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Google relies on users and users rely on Google. Every day, five billion searches happen on Google and over one-third of these searches have “local” intent. So, how can a business get more visibility? Google again, has the answer: Google My Business

Google My Business is an online tool that allows managing how a local business appears throughout Google products such as Search or Google Maps. Besides helping to get more visibility, it also has an impact on local SEO, as the business information will be accurate and consistent.

Here you have the top five benefits of using this tool:

Google My Business Is a Free Tool

First and foremost, Google doesn’t charge you for opt-in this tool, however, you really need to invest time to master this tool and actually reap the full benefits it has to offer.

Insights

Google offers analytical data about how a business was found, where it was shown, and what information the end-user is seeing.

Google Posts

This tool has the option to show “featured content” to users that already found the business. This includes:

• Events: drive in-store visits like live music at a bar or restaurant
• Product Updates: new merchandise
• Offers & Specials: sales and discounts
• Announcements: any updates related to store hours or general business information

Reviews

Users are going to leave reviews. Some of them will be good, some of them will be bad, and all of them will play a key role in how other customers see a business. Google My Business allows us to manage and monitor reviews with a nice dashboard that will make anyone’s day easier.

Visibility

Having consistent information throughout Google about a business will improve all marketing efforts as many local listings use Google’s data to feed their listings.

Conclusion

So, is it really necessary to have a Google My Business profile? It all depends on the type of business and industry as this has a bigger impact on local SEO, but it definitely helps to reach new customers and drive more traffic to a website or in-store visits.