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Google My Business offers more than simply a listing of businesses. It is necessary to have a free profile on Google if you want to find new clients online since it makes it simple for businesses to interact with customers on Google Search and Maps.
Visibility within a local audience is crucial for all types of businesses, especially for service-area businesses (SAB).
Let's learn how to add a service area to Google My Business. But first, let’s understand what Service Area Business is.
What is Service Area Business
These businesses go where the customers are to provide services but do not do it at their physical location. Such businesses include cleaning services and plumbers.
You are limited to one profile creation for the region you cover. You’ll be unable to change your service area if you previously configured it.
Instead, you'll need to provide a more comprehensive description of the region you'll be serving, such as a list of cities or zip codes. There's enough for up to 20 service areas.
Your general region should only encompass an area up to two hours' drive from where your business is based.
Hybrid Business: A business that provides local services to clients at its physical location and travels to client locations to give service or deliveries.
How to Manage a Service Area for Your Local Business
i) Add a Service Area to Google My Business
- The first step is setting up Google Business Profile
- Select Edit Profile
- Click Business Information
- Then choose the Location tab.
- Under “Location and areas,” Pick the pencil icon next to “Service area.”
- Enter a service area.
- Click Save.
ii) Edit or Remove a Service Area
- Open “Your Business Profile.”
- Choose “Edit Profile,” go to “Business Information,” and locate “Location and areas.”
- Tap on Edit, which includes a pencil icon next to “Service area.”
- From this point on, you may either eliminate service areas outside your business's jurisdiction, pick from suggested service areas, or enter a new service area.
- Select “Save.” Your changes can take a few days to appear in Google services, such as its search engine.
How to Optimize Your Service-area Business Listing
a) Select the Right Primary and Secondary Categories
The most crucial optimization activity you can perform is selecting the appropriate category and subcategory for your Business. Category selection determines two of the top 10 local pack rankings.
b) Upload Pictures
Pictures are crucial for SEO and making your SAB listing appear less spammy. Images will make your Google Business Profile more engaging and drive clicks since they are more eye-catching and attractive to the searcher.
Google advises submitting various pictures, including portraits of your top employees, supervisors, and team members.
c) Use Google Question and Answer
Google reviews not only assist clients in locating your establishment during a local search but also give you valuable input that enables you to offer a top-notch client experience.
Having the opportunity to reply to customer reviews is one of the benefits of controlling your Google My Business page.
Thank happy customers for their support; those with problems can address their concerns. Online reviews also assist with local SEO, which raises your company's visibility in Google searches.
d) Posts to Engage Customers
Another exciting and original technique to improve your local search results is through posts.
Write articles that contain up to 300 words. Include photos, a link, and a CTA button.
Use this section to inform search users about recent developments at your business, announce new products, or advertise special deals.
Benefits of a Service Area Business Having a Google My Business Listing
1. You can Join Google's 3-pack
Most businesses are unaware that registering a free Google My Business page may improve your rankings and increase your chances of appearing in Google's local 3-pack.
These listings appear prominently in search engine results; customers can visit your location.
Business on Google's local 3-pack receives massive more hits than those that do not, which is a more significant illustration of how crucial this is from a commercial standpoint.
2. Improves Local Search Engine Optimization
In the same way, Google uses several algorithms to rank its web pages and uses a different methodology to rank its business profiles.
You may improve your website's ranking in local search results by optimizing your Business Profile and adding keywords using your Google My Business account dashboard.
3. Engage Customers and Receive Feedback
Clients can connect with your business in various ways using the business address. You can respond to them using your Google My Business account.
You may answer queries, activate direct messaging, reply to reviews, and set up related notifications.
4. Inform the Customer about your Company.
You may add hours, a website link, items and prices, qualities, and other information that makes your business distinctive through your Google My Business account dashboard. It allows you to edit and update your Google My Business as necessary.
5. Get insights and Analysis
The Google My Business dashboard may help you learn important information about your target market and local search performance.
You can see the search terms clients use to locate your business profile on the statistics page of the platform, along with if they located you on Google Search or Google Maps.
In addition, a detailed analysis of how your listing's images are faring compared to other profiles in your niche.
6. Your Client Base will Increase
Increasing customer and website traffic is a typical difficulty for businesses. But owning a Google My Business presence will significantly increase your statistics overall.
Google My Business listings increase a business's chances of being seen in local search results, increasing the likelihood that clients would hire you. In addition, your Google My Business presence might drive additional traffic to your website.
7. It Gives You Free Advertising
Creating a Google Ads campaign is a terrific method to dominate Google, but maximizing your budget might be easier said than done.
On the other hand, a GMB listing provides a quick and cost-free method of online promotion. You receive targeted visibility on the most dependable search engine.
Optimizing your profile takes fewer hours than launching a successful sponsored search campaign.
Wrapping Up
Adding a service area to your Google My Business profile can help your business attract more customers and increase your visibility online.
By following these simple steps, you can easily add a service area to your Google My Business profile and start reaching new customers in your metropolitan area.
