A basic guide to a healthy Google My Business account

May 18, 2020

Your business is worth the investment. After all, you went through the trouble of devoting resources to the take on the world on your own. You put in the hard work and handle as many roles as possible to make it to the end of the week. Everything you do has a purpose and so does maintaining an online listing.

If you have a Google My Business account, you may be familiar as to why it's a worthwhile option. However, it's more than just an option. It's a commitment. Yes, you can do the basics and set up your account so customers can find you, but there's more you can do to ensure your listing is the top listing.

Google prioritizes accurate results. Having local results is just a part of serving Google's role in increasing trusts for its users. With Google My Business, you are given the opportunity to create a listing to help your customers find you when they need you. Anyone can do it, so can your competitors. That's why you have to dedicate time in making your listing stand out from the rest.

When we say it’s a commitment, that means coming up with a regular schedule to check up on your listing and updating information. Whether it's snapping new photos, replying to customers via chat, moderating reviews, etc. The goal is to keep your page active. Let your customers know that you are not only open for business, but also the better option.

The reason for frequent updates is so that you convey more information to your customers. And that's what it's all about. Information. Afterall, Google is a search engine, looking to give users the best information. Make your information meaningful to others. Think like a consumer. When searching for a restaurant online, having more pictures of food is better than none. Having reviews by customers at a mechanic shop may change your opinion when compared to a similar business with none. Likewise, having a list of hours available would save you the inconvenience of showing up after closing. In the end, if you believe product is good, then show it off. Let people know about your place and why we should all be convinced that you are the better option.

What if you don't have time to worry about a Google listing? It's not paid, it's not an ad, and you may not get immediate results upon making your account. Don't think of your listing as going out of your way to "work" or "please" Google. Make it work for you.  Compile work and let your investment pay off in the long run.

That's why we're not asking that you flood your account with many posts, with hourly comments, or anything that would take you away from your business. Really, a healthy basic update rate is about one post per week. Just snap a picture of your inventory, your shop, anything related to your business with your phone and upload it once a week. Make a schedule and stick to it. For example, designate one day a week as your checkup day and devote an hour to look at analytics and make a new post.

Like an investment, see how fast your small contributions pay off. Over the course of a year, posting a weekly picture can help you develop a catalog of images to show customers. Images that can entice someone to your place when your competitors have nothing to show.

Unfortunately it's a never ending pursuit. Don't give up. Results may not show up right away, but making an effort will pay off. Know that anyone can have an account, do your part to stand out from the crowd.

Full disclosure: Top Hat Central offers a Google My Business Management service. Google My Business is a free tool provided by Google. We take time to manage accounts for small or microbusiness. Granted we do more than just oversee and respond on business owners' behalf, we provide professional photography and take care of all of the creative elements related to making a post. We also help explain the analytics along with helping develop a strategy that works for the particular business. You can choose to listen to our advice or not. We are simply creating this blog because it addresses some of the most common questions our customers have. Our business is meant to help small businesses with little to no resources in order to help them focus on what matters to them. We like to say, "you wear many hats, we want to be one less you have to worry about" and we mean it. If you have the time and resources to venture on your own, feel free to use some of this advice or not. Either way, you're here to better your business and we thank you for trusting us for motivation. Good luck, and happy posting.