Is a [Product]?” or “How to Know When [Product] Needs to Be Replaced” likely will.

Someone searching these phrases may simply click on this blog to answer their question and to learn more about you. However, if they’re unsure if you’re trustworthy, they may just do a new search for your name.

Now, your GMB listing will show up, with all of your glowing reviews, helpful links, and professional photos. With a strong SEO strategy and an informative Google My Business listing, you can help attract new clients no matter how they find you.

Get New Clients With Google My Business

People are already searching for businesses in your area. With Google My Business, you can show up ahead of your competitors in Google Maps, impress with Google Reviews, and make it easy for new clients to schedule an appointment or make a purchase.

Our digital marketers have helped hundreds of clients improve their online presence, including their Google My Business listing, and get more customers. If you’re ready to take your business website and GMB listing to the next level, call WTP Media today at (877) 658-1473, or contact us online for a free consultation.