Google My Business Optimization Q&A
Our 3 Most Asked Questions
What is Google My Business?
Our whole website is filled with facts about Google My Business, but we know if you did not know Google My Business was a thing until visiting our site, it still may be confusing to you.
Another way to think of it is as a 'contact card' of the most basic and important information regarding your business.
It is a web property specific to your business just like your website, business Facebook page, Yelp listing, and many, many others.
The major difference is, this web property is on Google's platform. There is no way any information you supply here will be misinterrupted by Google (less human error on input) and they value this information more than any other source because they have 'vetted' your business during the verification process.
If your business does not have a Google My Business created, there is no way it can show on Google Maps or in the Map Pack at the top of Google search results.
How long to see results?
Within one to two weeks you can expect to see noticable improvements while viewing your Google My Business Insights analytics.
You will continue to see gradual improvement for the next several months just from our initial service.
If you follow our ongoing maintenance guide, you can expect to keep this momentum going indefinitely.
Think of 'Insights' as Google Analytics for your Google My Business. Insights is a section within your Google My Business where you can view analytical data such as:
- Search queries used when your business shows in the Local Pack
- How many times you have shown in the Local Pack
- How many times you have shown on Google Maps
- How many 'clicks to call' your business received from these listings
- How many times someone requested directions
- How many times someone clicked through to your website
- And more
Are results guaranteed?
It has worked very well for every single business we have performed this service for.
We would be lying to you if we said we could 'guarantee' it will work.
Google guards their ranking factors fiercely with new search engine competitors like DuckDuckGo gaining traction.
The founder of GMB Doc started performing SEO for local businesses in 2012. One thing he knows for sure is that the #1 thing you can do is test and measure when it comes to getting results online whether it is ranking organically, ad copy, image choice, or which CTA is better, etc. etc.
We are reasonable people. We trust you are too. If you are not happy with your results and your Google My Business Insights reflect little to no improvement as well, there is a good chance we will give you a partial or even full refund. We will worry about this if this situation ever occurs...
All we know is we saw a need for this niche service after working on websites and performing SEO services for businesses across the country in a multitude of industries. If you are unable to perform this service yourself, we would like to do it for you so you don't miss out on all the potential leads we are extremely confident it will bring.
GMB Q&A
Why is my Google My Business so important?
Recent case studies show Google My Business profiles accounting for 30% of the ranking factor for local businesses. That is a good enough reason for us!
But, even crazier than that, people searching for your product or service will often find your Google My Business listing before ever finding your website because it is shown at the top of the search results. They can literally click to call your business right from the search results, along with getting directions, viewing your hours, seeing reviews, and much more.
Is there a cost to Google My Business itself?
No there is not, but what is the cost of missing out on all the leads that would be viewing your business if your Google My Business was fully optimized by a professional local SEO service like GMB Doc.
Can I optimize my Google My Business myself?
You certainly can and we are happy to share some tips and tricks.
We did just start GMB Doc in early 2019, but our parent company has worked with 100’s of business’ with their online presence. We have not found a Single Google My Business that was optimized to the extent we optimized Google My Business profiles.
Where can I find more info on Google My Business?
We recommend getting your advice straight from Google to insure the information you consume is accurate! Here is a link: Official Google My Business Help
Is there a Google My Business app?
Yes, of course. Download the Google My Business app here:
Do I need a Google My Business if I have a website?
Yes. Google My Business profiles are excellent for getting more traffic to your website, assuming they don’t contact you after finding your Google My Business and skip your website! That happens a lot!
If you do have a website and we perform your service, you will be able to see the amount of traffic your Google My Business is sending to your website within your Google Analytics account via the tracking code we install.
What if I serve clients at their location?
No worries. Google understands some service-based businesses don’t want their location displayed for whatever reason. You have the option to only show your city, state, and ZIP code instead of your full address*.
*We highly recommend you show your physical address even if it is your home! The visibility of your Google My Business profile is greatly diminished if you are not willing to display your address. This is also a red flag for potential customers.
How do I claim my Google My Business profile?
All you need to do is sign up. Here is the link that will take you to Google My Business’ sign up/login page:
Click ‘Manage Now’ and enter the basic information it will ask about your business.
How do I verify my business with Google My Business?
To verify your business, all you need to do is follow the simple steps as described on the postcard Google will send to your business address.
Service FAQs
Do I need a website to do this?
No, you do not!
We are internet fanatics and highly encourage you to consider getting a website created for your business, but you do not need a website to claim and verify your Google My Business.
