Google My Business has become an important factor in rankings locally. Google My Business, or GMB as it’s commonly referred to, can help Google get a better idea of what your business does, how they do it, where they do it, and more.

Setting up a Google My Business account is just the beginning of the process. Your GMB must be verified, optimized, and maintained to ensure that your local SEO rankings continue to improve.

In general, Google My Business has quickly become the single most important factor in local rankings.

Some of this guide is adapted from Hubspot’s The Ultimate Guide to Google My Business. This guide also walks you through how to set up your GMB account.

How Does Optimizing For Google My Business Help Me?

Optimizing for GMB allows both Google and potential customers in your area to find your business more easily.

Some of the benefits:

It’s free
It helps customers and Google find where your physical location or service area is
Better search visibility

This guide will help those setting up and verifying their Google My Business listing for the first time and for those who have an existing account but would like to optimize their listing further.

Optimizing Your Listing

If you are setting up your GMB account or trying to optimize an existing one, follow the guides below:

Google My Business Listing

Go to the Google My Business dashboard and click on the exact listing you would like to work on
Select the info and choose a section to fill out or update by clicking on the pencil icon by the field you want to edit
Add as much information as you can
- High-quality business photo
- Location (either physical address to a service area description)
  - Add all areas you provide a service in
  - If you do add a physical address, make sure it matches exactly to what is on your website and in your dashboard
    - Example: if you use 123 Main Street STE 114, make sure that all areas on your page and your Google my Business account say STE 114 and not Suite 114
  - Examples of service area descriptions:
    - “Providing tours along the North Coast of Hawaii”
    - “Snorkeling tours the eastern coast of Oahu”
- Hours
- Website
- Any other pertinent information
  - Free wifi
  - Wheelchair accessible
- Advanced Information
  - Store code
  - Labels
  - Adwords location

Important note: People can suggest edits to your information, so it’s important to get everything right the first time, and make sure people haven’t changed it periodically.

Google My Business Photos

According to Google, businesses with photos see 35% more clicks to their website and 42% higher requests for driving directions in Google Maps.

Note: Photos should be at least 720 pixels wide by 720 pixels high and JPG or PNG files.

Google My Business Photo Checklist:

Cover Photo
- This photo is the most important and shows up front and center
- Best practice is to make it an actual photo of people taking your tour, renting your rentals, on the adventure, etc.
Profile Photo
- This photo appears when you upload new photos, videos, or reviews
Other Photos (Note: any other photos you add should be in groups of 3)
- It’s great if you have photos of performing the service, such as:
  - Pictures of customers on the tour
  - Pictures of the rentals you offer
  - Pictures of the area in which you operate or travel to in your tour
  - Pictures of the facilities, equipment, supplies you use
- Include photos of the outside of your business
  - Include at least 3 photos if you have an exterior of your business or the location of the tour. If it’s in a location like the North Shore of Hawaii, show the area off! Make sure to include the area at various times, such as:
    - Night time
    - Afternoon
    - Morning
- Inside your business
  - Include at least 3 photos if you have an interior of your business
- Include photos of employees at work or giving your tour
  - As always, best practice is to have at least 3, but it’s even better if you have more
  - Include action shots of employees delivering your service

Google My Business Videos

Videos make your profile stand out
They are not a requirement
Add videos if you have them, but make sure they are:
- 30 seconds or shorter
- 100 MB or smaller
- 720p resolution or higher

Google My Business Reviews

How do Google My Business Reviews work?

People will review you and your reviews will show up. It’s best to respond kindly and sincerely to both positive and (especially) negative reviews. This will ensure that future potential customers see you as an attentive business.

Important Tips for GMB

Contact Information

As mentioned earlier, make sure your contact info matches the info on the website, your NAP (name, address, phone number) should be identical on all areas of your site (like the footer, location pages, etc). For example, if you use 123 Main Street STE 114, make sure that all areas on your page and your Google my Business account say STE 114 and not Suite 114. It is imperative that your address matches the address that is in your Dashboard or Google Reserve will not work.

Tripadvisor, Yelp, etc.

You should also make sure that any review sites like Tripadvisor, Viator, Yelp, etc, have the same business address as on your site and on Google my Business, again STE 114 should be STE 114 everywhere, and no Suite 114 should be present on your site, on your GMB page, on Yelp, Tripadvisor, etc.

Designate Categories

Designate service categories for your business so that Google knows what type of business you are and can rank you accordingly.

Getting Reviews

Do your best to get reviews for your business. This will help you show up more frequently in your service area or location. Sending an email asking tour-goers to review your trip on a 3rd party review site or having tour guides mention it at the end of the trip can all help to gain more reviews of your trip, tour, rental, or activity.

Optimizing for Google My Business