Google is known to be the biggest search engine. According to a survey, 80% of the searches that are carried out online are done by using Google. Among these, 60% of the searches are done using tablets and smartphones. Google has enough potentialities to explore and businessmen can make use of it to grow their business. This can be done with the help of a tool like ‘Google My Business (GMB)’.

What is GMB?

GMB is the abbreviation for ‘Google My Business’. This is a free tool to help the entrepreneurs manage their online presence. With the help of this tool, the entrepreneurs can increase their visibility online. The best way of doing so is by filling out the details on the ‘Google My Business (GMB)’. This is also known as creating the ‘GMB listings’.

How to Create the GMB Listings?

The process of creating the GMB listings is sequential and simple. First of all, you need to check out whether your business is listed on the GMB or not. If you have been running your business for many years, it is possible that your business is enlisted on GMB. You just need to claim it. Now the question is how to create a listing? This is how to go about it.

• After visiting the website:  https://www.google.com/business/ you need to create an account on ‘GMB’ followed by clicking on the button ‘Start Now’.
• After you create an account, Google would ask a multitude of questions related to your business and that would make it easier for the customers to search your business on the ‘Google Maps and Search’.
• On your part, you must be careful to fill out all the required data related to your business. If you do not your competitor would fill it out and that would be to your disadvantage.

Google would not inform you of any changes that are made to the ‘business listing’. It is thus necessary to log in and keep reviewing your business listing regularly.

Merits Associated with GMB Listings

GMB listings offer businesses the ‘seamless interface’ for the purpose of managing their presence online across various platforms like Google Maps, Google Search, Google +. With the help of one dashboard, the users can track analytics, post content and revert to the customer queries.

Key Features to Help in GMB Optimization and Boost Sales

• Google Posts: This feature helps in increasing the visibility of a website. This feature permits the owners are verified making use of the GMB for drafting contents that would appear in the search results when the users would search using their organization’s name. Entrepreneurs can easily use Google Posts for boosting their sales. They can use options such as uploading images, drafting texts or adding event title for easy access to the ‘Google Posts’.
• Video Snippets: You can use GMB for the purpose of lead generation. All you need to do is add ’30-second’ video snippets of 100 MB and with a resolution of 720p. After adding 2 or more videos on the ‘GMB listing’, the sub tab of the videos gets displayed on the mobile devices. This would help in more exposure of your brand and increased ‘lead generation’.
• Google Chats: GMB optimization permits the entrepreneurs in chatting directly with their clients who they have found through ‘search results’ on the mobile device. This proves to be of huge benefit for the new entrepreneurs.

Thus you can see optimizing GMB can prove to be of immense benefit for your business.  Thus all entrepreneurs must claim his or her free GMB listing to get ‘business updates’ and better customer interaction. All this would lead to growth in the business.