Learn how Google My Business can boost your local visibility, attract more customers, and strengthen your online presence.
Anders Stokholm Jessen
You can think of Google My Business as Google’s version of a phone directory – but with far more detailed information about your business.
In reality, your Google My Business is your company’s profile or “listing” on Google. Often, a Google My Business listing is the first thing someone sees when searching for a business on Google.
This is why it’s crucial that your listing stands out with correct and, most importantly, up-to-date information.
Table of contents
The answer is simple!
It gives people searching for your business immediate access to information directly on Google.
This means potential customers don’t have to go through several steps to contact you.
In other words, the distance between a potential customer and your company is reduced.
But that’s not the only advantage.
If someone is searching for the service you offer, either locally or in your service area, there is a good chance you’ll appear.
Here’s an example:
If someone in Herning searches for a carpenter, as a carpenter in Herning, your Google My Business profile will be visible in the search results – depending on the competition (more on that later).
The same applies if someone searches for “carpenter Herning” but is, for example, located in Aarhus.
Where your business profile or listing appears in Google’s search results is also known as “Local results” or the “snack pack”.
We will cover this in the next section.
Your Google My Business listing doesn’t just show up when people search for your company.
It also appears when users search for the services you offer.
That’s why it’s important to be precise about which category you belong to.
You do this via Google’s local results – also known as the “Snack Pack”.
When searching for Carpenter Herning, the local results look like this:
And on mobile, the local results are even more prominent:
The local results are also shown on Google Maps.
For a carpentry business, whether you’re in the centre of Herning or on the outskirts may not be crucial.
But imagine you’re a tourist in a city, searching for restaurants. In that case, it’s extremely useful to see which restaurants are close by – and, just as importantly, what reviews they have received.
This is why the synergy between Google My Business and Google Maps is so valuable.
The contact details you provide in your listing are also used in your Google Ads.
This means, for example, that your phone number will appear in your ad, and you can achieve a top placement in the local results.
This is a genuine example of synergy in action!
Verification is one of the most important steps.
It ensures that only you, as the business owner or manager, can change the information in your Google My Business listing.
Google also prioritises listings that are verified – so don’t wait to get started.
There are several ways to verify your listing:
Some options may not be available to everyone.
If you choose phone verification, Google will call the number you provided, and you’ll be asked to confirm your business.
With Search Console, you can verify your listing instantly. This requires that your website is already verified in Google Search Console.
The verification options available depend on your business category.
In most cases, you’ll receive a letter from Google with a verification code. Enter this code, and your business and Google My Business listing will be verified.
In Google’s local results (see the image above), there is only space for three businesses/listings.
So what determines whether your business listing or one of your competitors is chosen as one of the top three?
The answer is relevance. Google wants to deliver the most relevant results to its users.
There are several factors that determine whether your Google My Business listing is more relevant than your competitor’s:
Reviews are possibly the biggest factor affecting the ranking of your business profile.
Google considers your average rating, how many reviews you have received, and, just as importantly, how recent those reviews are.
If you have a higher rating, more reviews, and more recent reviews than your competitors, you’re more likely to achieve a better ranking.
The information on your listing also has a significant impact.
But the information about your business on other websites also plays a major role.
For example, if your company moves and changes address, you update your Google My Business, but there may still be many other sites showing your old address.
These are all sites that Google indexes and crawls.
This can result in different addresses appearing online, which can affect your position in local results.
So: Make sure your information is correct – not only on your listing, but also elsewhere online.
Local citations are websites and directories that include details about your local area or industry, but all list your company name, address, and phone number – and possibly your website.
An example could be Yellow Pages, where your business is listed with name, address, phone number and website.
Another example could be a sponsorship with your local sports club, where your business is listed with name, address, and phone number.
The number and quality of these citations also influence whether you reach the top of the local results.
When a user clicks on your result, they are taken to your full listing.
How do you stand out from other companies offering the same service or similar products?
One way is with Google Posts:
There are several benefits to posting on your Google My Business listing:
Do you need to create entirely new content specifically for Google?
