By: Adam Gibeau
January 12, 2022

After all the efforts you put in to preparing your business to open, building your website, and ensuring that your social media platforms are active and engaged, you may think you have what it takes to get noticed What if getting your business on the map and listed on Google Maps with a social account is now much easier?

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business (formerly Google Local and Google Places) are the free tools that power Google business listings.  These tools give local businesses the opportunity to showcase information about their business and how that information is displayed, such as hours of operation, directions, reviews, and more.

A look at a Google My Business profile for the Cornwall Civic Complex

Key Benefits to having a Google My Business Page

  • Be listed on Google

That’s #1. Registering for a Google my Business Page will put your business on the Google map.

  • The opportunity to receive and display reviews from the public

A Google my Business Page allows you to demonstrate the quality of your product/service directly to your customers for free!

Engaging with customers online can be intimidating but the benefit of directly interacting with your audience creates an opportunity to connect and serve them better.

  • Insights

Without using a variety of tools, Google My Business can provide you with a detailed report (analytics) that can help you gain insight into the behaviour of your clients.

You can view a variety of metrics that will allow you to make strategic decisions based on:

  • Search queries people are using to find you
  • Number of views your page/profile/photos/reviews get
  • Page engagement
  • An audience profile (age groups, gender, location)
  • How much direct impact that lead to website clicks, phone calls, or directional requests (GPS)

The last couple of years have seen a shift in consumer behaviour towards a preference to “shop local”. Many businesses rely on Google My Business to help keep their customers informed about inventory updates, closures due to weather, or keeping up with public health measures. With business routine constantly shifting, it’s important to have control over the information that is presented to your clients to ensure that everything is correct and up to date.

As local entrepreneur Emily Restoule of Bud’s Records can explain:

“When you’re not familiar with that stuff it feels very foreign. Google is where most people’s first point of contact is when they are looking up your products/service online. It’s really helpful during holidays and other times so that we can adjust the hours on Google and make sure people have up-to-date information about the business’ opening hours before they make the trip.”

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