Google My Business (GMB) is a platform provided by Google for multi-location businesses. This allows business owners to promote and manage local business listings across all Google platforms (Google search, Google Maps, etc.)
Google My Business is a useful tool for business owners to utilize to gain more visibility on Google. By synchronizing data from GMB with locator software, business owners can ensure that their data is consistent across all platforms. The platform is also free to use, providing a cost-effective way to better market your business on the internet.
Users of Google My Business will also see that members of the general public can suggest changes to a business profile, even if it has been claimed by the owner. Therefore, monitoring for new suggested changes is important. Business owners don’t own the data in the GMB profile and so it should not be used as the primary “source of truth” for business data. Instead, it should typically be viewed as a publishing platform that draws content from a locator application such as MetaLocator.
MetaLocator can publish location data directly to a GMB profile on an automatic basis. This helps ensure the profile is kept up to date. MetaLocator can also pull information from GMB. This is often useful when franchise managers or the general public is contributing information via GMB. Importing data from GMB into MetaLocator can also help reconcile gaps between internal data sources and what is found on Google, such as missing store hours or images.
There are many other benefits of integrating Google My Business with locator software, one of which is the local SEO advantage. GMB provides profiles for each location in your interface, this can increase the odds of people in your network showing up in relevant local searches.
GMB also provides its own data insights for users to take advantage of. Specifically, it shows how people are interacting with your listings. This allows admins to track metrics like views, clicks, and other various actions. This gives businesses a better understanding of customer behavior, allowing the business to find ways to better optimize their processes.
Another pro with marketing your business through GMB and locator software is GMB’s ability to provide custom branding. GMB allows users to add logos, photos, photo slideshows, promotional assets and more. Custom branding ensures that your business’ brand is consistent across all platforms. Consistent branding is key when marketing across multiple platforms, it creates a more appealing and authentic feel to customers. This enhanced professional look gives consumers a better perception of your business.
Google My Business for MetaLocator
MetaLocator provides integration with Google My Business. MetaLocator makes it simple for users to integrate their locators with Google My Business, to learn more about integrating, see our support article.
MetaLocator has its own features that allow users to create custom map colors and styles to enhance the branding presence in your locator. When paired with the branding capabilities of GMB, users can have a seamless brand experience across multiple platforms. This seamless brand experience will only improve your brand in the eyes of consumers.
One perk of Google My Business previously mentioned is that it is cost effective marketing. MetaLocator’s locator software would fall into that category as well. In general, creating a locator is an effective way to get your brand out on the internet, making it more accessible to customers.
MetaLocator also has location landing pages that fit perfectly with Google My Business by providing a unique link for each location. This is essential for search engine optimization, connecting the customer to the right location in your network and driving foot traffic.
To learn more about MetaLocator’s offerings, visit our features page.
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