If you would like a website professionally designed for conversions and optimized for search engines, we obviously recommend our parent company Optimized, LLC.
Learn More: Visit Optimized SEO and Websites
How much does your optimization service cost?
Our service is available in 3 tiers: $100, $200, & $300
$100 – Basic optimization including everything in the ‘info’ tab of Google My Business and image optimizations.
$200 – Complete optimization including everything included in our Basic optimization plus a video and Q’s and A’s.
$300 – Every included in the Basic and Complete optimization plus 15 additional citations will be created for your business to boost the confidence search engines have in your business’s NAP (Name, Address, & Phone) across the web.
Why should I pay you to do this for me?
We are honestly afraid you will lose more money over time than you will save attempting to do this yourself. Not to mention you should be focusing on what you do best to continue growing your business.
We have worked on 100’s of businesses online presence through our parent company Optimized.
Zero, literally, not a single 1 of our clients had an optimized Google My Business listing before our service.
Every business in our family of businesses only has 5-star reviews. This is because we are really good at what we do. They all focus on a niche service in internet marketing land, just like GMB Doc focuses on
Saving our fee and attempting to do this yourself would honestly be a disservice to your business, not to mention yourself, your family, your employees, and potential new customers that can’t find your business online when they need it.
How long until I see results?
Honesty is the best policy! In as little as a week or possibly up to 3-6 months.
There are a number of factors as to why this time frame varies so greatly. The bottom line is these optimizations are taking place on Google’s platform so they should notice them quickly and value them.
Any type of SEO work takes some time to see the results, but we are 100% positive Google will only respond positively to your Google My Business being fully populated just as they would like.
Is there any way to measure your services success?
You can monitor your Google Analytics, or any other analytic software you may be using, to compare the before and after to measure any difference in traffic.
When we perform your service, we use a tracking link so you will be able to see how many people clicked through from your Google My Business profile to your website in your Google Analytics account.
Google My Business also provides ‘Insights’ which you can find while logged into your Google My Business account. Google My Business Insights is like a stripped down quick-look version of Google Analytics but specific to your Google My Business page’s performance.
What if I don't currently have a Google My Business?
No worries. We can set this up for you or provide you with instructions to do it yourself.
What if my Google My Business is not verified?
If your Google My Business is not currently verified, all you need to do is log in to your Google My Business and follow the instructions.
99% of the time Google will require your business to be verified by postal mail, but sometimes you may have the option to verify using your business phone number or another method.
Q&A About Us
What experience does GMB Doc have?
GMB Doc team members have 20+ years of combined experience coding and optimizing websites.
The owner is self-taught and owns a suite of internet businesses that passively create income as he continues to start and grow his new businesses like GMB Doc.
The employees hold numerous degrees including Information Technology, Computer Science, Cyber Security, and Informatics. Not related at all, but we do have a nurse practitioner on staff! That is why we are GMB Doc!
How many clients have you worked with?
The GMB Doc service has been performed on 50+ websites and we have 18 of them displayed on our website ranking in the search results since the last website update. Our business opened in February 2019, so cut us some slack!
Update: We are performing this service for 3-10 clients per day now.
What else do you do?
We have 2 more advanced services we offer clients once paid in full. There is no obligation to use the additional services, but we want to make sure you know they are available and why you may want to consider having us perform them for your business.
We don’t tell anyone what these services are because seriously very few people/companies know what we know and we want only our clients to reap the benefits of our specialized knowledge.
Visit Optimized SEO and Websites if you are interested in other online presence management services.
Can I see your reviews online?
Yes, you can.
View them on our website: GMB Doc Reviews
View them on Google: GMB Doc Reviews on Google
Can we talk on the phone?
Absolutely!
We don’t display our phone number due to automated spam calls and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. It was starting to interfere with our ability to complete our clients’ services in a timely manner.
Email webmaster@gmbdoc.com with your phone number and we will give you a call. If you can’t answer, we will leave a voicemail and respond to your email with our phone number.
Thanks for understanding.
Can I schedule a time to discuss details?
For sure! It would be great if you could use the appointment scheduler on our website, but feel free to email us some dates and times that work for you if you are not comfortable using the scheduler.
We are based in Cincinnati and are on Eastern Standard Time.
See Our Clients Ranking in the Local Pack
I had never been in the local pack before using GMB Doc’s optimization service… What a difference! My phone rings now!
Sam Jenkins | Atlanta, GA