2021 Guide to Optimizing Your Google My Business Profile

When Californians need to solve a pest problem, they find a local pest control company’s information in a variety of ways. According to SEO Tribunal, 97% of people get more info about a local company online than anywhere else. This is why so many pest control companies run marketing campaigns to show up higher in organic search engine results (through SEO) or run ads on popular Websites (with Display Ad Retargeting).

There’s one place that prospects often look for information, however, that doesn’t cost you a penny.

Modern businesses keep their details updated on their Google My Business listing. This area of Google shows up when you search for a company by name, or when you search for pest control services in the Maps (it’ll show you a list of nearby companies).

Regardless of how customers make their way to a pest removal or pest prevention listing, it’s essential that you are keeping yours up-to-date and optimizing it by 2021 standards. Here is our guide to staying on top of GMB so that you’re putting your company’s best foot forward in ‘local pest control’ search results.

Step One: Claim What’s Yours

Before you go to Google My Business to set up your listing, it’s important to check if your listing already exists. Even if no one at your company has ever set this up, it’s possible that Google already created a location based on a variety of data they have (it is Google, after all!). What you want to avoid is creating an additional listing and clogging up your local area with multiple listings for the same pest control company.

Sign into Google My Business with a Google account that your team will know to use. Then, when it prompts you to ‘Find and manage your business,’ search for your company. If yours shows up, you can claim it there.

Note that it’s possible that someone else is managing your pest control listing. Before you assume the worst, it may just be that it was in another account of yours or a past marketing company of yours managed it. Either way, you can always ‘Request Access’ to the listing. Google will send a request to whomever is managing your listing, and if that person doesn’t respond in a week (they often don’t!) – the listing is yours!

Step Two: Update Your Info

One of the most important steps to optimizing your profile is to add accurate info to the listing. While this process can seem simple, we want to outline some important bits to get right:

• Address: If your pest control company does business at a specific location (meaning you have an office) add the address where people can find you. If your business works within a Service Area, you can choose not to add an address, and instead add a list of under 20 cities/counties. Google will create a map of your Service Area to give prospects an idea of where you serve.
  
  Strategy tip: Are you interested in showing up high in Google Maps results? Note that Google will give preference to companies that are physically close to the searcher or the search term area. Having an address may give you preference over a Service Area business.
  
• Special Hours: This area lets you adjust hours for specific dates (holidays, professional days) so that you don't have to sign in to GMB every time your business is closed. Be proactive and let Google know which holidays you will be closed for. This will minimize surprises when a prospect wonders whether to drive to your location or give you a call.
  
  
• Shortname: This field lets you create an easy-to-remember link for when you want to direct customers to your listing so that they can find your location or leave you a review. Google even suggests options for you based on your company name.
  
  Market Hardware has a shortname, which makes it easier to ask our clients to leave reviews! Example: https://g.page/markethardware/review?gm
  
  
• URL and Appointment Links: Considering that all online marketing strategies should be leading prospects to your Website, it’s key that you get this one right. Make sure you add the correct link to your homepage when submitting your URL; there shouldn’t be an ‘https’ or a ‘www’ out of place!
  
  Your appointment link is a great opportunity to send customers to a place where they can easily contact you. Even if you don’t set appointments over the Web, at least link them to a page where you have a contact form – or even just a page with your phone number prominent.
  
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