If you want your business to have a strong digital footprint, then you want to make sure that you are making the most out of your Google My Business listing.
One step you can take to optimize your listing isto take advantage of Google’s attributes to describe your business.
Google lets business owners identify specific services, features and other qualities about their business that allow their listings to show up in relevant local searches.
While many of these are crowd-sourced by Google users, business owners can add attributes themselves.
The attributes appear on your business listing in search results and on Google Maps. Some attributes, such as “Women-led” and “Outdoor seating,” also show up as badge icons in mobile listings.
As a business owner, you can select many attributes yourself. For example, if you own a restaurant, you have the ability to select attributes that describe your restaurant’s services or atmosphere.
If you are only open during the evenings and night time, then you may want to select “Dessert” and “Dinner” as attributes.
You should also specify that you do not serve Breakfast and Brunch if that's the case. It's important to make your Google My Business profile as accurate as possible.
Google users can also select attributes that they believe describe your business. This can be done by clicking “Answer quick questions” in the listing.
When users select these attributes, you are notified in your Google My Business dashboard.
It’s important to stay on top of your profile to make sure that the suggested attributes are accurate. Below is an example of Google My Business’s crowd-sourced attributes feature from the search results.
When you add attributes to your Google My Business listing, you increase the chance that your business will show up in more specific searches.
For example, when searching for “bars near me,” you will also notice some additional categories, such as “Outdoor drinks for cheap” or “Bars with live music.”
This information is gathered via Google’s attributes feature.
To add attributes to your listing, log in to your Google My Business account. Once you navigate to your business listing profile, click on “Info” in the left-hand column.
In the section below your primary listing information, like your phone number and hours, you will see a blue “price tag” icon.
Click on the editing pencil next to the blue tag to add or edit your business attributes.
Below is a list of some Google My Business Attributes. The attributes that you are able to select will depend on your business category.
While there are many attributes that you can select from your Google My Business dashboard, there are some descriptors that Google applies to your business based on what Google users think.
These attributes can be selected from the “Answer quick questions” link on your live business listing. The yes/no questions are framed to generate responses from customers, but business owners can also answer these descriptive questions.
Some examples include “Is this place easy to see from a car in traffic?” or “Is this place good for a quick shopping trip?”
You can see what past customers and Google users think about your business by navigating to the “Insights” page on your Google My Business dashboard.
Below is a compilation of some selected “hidden” attributes that you can select via the “Answer quick questions” link on your business listing:
Third-party local directory sites, like Google My Business, are valuable because they help customers (and search engines) find you online. But, it's important to ensure that your business information is as accurate as possible.
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Originally published 11/5/19