Verifying your business’ Google My Business (GMB) account has always been a vital step in helping your business be found in the giant search engine used 40,000 times every second. With over 3.5 billion searches a day, marketing teams sees Google as one of the most competitive and critical places for your business to have a presence. Simply having a Google + account does not mean your business will be found, even if your business is delivering the best service in your area. Local Search has become more relevant in the digital landscape in the past 5 years than anyone could have predicted.  If you are a business owner that is managing efficiency and delivery of products and services, one of the last things you want to worry about is another platform that requires frequent updates and images to be tailored for your top business objectives. However, this is a chance for your business to rise above the competition and to dominate the new frontier that is social posting on Google My Business.

What do I have to do to post on Google My Business?

You need your listing to be verified. There are several ways to verify your listing: email, phone number, or the most common way is by postcard. You must verify your business listing to manage your business information on Google Maps, Search, and other Google properties. The verification process helps ensure that your business information is accurate and that only you, the business owner or manager, has access to it. You need to create or claim a Google My Business listing before the verification process begins. Depending on the type of business you manage you will select the verification process that matches your industry and services.

Choosing the verification process and knowing the steps to achieve the desired outcome might be best left to a marketing team.  At Fasturtle, we have helped thousands of businesses through the verification process so that they can find more customers that need their products and services. Having this team guide you through can make a big difference in time and money spent on doing it the right way, the first time.

As of now, the optimal size for Google My Business Posts is 720 pixels by 720 pixels. It is also suggested that the photo should be in focus and well lit, have no Photoshop alterations or excessive use of filters. The subject of the content should represent reality at this time.

What content will be the best for GMB?

Posting through Google My Business lets you publish your events, products, and services directly to Google Search and Maps.

When writing a post, you are given several options: upload an image, write text (up to 300 words) or add an event title (with start and end dates and times). Users can also add call-to-action buttons including “Learn more,” “Reserve,” “Sign up,” “Buy” or “Get offer.”

It is important to ensure your profile is built within the optimized parameters. Through our experience, these specific dimensions yield the best results after building your profile.

Optimize The Preferred Photo

results. Keep in mind that a preferred photo is only a recommendation and Google will ultimately choose which photo is shown first. Since Google is all about trying to enhance the user experience, they take several factors into consideration when ranking photos. These include:

• Size
• Quality
• Content (Google tends to rank photos of real images higher than logos. The more relevant the picture is to the nature of the business, the better chances it has to rank higher and appear as the preferred photo).

There is still a chance of seeing pictures from other sources – such as other Google users and online sources – next to the business listing in search results. Since these images are not always in line with your marketing voice, it’s best that the business takes control by uploading its own images. Following Google’s guidelines increases the chances the preferred photo will show up in search results. To update the preferred photo, click on the three-dot menu icon and select from Cover or Profile.

Add Photos

Google also suggests uploading additional business-specific photos to help customers understand what the business has to offer. For instance, businesses should include images featuring: The store or office exterior. Add at least three images of the building to make it easier for customers to recognize the business from any direction. The business’ interior. Add at least three photos that capture the atmosphere of the business, such as common areas, spa, gym, or dining area. Popular products and services. Include at least three photos of the products and services offered by the business. Team members. Add three or more photos of employees and management to humanize the business.

Update the Profile Image

Choose a profile photo to represent the business on its Google+ profile. This photo doesn’t need to be the business logo (which is uploaded separately) or the preferred photo.

Update the Cover Photo

This image is displayed at the top of a business’ Google+ page, so it should have an aspect ratio of 16:9.

Update the Logo

Simply upload the official logo so customers can easily identify the business online. Google recommends using square images for business logos.

Adhere to These Standards

• The picture can’t be copyrighted.
• It can’t be a screenshot.
• It must be good quality. If it’s blurry, too dark or rotated, it might not make the cut.
• Images must be in good taste (cannot be pornographic in nature, cannot promote hate or incite violence, cannot invade privacy).

Where are my GMB posts seen?

By creating posts, you can place your timely content in front of customers when they find your business listing on Google. Gone are the days where the most “relevant” images for your business on your Google listing come from sources such as Yelp or Instagram. Through posting on your GMB page, the content creators will have more control than ever before on what is shown to new prospective customers that discover your business through Google search queries. Business owners may share daily specials, create timely promotions, and highlight new arrivals. Customers new and old may receive offers. Top services and products may be showcased. Reservations can be made though posts. Newsletters can receive sign-ups. Websites can provide more information on services. Some businesses are even selling products from posts through links to a website.

According to a post on Searchengineland.com by RustyBrick’s Barry Schwartz, “Google Posts first launched in January 2016 under the name “candidate cards.” Seemingly, the posting was only made available to political candidates to post content that would show up for searches about policy and platforms. It appears now that all businesses with a verified Google My Business listing can take advantage of the new social network channel to control the messages being served to search queries that are relevant to your business’ performance.

Is Google My Business claiming and optimization a challenge for you?

We know this takes quite a bit of effort and we want to help! Partner with Fasturtle and our local search experts will do the work for you. Find out how to start driving more traffic through the door today with our teams’ expertise that has driven success for our business since 2000.

Want to learn how Fasturtle services can help your business?

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