Google My Business card: What is it and why is it worth having one?
23.07.2024
Natalia Wardzyńska, SEO Specialist
Recall a recent visit to a foreign city and the search for a restaurant with good food.
It is likely that the phone, Google search and the keyword “restaurant” were in motion. After a while, suggestions for premises in the nearest location were displayed. This was followed by a quick decision on the most suitable one and the choice of route to the premises. Consider now under what circumstances and how potential customers might come to your company. The “Google My Business” service, commonly referred to as a “business card on Google” or a “pin on Google Maps,” can help.
Google My Business card: What is it?
Google My Business Card is a profile of your business that allows you to decide what information about your business will be visible in the search engine and Google Maps. It allows you to share basic data about your business, including: company name, location, opening hours, contact information and feedback from customers who have used your offer. You can also add a menu if you run a restaurant. With a business card, you can also interact with your customers by responding to their feedback or inquiries.
Is there a fee for a Google business card?
Creating an account in Google My Business, and thus having a business card, is completely free. Unfortunately, more and more scammers are appearing online, usually claiming to be Google employees or agencies working with the company. Among their most popular tactics are, for example, charging a visibility or renewal fee for a business card and asking for payment of an invoice, failure to pay of which will cause the company to disappear from Google Maps.
If you experience this type of scam, a good solution is to report the fraudulent company or person on the google forum in the Spam and Policy Violations category.
On the other hand, if you want to use a Google business card but don’t feel like setting one up yourself, you can ask an SEO agency to set one up for you. In this case, it is not so much the business card itself that is paid for, but the time of the specialist who took care of this task for you.
Google My Business card – why should you have one?
Having a Google My Business card has many benefits. Above all, it helps with local promotion and attracting new customers. With this tool, you can generate hits to your company’s website or, if you have a physical location, you can attract more customers to it. It is a convenient tool for your potential customers. From the search engine itself, they can obtain basic information, such as the opening hours of your company.
Google Business Card also allows you to add and publish posts with which you can inform your potential and existing customers about new products, as well as current promotions and discounts. By responding to user feedback, you have the chance to build trust among customers and improve the image of your business.
It’s also worth remembering that setting up a business card can have a positive impact on the SEO performance of the company website itself. A properly configured business card is always an additional link to the company portal and a step towards building your brand’s credibility in the eyes of Google.
Google business card – how to set up?
Create a corporate Google account
If you don’t already have one. To create a business card, it is best to use a Google account that belongs to a company, not a specific person. So that access to it is not lost with personnel changes.
Sign in to your company’s Google account
Go to https://www.google.com/intl/pl_pl/business/ and start setting up your account.
The first step this tool will take you through
is to check whether, by any chance, there is already a business card set up in the name of your company. If such a situation has occurred, you can ask to take over such an account.
In the next step, provide the full name of your company, the categories of activity and the services provided.
The company name should correspond to the name functioning in the real world, i.e. the one from the website, letterhead and known to customers. Without any other additions in the form of industry, advertising slogans, the name of the city, writing in capital letters alone, etc. Choose categories that specify the type of company rather than the services it provides. In other words, don’t list the individual services and products provided.
Then provide basic contact information (address, phone number and website address).
To improve visibility in Google, it is especially important to add a website address. Do not provide URLs that cause a redirect or lead to another site (such as a page created on a social networking site).
The final step is the verification of the business card.
The easiest way to verify it is via SMS or email.
After verification, the business card starts working.
However, this is not the end of the possible configuration. In the next steps, you can add more relevant information about the company: additional business categories, opening hours, company description and photos (logo, products, office space).
Google business card – positioning
Referrals to a business card on Google Maps, like websites, can climb up in search results. Their position in the search engine depends on three factors: distance, recognition and relevance.
“Distance” is determined by the user’s location. This means that if you type the phrase “bakery” into a search engine, Google will show you the bakeries nearest to you. “Recognition” depends on a company’s visibility for a typed keyword and is related to the SEO efforts of the company’s website. “Relevance,” on the other hand, determines how well the business card and the content it contains match the search term.
Here’s how to improve your business card’s positioning in Google results:
Contact information
Complete the basic contact information (company name, address, phone),
Logo
Add a logo and up-to-date photos of your company with geo-tagging,
Pin
remember to place the pin precisely,
Structural data
apply structured data to your website,
Company Description
Take care to create unique content for your company description,
Feedback
take care of positive reviews (you can ask your customers to give them),
Posts
publish posts regularly.
Google My Business card – summary
Free Google My Business Card is a great way to promote your business on search engine and Google Maps. It is an essential solution if you emphasize local positioning. With a Google business card, you will not only increase the chance of getting new customers, but also make it easier for existing ones to contact your company. Use the tips in the text now, and you will not wait long for the first results!
