There are reasons why some businesses succeed and why some fail. In the online world, it is way more challenging. The ones that succeed surely are doing something distinctive and special that the others are not doing. Online businesses that are doing well have several common components and one of the top ones is that they take care of their business listing. It is not merely about listing your business online. It is about doing it in the right and the most optimized manner.

From having a website to being active on social media, you need to ensure that your listing online is done with finesse. There are hundreds of places online where your business can be listed and at each place, it requires to be done with accuracy to get better traction.

Google Business Listing is one of the first things you need to do so that the chances of your ranking in the local SEO are high. Therefore, you need to claim your Business Listing on Google and update it immediately.

There are five things that all successful businesses must ensure online for optimized Google Business Listing.

Own your business listing on Google

One of the first tasks that you need to do is to claim your listing on Google and ensure that the information here regarding your business is complete, accurate, and professionally done.

• You would be surprised to note that not even 50% of online businesses have their information updated on Google listings.
• The other important data that has come from Womply states that businesses that ensure that they are listed accurately on more sites run the chance of making more money by at least 58%.

Google My Business Listing is free. Completing it with data and information about your business is a simple task. You simply need to make sure that the information is entered in each relevant field and it is updated.

The other thing about keeping your Business Listing on Google updated is that you should keep checking the listing information once every week or twice every month. You would be surprised to know that many businesses do the task as a one-time event, later on, to realize that the information displaying on their Business Listing is redundant, or critical information is missing. As a result, potential customers are unable to reach them or emails are bouncing and the competition is benefitting.

Make sure that the Google Listing has updated images of your business, products, or services

Make it a point to include a few top-quality photographs and images in your Google Business Listing. Why? It is because people who come to your website would like to see images of the inside and the outside of your office, factory, workshop, shop, and workplace. It is considered to be one of the best practices for conducting online business.

While we all have smartphones and smart devices to capture good looking images, it is also advisable that you use the services of a professional photographer to get the most impressive pictures for your business. The focus should be on using high-resolution images.

Ensure that the images uploaded give a 360-degrees view of your business, branding, products, and services – the objective is to create a desire in the customer to visit your website or offline store.

Customer reviews should be a mandatory part of the Listing

When do Business Listings come into play? When a potential customer is looking for a business type like yours; with customer reviews a part of your basic profile, you can use the opportunity to make a positive impression on the client. Make sure that you display reviews that have good ratings. However, also do ensure that the reviews come across as honest feedback and not promotional.

Remember, the customer today is highly aware and sensitive – so display comments that respect consumerism in the right manner.

Another key feature that many online businesses miss out when they go in for Business listing is to show the potential customer an interactive dialogue between you and the customer reviewing your services. When the Google map included in your profile is clicked, new customers can drill down the different reviews featured on your listing and go through the entire conversation happening between your business and the customer. This feature shows to the customer how serious you are about your customer reviews and the extent to which your brand is involved in customer engagement.

While updating the contact details on your Listing, remember to update the description of your business too

A short description is what you are allowed on your Google Business Listing. Make use of the space smartly. You may not have to use the best of language or display your English skills, but ensure that this space is used in the most relevant manner to speak to the potential customer who does not know you. It is not your website; this is the platform that is going to be the first point of interaction between you and your customer.

Do not forget to fill up the optional fields too

This helps you in providing more information about your business to your prospective customers. Many businesses shy away from filling up these fields. This is a lost opportunity to impress and strike a chord with your would-be customer.

Remember the more detailed the information is about your business online at the Listing page, the higher the chances of the search engine finding your site and ranking it high on the search result page. Also, it gives a very professional look that most customers expect from businesses that they are keen to buy from or work with.

Conclusion

Following these five steps whole-heartedly can help your business remain at the forefront of rankings on Google SERP.

Simultaneously remember to make your business listing strong and accurate on other sites like Bing, Apple Maps, Facebook, and so on. Be everywhere, wherever your listing can help you get maximum traction from search engines.

Whatever information you put up, ensure that it is one hundred percent correct and consistent across all channels. From minute details like spellings to greater detailing like high-res pictures, do it all to leave a good taste in the minds of the customer.