Marketing
How To Use Google My Business for Your Restaurant
August 3, 2018
How to manage and improve your restaurant’s presence on Google’s platforms
How many times have you heard the phrase, “just Google it?” It’s what most of us do when looking for information online, including figuring out where we want to eat tonight. With untold numbers of potential customers just a few clicks away from finding your restaurant online, it’s important that your business stands out in search results. How?
Tools like Google My Business are at your fingertips to help, and we’ve outlined the basics of what you need to know about this online resource.
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business is a free service that helps all kinds of businesses manage their presence across Google’s different products and platforms. Setting up a Google My Business profile creates a snapshot of your restaurant that appears in search results and on platforms such as Google Maps and Search. In many instances, a profile has already been created through suggestions from online visitors, so a business might need to claim it in order to update the information.
Why is it important to use Google My Business?
Claiming your Google My Business profile puts you in control of how your restaurant appears across Google platforms. You can keep key information that guests might be searching for online— like menus, hours, contact info and photos— up-to-date. When you don’t claim your profile, it opens the door for users not associated with your business to add suggested information to your profile, which might be incorrect or not reflective of your true restaurant experience.
With COVID-19, guests are looking for more ways to order directly online. It's important to not only claim but to optimize your listing to include links to online ordering to capitalize on driving more orders.
Whiskey Kitchen uses LocalSync to automatically make updates to their Google My Business profile.
What do you need to know about operating your profile?
Keeping your profile current helps give your restaurant an edge on how it appears in local rankings. Posting photos, engaging with guests through Google Reviews and uploading your updated menus are other great ways to increase your discoverability on Google. Using tools like BentoBox’s LocalSync makes those updates even easier because it allows you to sync information directly from your restaurant website. The more accurate your information is on your profile, the better chances you have for a good local ranking.
Want to learn more about LocalSync and how you can improve your restaurant’s local rankings? Get in touch today!
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