How To Maximize Your Google My Business Profile
It’s no secret that Google dominates local search. And for car and tire dealers to be found, optimizing, and participating with your GMB profile is an absolute must.
Here are the top 7 tips for maximizing your GMB exposure. (*For this article, we’ll assume that you have your GMB profile set up and verified.)
- Enter Complete Information on your GMB Profile Page
Local search results favor the most relevant results for searches. Car and tire dealers who offer the most detailed and accurate information will be easier to be found in a local search. If Google is asking you to fill out a particular section, fill it out.
- Include Keywords
Just like traditional SEO, Google uses a variety of ways to serve search results. Including keywords and phrases specific to the car and tire industry will be incredibly helpful, especially since your dealership website is listed directly within your GMB Profile Page.
- Keep Business Operating Hours Accurate
One guaranteed way to earn a poor review is to not have your hours accurate. Consumers are unforgiving. If GMB says you’re open, you better be open. And just an FYI – Google offers the ability to customize hours for holidays and other special events.
- Add Photos – Lots of Photos
Photos help business profiles’ performance more than most dealers expect. And this is the first place potential customers are going to go once they land on your GMB Profile Page. Dealerships with photos on their profiles receive 42% more requests for driving directions on Google Maps and 35% more click-throughs to their websites than businesses without photos, according to Google.
5.Respond To Customer Reviews – Especially the Bad Ones
Interacting with customers by responding to their reviews illustrates that your business values its customers and the feedback that they leave regarding it. They also increase your business’s visibility in search results. And make to respond the negative reviews – people are watching to see what you’re doing to fix a customer’s problem.
- Make Regular & Consistent Posts
You can publish offers, events, products, and services directly to Google Search and Maps through posts on your Google Business Profile. Posts let you engage with your audience and keep your presence fresh on Google.
- Use The Product Catalog
Every dealer wants to get their inventory posted online. GMB makes this easy with the products feature. When posting your inventory, you can include photos, details about the product, pricing and even a link to the page. By using this feature, you’ll provide potential customers with a better idea of what you have to offer and why they should choose you.
By regularly participating and updating your GMB Profile Page, you’ll make your dealership easier to be found online while generating high quality traffic and potential customers to your website.
And the best part – GMB is fast, easy and totally free to use.
Ronald A. Heider is the owner of Heider Marketing & Advertising; a Virginia Beach based marketing management agency servicing the automotive and auto-aftermarket industries. He can be reached at www.hmaads.com