No, you don’t need to. You can often use the same approach as you do for Facebook with organic posts.
We have now covered what determines whether you reach the top.
But to get to the top, you also need to identify what might be holding you back.
The biggest pitfalls are incorrect data on your Google My Business profile, old/previous listings, and negative reviews.
As already mentioned, your local citations must have correct information, and your own listing must always be accurate.
However, there may be older Google My Business listings containing the same information as yours.
These could be listings you created yourself in the past, or a previous business that was located at the same address.
Do a Google search for your address, search for your phone number, check Google Maps and see if there are old businesses or listings that need to be removed.
You can do this as follows:
Once you have clicked on “Remove this place”, Google will receive a request.
In most cases, the listing is removed quite quickly, but sometimes the request is ignored.
Negative reviews can be difficult to avoid, no matter how skilled and thorough you are.
This is why it’s important to address negative reviews as soon as possible.
Fortunately, you can protect yourself against negative reviews:
If you have no reviews and receive a negative one, it will have a major impact.
If you have 100 positive reviews and receive one negative, it will not have nearly as much effect.
So: Make sure to regularly collect reviews. Not just for your Google My Business, but also, for example, on Facebook and Trustpilot.
Your Google My Business listing isn’t just a one-off setup that you can forget about.
Your listing does not require much maintenance, but there are still some things you need to pay attention to.
If you have days with extended opening hours, make sure these are updated on your listing.
People may also ask questions on your listing after searching and finding your business.
These, like your reviews, should also be answered.
Keep an eye out for new local citation opportunities, so you stay ahead of your competitors.
The anatomy of a Google search result is as follows:
Your Google My Business listing is only one result out of the local results, which account for about a third of the complete search result.
To truly dominate the search results, you need to be present in both the ads and the organic results.
Read more about the work we do within local SEO here.
We give you visibility in all three positions and make sure you are found by potential customers.
We’ve now covered what is important to make your Google My Business profile visible, how to outperform your competitors, and which pitfalls to be aware of.
Now we have reached the section on what your Google My Business profile should specifically contain, and the guidelines for each point.
The most recognisable aspect of your company is your business name.
Therefore, only include your business name.
Do not add your services. Keep it simple.
If your company is named “Carpenter Jensen”, that is the name you should enter in your Google My Business.
It should not be “Carpenter Jensen – Carpenter in Herning with over 25 years’ experience”.
This may seem like a good idea, but this is the time to exercise restraint.
Multiple locations?
If you own several locations with the same name (for example, McDonald’s), only use your brand name and do not add the location to your business name.
Google can automatically distinguish between different branches/locations by the address you provide – even if they are close to each other.
So the business name (hypothetically) should not be “McDonald’s, East Street” and “McDonald’s, West Street” – just “McDonald’s”.
All businesses are filtered based on which categories they belong to.
Categories are used to describe your business and your services.
Be specific, and focus on your core services. Choose the category that best describes your business. Be as specific as possible.
If you have an acupuncture clinic, select that instead of just “clinic”.
You can add more categories, but stick to what is most relevant.
The first category you select will be your primary category.
To find your primary category (if you are unsure), use this example: “This business IS” rather than “This business HAS”.
You can confidently choose the category that best represents your business.
Google often includes more categories behind the scenes.
Google’s own example is if you have a golf resort and choose that as your primary category, you will also appear in searches for “hotel” and “golf course”.
You may find that it is more optimal to have two business listings instead of one.
For example, you might own a workshop that also has a petrol station.
In that case, your workshop and petrol station should each have their own business listing.
People searching for your business or services also need to know where you are located.
Therefore, enter your business’s exact address. This includes “2nd floor”, “right”, etc. – if that is where your business is located.
You must not include directions such as “East Street 2 – next to the red postbox on the corner”.
Instead, you can upload photos showing exactly where your business is, if it’s difficult to find.
Do you deliver to your customers?
Some businesses have both a physical location and serve customers at the customer’s own address.
An example could be a florist, where customers can come to the shop to buy flowers but the business also offers delivery.
