Google My Business Listing – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Contributor Phil Robinson. Partner, Founder + CE
You may have seen it before. You do a search on Google for a local business and up pops a little box on the right-hand side of the screen with the business name, address, phone number, hours of operation, and even reviews. That little box is called a Google My Business (GMB) listing, and it can be a powerful tool for businesses—if it’s used correctly, and there are a number of reasons why you should have one.
The Google My Business Good
Google My Business listings are free and easy to set up. All you need is a google account (which most people already have) and some basic information about your business. Once you’ve claimed your listing, you can add photos, post updates, respond to reviews, and more
The GMB Bad
While Google My Business listings are free and easy to set up, they’re not always accurate. That’s because anyone can edit or claim a listing—even if they’re not associated with the business. This can lead to wrong information being displayed on your listing, which can frustrate potential customers who are trying to reach you. This could lead to Google reviews that may harm your business too.
The Google My Business Ugly
Inaccurate GMB listings can actually hurt your business if they’re not corrected in a timely manner. That’s because potential customers who see the wrong information are likely to go to one of your competitors instead. In addition, if you have duplicate listings (meaning there are two or more listings for your business), this can also confuse potential customers and hurt your chances of being found online.
Make sure your Google My Business Listing is up to date
Having an accurate GMB listing is essential for businesses that want to be found online—plain and simple. If you don’t have a GMB listing, now is the time to create one. And if you already have a listing but it’s inaccurate or out-of-date, take the time to claim or edit it. This is also important as Google makes updates now an again. For example, adding new Google My Business Verification methods available in NZ. So that said, you want to ensure potential customers will have the correct information about your business. Your future customers will thank you for it!
