Should I Bother With Google My Business?

[MarketingDoctor]

Since Google launched Google+ back in 2011, it’s been viewed by online marketers and sellers as something of a contradiction… it looks a lot like a social network, but it doesn’t work as well as Facebook or LinkedIn for lead generation or customer acquisition.

Then Matt Cutts (head of spam prevention at Google) told everyone that “if you ignore Google+, Google will ignore you.”

Based on that cryptic quip, many people rushed to sign up for Google+ accounts. They just didn’t quite know what to do with them.

A few key online marketers seemed to get what Google+ was about, but their voices were mostly drowned out by the naysayers, demonstrating once again that “the emptiest vessel makes the most noise”.

Then the head of Google+ was fired and things seemed to stall and become even more confused. In the meantime, Google Places became Google+ Local, but without a clear explanation from Google as to what the latest changes meant.

So we all muddled onward, trying to make sense of it all, and to capitalise on whatever we each thought Google+ was all about.

In late 2014 Google informed us that Google Places and Google+ Local were now being merged into a NEW platform… Google My Business.

In the months since launch, Google My Business has coalesced into a cogent, effective platform that brings ALL of Google's online services together in a powerful, intelligent, synergistic way that can deliver serious marketing clout for any business wanting to boost results from its online presence and outcomes.(Apologies for that jawbreaker!)

I’m interested in hearing YOUR experiences with Google My Business in the real world. Is it working for you?

Are you seeing worthwhile results…

• In your traffic?
• Your lead generation?
• Customer acquisition?
• Customer retention/loyalty?
• Sales volumes?
• Profitability?

[mairajassy]

Yeah this is amazing to share such a useful information Google business and it importance...:

[bhartzer]

Yes, since it's Google, and if you have a local business (with a physical location), you just can't ignore it. In fact, you have to have a listing or at least have control over your listing and presence--or someone else might claim it for you.

[Local Mixed]

Absolutely. Google My Business is essential for any small business - not only because it is a Google product, but because Google uses the information that you enter for it's local search results. So it is imperative that you set it up correctly, pick the right categories and have the correct NAP (Name, Address, Phone).

You might not use it and market on G+ like you do Facebook, but the Google My Business page is all the benefit you need.

[dimsum]

if you have google+, it appears on the search results. Same goes for youtube.

[floyd.figueroa]

I haven't tried to measure if any of my clients have come from my local listing but I certainly spent some time setting it up. It's a good opportunity to be found by a potential client for free. So why not to use it?

[Mason Nettles]

Yes Google + is a big pain and not many "customers" come from it. Google indexes content from G+ daily if not faster. How does this help you? If you post a webpage/article it may take six months to show in the SERPS. If you share the link on your Google page it is indexed much faster.

Google (#1 search engine) owns Youtube (#2 search engine) That's 75ish % of all web traffic in the US. How do you think your customers are going to find you if you don't tell Google who you are NAP. The news paper doesn't cut it anymore.

Wait until they come out with Google Air-have to pay them to breath

[anond]

Absolutely. See, the higher number of times you appear on the search results page, the greater is your chance of getting seen. Google Business is critical for appearing in the local pack.

And now, I also personally believe, sometime down the line, Google could replace all organic listings with just the local pack results - at least on the mobile. Think about it : a lot of times, the same websites appear twice in the organic and local packs. It is just not user-friendly. If Google knows my location, it would rather just display local pack and not organic results. But again, that's my speculation. Take it with a pinch of salt.

[JoeInTheMiddle]

I would strongly recommend having your business set up on Google+.
It increases how much exposure you'll get in Google search, especially for local and branded searches. But it also has another valuable function. One that I believe many marketers overlook. And that's Google Maps! Not only does ranking in the maps search box increase your appeal to clients, but they can also see where your business is. They can also get directions to it, which is massively beneficial when you're holding an event at your premises or have new clients coming for a meeting.

Joe.

[jeffscott]

Originally Posted by MarketingDoctor

Matt Cutts (head of spam prevention at Google) told everyone that “if you ignore Google+, Google will ignore you.”

I don't think so. It doesn't mean that if you ignore Google+ the search engine will also ignore you. There are some online business with no Google+ feature or not aware of it but still ranking top in the searches with driving traffic from the targeted users.