Your digital guide to Google My Business posts
Running a local business comes with challenges; there is no doubt about it. As more and more consumers use mobile devices to discover local businesses, establishing an optimal digital presence becomes an inescapable necessity. Luckily, Google My Business (GMB) and Google My Business posts provide a potent, free tool to help your local business thrive. But even if you already know about GMB and use it, there’s a good chance you’re not fully using GMB posts, even though it’s one of GMB’s most lucrative features. Indeed, about 50% of businesses use GMB posts sparingly or don’t use them at all. If that’s the case for you, our Digital Dot guide to Google My Business posts may offer some valuable insight.
What is Google My Business?
GMB is a business listing on Google, which enables local businesses to increase their visibility online. This primary listing on Google is accessible in 3 locations:
- Google Search knowledge panels
- Google Maps
- Local Finder
This listing allows businesses to share crucial information with potential customers, such as:
- Opening and closing hours
- Contact information
- Address and exact map location
- Customer reviews
This information lets businesses capitalize on the staggering amounts of daily searches that Google serves and promote themselves locally. Furthermore, it’s especially mobile-friendly; an invaluable feature, given how many consumers use mobile devices for information.
We’ve previously covered how GMB can help local businesses thrive and improve their local search engine optimization (SEO). However, a key point on this subject bears repeating; GMB attracts customers who are actively looking for your type of product or service. This is a very important distinction to keep in mind.
What are Google My Business posts?
As the name implies, GMB posts are selective posts that businesses can publish online. GMB posts appear beneath a business’s aforementioned information and can offer a variety of updates for potential customers.
Furthermore, GMB posts come with CTA (Call To Action) buttons, from “learn more” to “buy now”. They can thus assist with lead conversion rates, while GMB itself enhances your local SEO. It is notable, however, that Google My Business posts last for 7 days. This time-sensitive nature means you should make every post count.
Getting started with Google My Business posts
With definitions and explanations out of the way, let us delve into how to craft optimal Google My Business Posts.
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Set up your GMB account
Naturally, you should begin by setting up your GMB account if you haven’t already. As we’ve highlighted above, this will include and display all of your vital information. Once you have done so, you may begin using posts to address your potential customers.
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Begin crafting your Google My Business posts
Once you’ve set up your GMB account, you can start crafting your Google My Business posts through the GMB dashboard. Simply click on “posts” and select your post type:
- What’s new – general information and announcements
- Events
- Offers
- Products
Depending on your intended goal, you should pick the post type that best suits your content. After doing so, you may begin adding text, visuals (images or video), and relevant CTAs.
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Add text
The text component of your Google My Business posts is arguably the most important. Thus, there are a few factors to keep in mind in terms of post text.
Characters
GMB posts have a character limit of 1500, which is usually between 250 and 300 words. However, only the first few words will appear in a snippet beneath your information. You should thus keep your message brief, even if it means using fewer characters. Try to avoid using more than 100 words, and make sure you grab the reader’s attention early.
Substance and SEO
Given the limited space, you should make sure your Google My Business posts offer substance and value. Additionally, you should strive to put keywords and the most important information as close to the top as possible. This usual SEO best practice also applies to GMB posts.
Tone
Lastly, Google My Business posts are a direct means of communication with potential customers. You should thus use an approachable, conversational tone, and try to avoid jargon and technical terms whenever possible.
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Add visuals
Visually stimulating content is always valuable, and Google My Business posts are no exception. Choose high-quality images or videos that fit your posts’ content and incite action, and add them to your post.
As you choose your visual content, keep in mind the following limitations.
Images
Images must be at least 400×300 pixels and 10kB in file size and can be up to 10,000×10,000 pixels and 25MB in file size. 750×750 pixels is usually an ideal size, but make sure to preview your images and crop them accordingly.
Video
The minimum supported resolution for GMB post videos is 720p. Videos can have a maximum duration of 30 seconds, and maximum file size of 100MB. Therefore, you should try to use short, concise, high-quality videos for the best results.
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Add CTAs
The purpose of Google My Business posts is to call to action, so you should include relevant CTAs. Your CTAs will depend on the post type you’ve selected:
- What’s new CTAs – “Learn more”, “Call Now”, etc.
- Event CTAs – “Sign Up”, “Learn More”, etc.
- Offer CTAs – “Call Now”, “Order Online”, etc.
- Product CTAs – “Buy Now”, “Order Online”, etc.
As you do, make sure that your CTAs directly match your posts’ content. In doing so you can help create trust and, eventually, foster brand loyalty.
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Preview and publish your Google My Business posts
Once you’re done crafting your posts, you may click “preview” to see how they’ll look. After you do so and finish fine-tuning your Google My Business posts’ content, you may publish them.
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Check your analytics and cross-post
Lastly, you may want to cross-post your Google My Business posts to your websites and social media profiles. Doing so can create engagement, as well as increase organic traffic to your site.
Finally, make sure you keep a close eye on your analytics. As with all content, monitoring the performance of your posts can help improve your future strategies. Pay attention to your customers’ reception and feedback, and adjust your approach accordingly.