On June 2014, Google officially introduced Google My Business (GMB), a free integrated tool that allows businesses and organizations to create and manage their online presence across Google properties, such as Maps and Search.
GMB replaced Google+ Local and Google Places for Business – both of which were considered highly confusing by local SEO professionals and business owners alike.
Since its launch, GMB has enabled small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to easily control their online business information and interact with both current and potential customers.
We wanted to know who business owners entrust to run their Google My Business page, so we conducted a poll with the Search Engine Journal Twitter community using the hashtag #SEJSurveySays.
Who Runs Your Google My Business Page?
According to the poll results from our Twitter audience, 82 percent said that their SEO team manages their GMB page, while only 18 percent responded that their social team handles it.
We were also curious about who handles their Google Plus page – another Google platform – so we asked a follow-up question.
How about your Google Plus Page?
Similarly, 57 percent of our Twitter poll respondents mentioned that their SEO team runs their Google Plus page, whereas 43 percent indicated that they let their social team manage it. Given that Google Plus is still viewed by many as a social media platform, it’s interesting to note that most businesses prefer their SEO teams to manage their Google Plus page.
Making the Most Out of Google My Business for Local SEO
Google continually improves Google My Business. Recent updates include:
- Enhancing GMB reporting capabilities to track the number of returning customers and identify the most popular times for a business.
- Automating ownership conflict resolution for GMB listings.
- Introducing Google Posts, allowing small businesses to publish messages directly to their GMB listing.
- Enabling account owners to manage their GMB listing directly from Google Search results.
- Allowing customers to take direct action from a GMB listing.
- Launching a new booking button that allows businesses to take bookings directly through GMB.
If you’re looking to enhance your local search efforts, make sure to fully optimize your Google My Business listing today.
Additionally, here are a few more resources from our contributors that can help you perfect your local SEO strategy:
- A Guide to Local Search Optimization
- A Complete Local SEO Checklist
- 52 Local SEO Strategies for SMBs
Have Your Say
Who runs your Google My Business and Google+ pages? Tag us on social media and share your thoughts. Check out the hashtag #SEJSurveySays on Twitter for future polls and data.
Image Credits
Charts created by Shayne Zalameda
