Google My Business -New SEO Choice

Every business owner with a website is looking for ways to get noticed in the search results. Today, there are loads of tactics to rank well as a local business, but there is no silver bullet: as with most SEO issues, this is a combined effort. One of these pieces of the local SEO puzzle is Google My Business, a dashboard for managing listings. But what is it exactly and why is it so important for local SEO?

To achieve digital marketing success by leveraging a location-based strategy, most seasoned SEO professionals start at the same place: creating a Google My Business listing.  

 Google My Business (GMB) — the free tool from Google that helps business owners manage their online .

Learn how to set up, use and get the most out of Google My Business!
With Google handling more than two trillion searches a year, and nearly half of those having local intent, it’s safe to say that having a local presence for your business is huge.
And that all starts with a Google My Business listing.
Well, here is an excellent opportunity to harness all the persuasive power of Google My Business Platform, claim your business on Google Maps, building your website’s authority and boost your business 
Local consumers are increasingly searching online for shops, grocery stores, restaurants, car dealers, realtors and other businesses in their local area. According to Google, four out of five people use search engines to find local information, like a company’s business hours, address, phone number, online reviews, busy times and more.

Your local SEO is critical, even with Google My Business

So, you should activate and maintain your My Business account, and make it awesome. But to get the most out your listings and to get good rankings, you must have your site in order as well. Optimize every part of it. Create local content for your chosen keyword and business location. Acquire quality local backlinks to build up a solid link profile. Ask customers to review your business onsite or on My Business. Make sure your listing is active and attractive. Dead profiles are no good.

 Google My Business 

Have You Taken a Look at Google’s Local Listing Platform? 

Google’s new listing platform “Google My Business” has replaced Google+ Local and Google Places; instead, you will use Google My Business to manage your search, Maps, and Google+ account all from this ONE convenient location. Getting a local business listed on Google My Business (GMB) and other online directories is one of the fastest and easiest ways to get a local business to start showing up for local search results on Google.
Before we dive in further, let’s take a look at some facts:
• 72% of consumers who perform a local search visit a store within 5 miles distance.
• 50% of local searches lead to store visits within one day.
• 78% of Local mobile searches result in an offline purchase.
• 51% of smartphone users have discovered a new company or product when searching from their smartphone.
• More Google Searches takes place on mobile devices then on computers in 10 countries including US and Japan.
• Businesses with detailed and complete online Google My Business listings are twice as likely to be considered reputable by consumers. 
• Adding photos to your business listing will drive 42% more requests for driving directions on Google Maps and 35% more clicks to your website.
In today’s digital marketing and advertising economy, Google is the number one way that your prospects and new customers are going to gather information about your business.
In this high-impact Training Guide, we’ll walk you through the exact process of making a successful Google My business profile step by step and optimizing it for best performance.