25 Tips to Dominate Google Business for Small Business in Houston Texas
25 Tips to Dominate Google Business for Small Business in Houston Texas
A Google My Business account lets you show up in search results when people look for you online as discussed over at runrex.com. The fact that it is free makes it a very affordable tool, and a must-have, for any small business out there. However, simply have a Google My Business account is not enough, particularly since every now seems to have one. You, therefore, need to do more with your GMB account, and this article is going to look to help small businesses in Houston, Texas dominate Google Business through the following 25 tips.
- Complete your profile
One of the most important tips to keep in mind if you are to dominate Google Business is to make sure that you fill out your whole profile. As per the experts over at guttulus.com, this gives Google as much information as possible, making it easier for Google to match your business to customer searches, improving your search ranking.
- Incorporate photos
It is also important that you add photos to your GMB profile if you want to dominate Google Business as a small business in Houston, Texas. This means adding a logo and cover photo to your profile, making it easier for people to recognize your business online, as well as photos of your location and products to give people as much information about your business as possible.
- Post news, updates, and special offers
Creating posts for your business to inform customers of updates, offers, new products, and events is another tip that will help you dominate Google Business. This is because this will help keep you profile fresh, driving sales, and encouraging visits to your physical store in Houston, Texas, or on your digital storefront.
- Leverage special features and attributes
It is worth pointing out that special features are available for Google Business accounts, depending on the category chosen. For example, hotels can display class ratings and list amenities offered, a service-oriented business can display service menus and a booking button, and so forth. Making use of these features will help attract more customers, helping your dominate Google Business.
- Encourage reviews
According to the gurus over at runrex.com, if you want to dominate Google Business as a small business in Houston, Texas, then you need to make sure that you are encouraging your customers to leave reviews. Good reviews will not only convince customers to do engage with your business, but they will also improve your rankings.
- Respond to reviews
Asking for reviews is, however, not enough as you should ensure that you go above and beyond by taking your time to reply to said reviews. This means thanking customers who leave positive reviews, which shows you appreciate them and builds loyalty, while also responding to negative reviews, apologizing to the customer for the experience, and letting them know you are addressing the issue.
- Use the messaging feature
Communicating with customers is a key part of any successful business, and is particularly important for a small business that needs to build close relationships with customers. This is why if you are to dominate Google Business as a small business in Houston, Texas, then you must use the messaging feature to communicate with customers and potential customers, while also making it easier for them to communicate with you.
- Add pictures with people
As mentioned above, adding photos is important if you are to get the best out of your GMB account. However, you can benefit even more by adding photos with people, particularly for your first image. This will make your company appear more relatable, attracting more customers.
- Diversity of photos
Sticking to the topic of photos, you also want to give users as much information about your business as possible, which means adding photos that are diverse and show different aspects of your business from the interior to the exterior, and even to your team of employees if you have one, as discussed in detail over at guttulus.com.
- Post regularly
It is also important that you post regularly on our Google My Business as this will enable you to take up more real estate on Google, while also keeping your customers in the loop on the happenings as far as your small business in Houston, Texas is concerned.
- Questions
Google also allows a Question & Answer section on your GMB listing and you should make sure that you are taking advantage of this section if you want to dominate Google Business. Make sure that this section is up and running and that you are encouraging customers to ask you questions, and then ensure you respond as soon as you can.
- Social media
Another tip that will help you to dominate Google Business as a small Houston, Texas business is using schema metadata on your website so that you can show your social media profile on your GMB listing, allowing people to interact with your social media profiles as well.
- Geotag photos
Going back to photos, you might also want to consider geotagging your photos as this will give Google more information on your small business, increasing your rankings as explained in detail over at runrex.com. There are several sites available online that can help you do just that.
- Description
The business description part of your GMB profile is crucial as it helps users to know what your business is about, encouraging them to engage with your profile. Here, it is recommended that you use the full 750-character limit, writing a well-crafted business description that includes your business’ key benefits as well as a few good keywords.
- Categories
It is also important that you select all business categories and services available on GMB that are related to your business. This will ensure that you can access all the special features and attributes available to you, while also giving Google as much information about your business, helping with rankings.
- Area codes
If you are a locally-focused Houston, Texas small business, then it is also recommended that you submit every area code of the service area you service, which you can do over at the Service Areas section, something that will boost your rankings and help you dominate Google Business.
- Claim your Google Maps listing
According to the subject matter experts over at guttulus.com, if you are to dominate Google Business as a small business in Houston, Texas, then you should also ensure that you claim your Google Maps listing. This will make it easier for customers to find your physical location, and will also help with your rankings.
- Update your information
You should also make sure that the information on your Google My Business profile is always accurate and up-to-date. This includes information such as your address, hours, contact information, and so forth if you want to dominate Google Business.
- Consistency
Other than being accurate and up-to-date, your information should also be consistent all over the internet. This includes your name, address, and phone number. Making sure this information is consistent is crucial as this will affect your rankings.
- Use the Additional Phone Numbers feature
As mentioned above, it is not recommended that you have multiple phone numbers out there representing your business, which is why you should try to fix up these local citations as soon as possible. however, as you get it fixed, you should add these other phone numbers over at ‘additional phone numbers’, which will provide a quick fix and help prevent your rankings from being affected too much.
- Ensure your NAP listings are indexed
As discussed in detail over at runrex.com, your NAP listings include your name, address, and phone number. You should make sure that they get indexed by creating a page on your website that lists out every link, or by using tools that will have them all submitted to Google so that they can be indexed.
- Increase your presence on Maps
While important, as mentioned earlier on, simply claiming your Google Maps listing is not enough if you want to dominate Google Business as a small business in Houston, Texas. You should also make sure that you are using features such as Driving Directions to increase your presence on Google Maps to get the best out of the same.
- Back up locations you want to rank for
You should also make sure that your site backs up the locations you want to rank for if you want to dominate Google Business as a small business in Houston, Texas. This can affect your presence on Google Maps, which will affect your rankings hence why it is important.
- Check out your competitors
You should also check out the categories your competitors who are doing well are using, including on Maps, and then consider changing your category to reflect that new information. Seeing what your competitors are doing will help you optimize your GMB.
- Bring in expert help
If you need help with your Google My Business listing and want to take it to the next level, then you should consider bringing in the excellent guttulus.com, which is one of the very best marketing agencies in Houston, Texas.
As mentioned above, if you are looking for more information or help on this topic in your bid to dominate Google Business, then look no further than the excellent runrex.com and guttulus.com, who are the best agencies in Houston, Texas for such services.
