Get in touch

What Is a Google My Business Listing?

We are checking Google My Business listings this month for our SEO retainer clients, so we thought it might be helpful to explain what they are and why they are helpful.

Google My Business (GMB)

product

A free tool for businesses to manage their online presence across Google. If you verify and edit your business information, you can help customers find your business and tell them your story.

Do I Have a Google My Business Listing?

You may already have one, you may not. The easy way to tell is to Google your company name (if it’s a common company name like Sonder, make sure you use a search term that will identify ONLY your business e.g. Sonder Somerset). You should see your business details to the right of the search results like this:

If you see a listing, then either Google has recognised your business and created a listing or someone has listed it for you.

Do I Own My Google My Business Listing?

If you’re logged into your Google account but you still see this ‘Own this business?’ question, then you don’t own your listing. You can make suggested edits but you can’t log in and update the full profile. Either no one owns your listing, or someone you employ to do your marketing has claimed the listing so they can update it for you.

What is a Google My Business Listing For?

As well as populating the information for your business listing, shown above, having a Google My Business listing means that the information you see when you rank for the local pack and maps is complete, correct and under your control.

Google 'Local Pack' listing shown above search results

Google 'Map' listing in map results

What Information is in a Google My Business Listing?

Your GMB listing is basically a snapshot of your business with information that customers might be searching for like:

Location
Opening Times
Review Stars
Phone Number
Photos
Offers

Why Do I Need a Google My Business Listing?

We check over the Google My Business listings for our retainer clients as part of our SEO services because it's a good sign to Google if you have a listing with them, it shows them that you're a legitimate business and has been suggested as a ranking factor.

As well as your organic SERP (Search Engine Results Page) rank, the massive business listing on the right side of the search results is a huge bit of first page real estate for an organic result, even if the customer has to be quite specific with their results to see it.

Your website is a great tool for people to find out more about you, but what if they already know everything they need to and want to have a chat about using your services or finding your store? If they search for you and you have completed your listing then they'll be able to call you right from the Google page if they search on their mobile, with the click of a button. It's a convenience for your customers and one that they are learning to expect.

Need a hand? If you're not sure how to access, claim or manage your Google My Business listing get in touch and we can help.

Other Relevant Resources

There's always more to learn, we recommend these blogs:

What is a Call to Action (CTA)?

What on Earth does PPC, SEO and CRO Mean?

What Are Online Citations?

How To Smoothly Handle Negative Reviews Online

Back to All Resources

Posted on May 11th 2020

Join The Mailing List

What's better than top tips, advice and special offers from Sonder, for free?!

Testimonials

Sonder are absolute game-changers! Their website revamp services are nothing short of extraordinary. I was blown away by the exceptional level of creativity and skill they brought to the table. From the very first meeting, it was evident that they genuinely care about their clients and take the time to understand their unique needs.

Griffin VA

Sonder Digital have designed and continue to host our website. They have understood very well our needs and managed to balance what would otherwise have been a pretty complex user journey. It is streamlined, concise and on brand. Their customer service is fantastic, you will always find a team member on hand to assist. We have worked with Sonder Digital now for over a year and have had consistently good service. Would highly recommend!

CitySpace London

The whole team were fabulous in helping us to pull together our vision of a new website. Great comms, professional, forward thinking and quick to offer suggestions and find solutions. We have ended up with a great looking website and wouldn't hesitate in recommending them.

Mud Mountain Terracotta Pots

I have had the pleasure of using Sonder Digital for quite a while now. The whole team seem to be able to cover every eventuality - from geekish technical stuff, design, social media and any problem that might arise. Whether contact is made by email or over the phone, their response is always speedy and they are great people to do business with. I guess the bottom line is that since using Sonder, my sales have rocketed. Definitely recommend.

Oleo Bodycare

I've worked with Sonder for around eight years, almost on a daily basis, and cannot recommend them highly enough. They are an incredible team, friendly, easy going & extremely knowledgeable, nothing is too much trouble for them, they are just an absolute delight to work with.

Sitting Spiritually of Lyme Regis