Imagine that your friend has just had a dinner at a local restaurant and he simply loved the food and the ambience of that place. He has now recommended you that place and tonight you plan to go there. Your friend just told you the name of the place and nothing else.

So, what would be the next step you would take? But obvious you Google it! You immediately known the exact address on the map, working hours and phone number. You would then simply call that place through the phone number provided and book a table for dinner. Done right?

Well, you did not visit the website, their Facebook page, Google reviews or any other thing that you would have normally done. You simply visited the ‘my business’ page, booked an appointment and got done with it.

This is the exact behaviour shown by millions of users everyday. They simply visit the Google My Business page and get done with their activity, without much research on any other website or social media pages.

While Google started the ‘my business’ page or Google ‘Places’ as it was earlier called, quite some time ago, the benefits of this tool have started showing its importance since the recent past. More so, with the demise of G+, Google My Business as suddenly become a must have I any local marketers ammunition.

So what exactly is the importance of having a Google My Business page?

• Improved website ranking – Having a My business page activated helps businesses improve their local search rankings even without actually having a website! Since the My Business page is all about precision results and that too in a local area, it is a must have.
• Information Control – As a business owner, you get the authority to own the information being displayed there. It could be like working hours, payment modes, contact details, address, menus/offerings, prices, pictures and reviews. Essentially, for a local business, this is the most searched information unlike normal Google searches which are in-depth. You get the control over all this and the customer can see the entire thing in one go.
• Single click conversion – If a customer is looking for a place that has been highly recommended by someone, then the quantum of research done is generally very low. In such a case, why would a brand want a customer to visit the website first and then know the contact numbers. These additional clicks may lead to customer loss due to the extra effort needed. But with Google My Business, converting a customer who already has you in the consideration set is extremely easy. One click and you win the customers.
• Manage reviews better – My Business is one place where users can give their reviews. Also as a business owner, you can respond to such user comments. This makes My Business an ideal platform to connect with real customers who may already have you in their consideration set.
• One more opportunity to connect – Agreed that having a website, social media pages etc is important, but if being present through maximum channels is the objective, then Google My Business is a must have thing. It is not only free, but also allows a dialogue to happen and assists in local SEO activities as well.

While we at Become Digital Today don’t recommend things like registering on every Tom, Dick and Harry listing to our customers as they generally don’t yield result, Google My Business listing is one thing that we definitely recommend every local brand to do. It is far superior and far essential to do in comparison to the innumerable free (and useless) listings available on the net.  We are certain that you will never ever regret to have created a Google My Business account.