CEO of ThumbStopper, connecting brands and retailers through the curation, segmentation, and syndication of content across social media.
With the avalanche of websites, apps and social networks that promise greater visibility and visitor engagement, giant corporations have seamlessly ignored Google My Business (GMB). Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have reaped significant benefits from the benefits of search engine optimization built into the platform, however, agencies and managers of major brands have classified it into a giant component as some other component of research.
For example, an undeniable search for “Salesforce San Francisco, CA” shows this large company’s list of GMB. By clicking on the result, we can see that there is a query that remains unanswered in the “queries and answers” segment, and only 38 reviews are found for this large software company. None of the photographs provided appears to be of the company itself and little has been included in this list. In my company, we work with several major domestic and foreign brands that sell through retailers, and this type of forgetfulness towards GMB lists for the parent organization is consistent in the big brands.
But now GMB happens to be moving in a new direction and SMEs and their agencies deserve to take this into account: that social media is the next frontier for GMB.
GMB began as a list service that endorses brands through Google seek and Google Maps. The strength of Gmb lies in its ability to provide local data (location, opening times, etc.) for non-unusual “close” searches.
One of the effects of using GMB is a framed business list, which appears along with google’s related search effects and generates valuable visitor knowledge that can be viewed on a dashboard. Local list data usually contained in those effects includes the company name, a pin on the map, opening times, and touch data. These boxes have become ubiquitous on Google, with thousands of corporations already launched on the loose platform.
The first users were basically small businesses attracted by a distinctive merit that GMB gives to local businesses: it will have to have a physical location (or be built for customers) to be eligible. This has been a great opportunity for local mothers in front of the festival of virtual natives who sell exclusively through apps or websites.
GMB has also been a powerful tool for small retailers thanks to its influence over what people find when they perform a local search for “(insert business) near me.” Mobile queries for “where to buy” and “near me” have increased by more than 200% in the past two years, according to Google’s 2019 Research Review.
A study published in July 2019 highlighted how GMB is becoming:
“Google My Business is obviously a key channel, with 96% of local businesses viewed at least 25 times a month in search effects and 86% receiving more than 25 [according to the outlook consistent with the month] on Maps. And plenty of room for major numbers, with 49% of corporations receiving more than 1,000 average searches according to the outlook consistent with the month, and 33% receive more than 1,000 on Maps.”
The same studio cites car dealerships, hotels, restaurants, fitness and fitness and tourism/entertainment as industries that see greater discovery through direct and oblique studies through GMB. Not so much for photographers, landscapers and investors who, through their nature, generate perspectives in Maps.
It seems that Google My Business has yet to catch up with giant corporations and those that focus on B2B, however, brands selling through local independent stores are refocused on GMB and how it can help their stores succeed.
Concrete example: with the addition of new features, GMB turns out to be turning to a social media platform, but instead of a classic social network committed to linking people, GMB’s purpose is to link companies to its customers. GMB has quietly set up social media queues that we’re familiar with with Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: moves like “add a message” and “update your status”. These features are available to any ADMINISTRATOR in a GMB list and can be discovered in “Messages” in the admin area.
Google also noted how classic social media competes for the percentage of paid media gains. Social media is a destination to explore, while search engines have been a search destination. Do we see the start of a hybrid call for these new social features from Google?
For now, agencies place GMB in the helm of search engine optimization, but it’s time to start thinking of GMB as a hybrid of social and reference. Why not make search engine optimization and social groups work together to get the most out of the platform?
Instead of living in a walled garden, posts made in GMB are intended to be shared on all major networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram among them). Who knows what kind of search engine optimization search corporations will get advantages from if Google’s search rule set will start selling content published in GMB?
Companies use GMB to provide a quick and easy point of contact, make reservations and exaggerate for special occasions or flash sales. Lists have proven effective in generating traffic to an advertising website. And because it’s a Google product, each and every one of GMB’s interaction effects on detailed analytics that treat each and every aspect, from how consumers interact with your site to what else they’re looking for.
Google is already stimulating corporations participating in GMB with senior SERP positions, however, the addition of social features makes it too juicy an opportunity to forget or lose. At a minimum, marketers and agencies hoping to keep their consumers at the most sensitive point of the curve want to be aware that Google will once again turn the game of advertising. What’s going on?
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