If this applies to you, provide your shop’s address AND a service area. The service area is the geographic area in which you serve your customers.
For the florist, this would be the towns and areas where they deliver flowers.
Don’t have an office?
If you don’t have a physical shop or office with opening hours, you should register your business as a mobile service business. Here you also add a service area, showing where you serve your customers.
For example, this could be if you are a mobile hairdresser without a physical address.
How your address or service area is displayed is up to Google.
They determine this based on information from other sources and similar businesses.
The most important thing is to make sure you provide the correct information.
Simply put – when are you open?
You can enter your regular opening hours if they are the same every week.
You can also add special hours for holidays or days with extended hours.
This could also be seasonal – for example, if you are open longer in the run-up to Christmas.
You can add opening hours for specific dates well in advance.
This means there is a risk your Christmas opening hours could be forgotten.
So set a reminder in your calendar to update your opening hours.
You can also choose not to show opening hours at all.
This can be beneficial if you do not have a fixed physical office, but as previously mentioned, serve customers at their location.
Alternatively, you can specify your phone opening hours.
Displaying your business phone number and website is essential on your Google My Business.
It also allows you to have a “call” and “website” button on your listing:
This makes it easy for people searching for your business to contact you.
There are some rules and recommendations:
Use a local phone number rather than a central number for a switchboard.
This is especially relevant for companies with many local offices.
Do not use phone numbers or web addresses that redirect people to other phone numbers or landing pages – not even to your company’s Facebook page.
Google displays icons according to your attributes.
There are some you can add yourself, and others that Google adds automatically.
These mainly relate to additional services and accessibility.
For example, free wifi, free parking, wheelchair accessible entrance, outdoor seating, etc.
Which attributes are available to you depends on your business category.
Google may also automatically add attributes such as whether your business is popular and has good reviews.
There is high value in encouraging your customers and visitors to leave a review.
Google rewards your Google My Business listing with a star and potentially a better ranking.
Images liven up your Google My Business listing and give it a personal touch.
This is your opportunity to differentiate yourself from all the other business listings.
You should have at least a profile photo – usually your logo.
You should also select a cover photo. This is the image shown on your listing:
You can also add photos of your staff and your workplace (both inside and out).
This all helps people searching for your business to get a better impression of who you are.
All images must be either .jpg or .png and max 5 MB in size.
Resolution must be at least 720 x 720 pixels.
You can also add video to your listing.
Videos can be up to 30 seconds long and up to 100 MB in size.
Resolution must be 720p or higher – in other words: Standard HD quality, which any smartphone can record today.
Google does not specify a limitation on resolution
You can even upload 360-degree views, so people can really get a feel for your business and surroundings.
Would you like 360-degree photos and videos of your business? You can read more about our partner here
This section is also called “From the business”.
This is your chance to provide a deeper description of who you are and what your business does.
The text can be up to 750 characters, so you have plenty of space for a good description.
Do not focus on prices, offers or try to sell. Instead, aim to provide value and information about your business. What do you offer, what are your specialisms, and what makes your company unique?
These are the details you can include here.
You can also add the opening date of your business.
It does not have to be the exact date – it can also be the year and month.
The date must not be in the future, and you must not create Google My Business listings for companies that have not yet opened.
It’s unclear what Google uses this data for – or how much it affects the visibility of your listing.
A Google My Business profile or listing can be the first thing a potential customer sees when searching for your business or services.
There is also a lot of potential in optimising your listing.
Imagine that every time someone searches for your services in the local area, your Google My Business appears at the top – even above the organic results.
This is why you must make sure to create the best possible first impression for potential customers.
We hope you now feel better informed and ready to dominate the local results on Google.
Here are more articles you can use to improve your Google My Business and get found on Google:
At WeMarket, we offer businesses a benchmark report that compares their marketing efforts with their key competitors. You decide which competitors we should compare against.
We specialise in selling physical goods online and growing webshops – and now you can benefit from this expertise, even if you’re not already a client.
It’s completely free.
