To set up Google my business in South Africa easy and free but you also have an option to get someone to set it up on your behald like a marketing agency. To have a Google business profile helps you to get in front of potential customers who are already searching for you.

Setup for Google my business in South Africa

Some of the reasons local customers don’t buy from local businesses are:

They don’t know the business exists,
Not sure what exactly the business does,
Don’t trust the business can do what they say they can do,
Not sure if the business will give them a good customer experience, and many more.

That’s why today we are talking about setup a Google my business in South Africa, so we can address these issues, its importance for businesses, a step-by-step how to do it, and lastly, a free audit to check if did it correctly.

Table of content

What is Google my business profile?
Importance to get Google my business in South Africa?
What are the requirements for listing the business on Google?
Step up Google my business in South Africa step by step
The next step optimize the Google business profile and free audit
Conclusion

What is Google my business profile (GMB)?

Google Business Profile (GBP) was previously known as Google My Business (GMB) it is a marketing tool that helps local businesses appear in Google search results by showing their business information like business name, address, phone number, photos, website, hours of operations, reviews, etc.

Not only does it give the potential customers the business information but for the business owner gives you analytics like what are your potential customers searching for, where are they coming from, how are they interacting with your profile, and many more.

To have a Google profile also improves your local SEO if you are not sure why you should even care about it click here to learn about local SEO for your business.

Don’t be the many that neglect Google business profile in South Africa

According to Safari Digital 97% of users searched online to find local businesses so I don’t know about you but it is clear that potential local customers are searching for you as a local business owner.

Importance to get Google my business in South Africa

Show up in local Google search

Remember when I said one of the reasons local customers don’t buy from local businesses is that they don’t know the local business exists that’s why showing up in Google search helps potential customers who didn’t know about you to be able to find you.

Most of the time people search for specific products or services rather than a business name that is why showing up in local Google search is so important, so you can show up in front of potential customers searching for you.

That is why setting up Google my business in South Africa means the business you are taking your business out of the place of unknown or obscurity phase. The business is getting seen by potential customers.

Builds trust

Trust is one of the reasons people don’t buy from businesses. By showing the potential customers, you can do what you say you can do by posting on your Google posts what you did or are doing and getting reviews to show other people have used your services and how their experience builds trust.

Easily accessibility

When doing a local search from a cellphone the client can call directly to the business. Having the business information readily available makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you, increasing the likelihood of visiting or calling. That is why in setting up a Google my business in South Africa you are showing potential customers your business is easily accessible.

Do I really need a Google my business profile?

Yes, by listing your business on Google your potential customers can find you because you show up in Google Maps and local search results. For your business to be listed on Google is part of a digital marketing strategy that gets you found by customers.

What are the requirements for listing the business on Google?

setting up a Google business profile in South Africa

Now that you know how important it is to get your business listed on Google let’s talk about the requirements. Not all businesses can claim a Google business profile because it is intended for ONLY for local businesses.

For example, you have a shop where customers come to buy food, and clothes, print, sell water, etc. Or you offer services like cleaning people’s yards, plumbing, painting, make-up, etc

Setup Google my business in South Africa step by step

You must have a Google account so if you don’t have one create one and sign in.

Business Name: Step 1

Please enter the correct business name as it appears in the real world and registered documents. The mistake people make is to add their services or stuff it with keywords to try and rank up please don’t do this. Click here to start a Google Business profile

Business category: Step 2

Choose the best category that represents your business after click next.

Business Address: Step 3

In this part, you choose if you want your address to show up or not. Are clients coming to you or are you going to them?

Yes (If you have a location or want people to come to your office, tuck shop, container, etc.)

NO (If you are a service business or you go to your clients like plumbers, painting, cleaning, electrician, construction, etc)

Areas your services: Step 4

NB: You can have up to 20 service areas.

The boundaries of your overall area should not extend farther than about 2 hours of driving time from where your business is based.
From Google click here to read about it => https://support.google.com/business/answer/9157481?hl=en

Phone and Website: Step 5

Add your phone number please make sure your phone number is correct
If you don’t have a website leave it blank please don’t ADD a social media link here link Facebook, Instagram etc.

Verification process start: Step 6

- Add your address and click verify later if you want to do it later OR click next to verify your listing now

Step7: Verification option

You have 3 options adding a phone number to get a code, putting an email address to get an email or business video

Code: Step 8

The verification code is sent you must now put it in and click next

Verified: Step 9

Once you are verified you will see this:

The next step is to optimize the Google business profile and free audit

Once done with verification next is optimizing your Google business profile.

Let’s first understand what optimizing is. Optimization is to make the most out of your Google business profile so it can be found.

After setting up a Google business profile in South Africa the profile must be optimized once done you can claim your free Google business profile audit.

Don’t lose customers to your competitors

Google business profile helps you get local customers to you

Get your free audit Google Business Profile today and let’s make your business be the talk of the town.

Free Audit | Let’s Work Together

Conclusion

One of the things we covered in this blog post is setting up a Google my business setup in South Africa because businesses that have NO or limited online presence are sending potential customers to their competitors.

Also understanding its importance and after have he option of getting a free Google business profile audit because Google business profile you don’t just set it up it must be optimized to increase its visibility in local search results so customers can find it.

If you have not done so already today is the day to list your business on Google to get found by local customers and local visitors!

Easy 9 setup for Google my business in South Africa