Tell me, if you are very busy, what task do you do first? The hardest, the fastest, the longest, the easiest?

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How to optimize your Google Business account

Did you notice that USPS does not deliver the YellowBook anymore? 
Why? 
Because more than 60% of Americans use mobile phones and computers to search for local businesses. This shows that we just don’t use the Yellowbook anymore. 

But what happened to the businesses which depended on the Yellowbook advertising? They do not have space anymore for advertising as the newspaper industry is in a decline. How can they reach the local market now? 

Small businesses need to join the space where their customers are spending time now. They need to go online. 

Join “Google My Business” family

One of the first thing a business owner should do it to join Google My Business (GMB). There is no website needed to have an account. It is a free tool that helps business owners manage their online presence across the search engine. With joining and verifying the business existence, the business will be added to Google Maps.

If you have a service based business you can optimize the areas which you serve around your address. 
If you have a brick and mortar store, you just add your address and office hours. 

In the last couple of years, Google added more and more features to GMB. The first of which I would like to focus on today; the business categories feature.

Business Categories

It seems like just a tiny segment of the listing, but it’s actually very important.  Previously we could add only one category, but most of the businesses service not just one but multiple niches. Do not forget to add and optimize your categories. 

For example, a Mental Health Counselor could add marriage counseling, couple therapy, life coaching, ADHD therapy, divorce counseling, etc…

Or a jewelry design studio, where you also could take art workshops could fit into different categories like: jewelry shop, and gift shop, an art studio, art school, artist, etc. All their categories are like keywords, and give information to Google when to show the business in the search. Don’t miss the opportunity to add multiple categories if they apply to your business. 

Posts

The posts are also new on Google Business Listing. These are similar posts to the ones on Facebook or other social media. You can post about offers with a link, services with a “CALL NOW” button, or just additional information about your business and services. You can schedule the posts as well, making posting more efficient. You can have 3 posts at any time, but they expire after 7 days, so keep in mind that you have to come back regularly and add new posts. The great thing about these posts is  that visitors do not even have to go to your website to see your offer; they can see it right away in the search result. 

Description

This is also a new feature, which you can use to describe your business. Use this area very wisely. Do not write about how long you have been in business, or what your mission statement is, don’t add a link to your website. An optimized description uses keywords and short sentences that explain your service. 

Photos

Lastly, GMB allows you to post pictures of your business, or images related to your service, interior and exterior shot for stores, Team member images, products images, etc. These are all good information for google, and also for visitors who are looking at your service. Make sure that you name the image file names according to the service or image they describe. Forget the automatic Sony121343_ 19112019.jpg file name.
There is a long article just about how to optimize images in WordPress, for better SEO. 

Google Reviews

Having Google reviews on your site is a huge advantage that helps your business to stand out from the others. 

I started designing website focusing on visuals and usability. But the internet changed rapidly and I did not like to see my clients' websites hidden on the 3-4-5th page of Google. I started learning what is needed to rank a website on Google. Nowadays I differentiate myself as a web designer with a deep understanding of Google ranking factors, which is more important than ever. This is a client testimonial about working with me on her website visibility. 'Our company used Turek Design for SEO services for our website and we were very pleased. Monika provided a good balance of educating us as clients in order to provide us with some autonomy, and performed many tasks herself, as promised. It's taken nearly as much time for us to see the results of doing the SEO service for our website, as Monika had estimated. She was committed, thorough and very professional in her approach, as well as entirely pleasant and accommodating to our schedules for meetings and overall needs. We would recommend her services for SEO and do now certainly see the benefits of having a website optimized.'

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What the business owners think are good keywords, are not always what google data say. Do you want to use a keyword with 800 search/month, or one with 2300 search/month?

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Google My Business :) Dont forget to post on GMB. Moz did a study that showed posting consistently on GMB led to improved search rankings, and GMB posts are now showing in the map pack and map searches. FYI if anyone needs a GMB post scheduler, oneupapp.io is only $3/month for up to 10 accounts. Super helpful with GMB posts expiring every 7 days

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Would you rather be locked in a room that is constantly dark for a week or a room that is constantly bright for a week?

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Working with a client who decided to change hosting provider, without consulting with anybody. The new company moved the website, the domain and the email routinely. Now she does not have any company email, nor email archive, nor saved emails, :-( Please consult with somebody who knows is best before you make a big move like this. For your own sake!!!

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