How To Optimize Your Hotel By Using Google My Business

Google is considered by many to be the ultimate online search engine. With seemingly endless resources, infinite power, and lightning speed, searching for information on Google has become so popular that "Google it" is used almost interchangeably with the verb "investigate." With the ability to connect people and businesses around the world, many hotel professionals are growing their client base and promoting their hotels using Google My Business for Hotels. In this
post, we  dive deeper into Google My Business for hotels and how it works.

We take a closer look at how the platform works, why hoteliers are benefiting from it, and  how optimizing Google My Business for hotels can reinvent your online presence.

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What is Google My Business?

Google My Business or GMB is an easy-to-use platform for businesses to manage their Google Business Profile. From a computer, tablet or smartphone, GMB can be used to communicate with hotel guests, engage with customers, update business content and manage how your business appears in Google search results.

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What does Google My Business do?

Google My Business provides a portfolio of local businesses nearby, as well as key information people are looking for related to a specific business. GMB provides Google users with specific business information such as business category, physical address, hours of operation, customer reviews and more. For example, if someone searched for "hotels in Nashville," Google would provide search results for GMB listings in Nashville. GMB listings also produce the results for search terms like "hotels near me".

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Should hotels use Google My Business?

Hotels that lack a strong online presence or that would benefit from an improved hotel digital marketing strategy should consider adding Google My Business account management to their content distribution plans. Use GMB to manage your hotel's Google profile when you:• Expand your audience's reach.

• Get more direct bookings.

• Connect with your fans.

• Boost your online presence.

• Improve guest retention.

• Improve ranking in hotel search results.

• Get important prices and visitor insights.

• Manage multiple locations simultaneously.

• Build relationships with vendors, clients and suppliers.

• Get help from a team of SEO experts if needed.

• Promote your hotel, event venue or wedding location.

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Building a Google Business Page for your hotel

In order to reap the benefits of Google My Business, hotels need an attractive, up-to-date, and accurate Google Business Page first.

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1. Claim and verify your business account.

Sign in to your hotel's Google account or sign up for a free account if you don't already have one. Start by searching for your hotel, either by company name or hotel address. Next, find and select your hotel to claim the list. Once the listing is "claimed," Google will send a notification asking you to confirm the listing by phone or email. If your hotel has already been verified as a business through Google Search Console, you can verify your hotel and start updating your page immediately.

2. Create an informative and accurate business profile.

64% of the people refer to a business's Google profile to find contact information and location details. If you want potential guests to find you and book with you, make sure your contact information is up to date and reliable means of communication are in place. for those who wish to speak to a team member at the property. When assessing the credibility of your business, Google takes inconsistencies in the information into account. Inconsistent hotel information across the web may result in your hotel appearing lower in search results.

Contact information, location, and hours of operation are retrieved from the "Business Profile" section of your business account; Please double-check this section for accuracy before posting. Make sure your hotel name, location and contact information matches your hotel signage and other hotel directories posted on the web.

3. Choose the right business category and select hotel attributes.

GMB offers a variety of business page templates based on the category or industry a business belongs to. When you select a business category, you can include category-specific features in your GMB profile and appear in search results for that category. The category “hotel” e.g. B. Tells Google to display a star rating for your hotel listing. However, selecting the Restaurant category would give a business the option to add a digital restaurant menu or a 'Make Reservation' button.

Once you have selected the best category for your hotel, you will be presented with a list of "Attributes" to choose from. Choose which hotel attributes or services you want to display on your hotel's Google My Business profile: free WiFi, on-site restaurant, free parking, pet-friendly, etc.

4. Upload photos, videos, and link other hotel pages.

Upload 7-12 professional, high-quality photos highlighting the hotel's assets. Showcase immaculate rooms, impressive hotel services, and unique landscaping where appropriate. Add a street view, 3D virtual tour or other photorealistic tours of the hotel. Link the hotel's Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok account to your Google My Business profile. Account linking helps your online audience members connect with you seamlessly from one platform to another.

Avoid including logos, stock photos, or other generic images. These images can negatively affect your page ranking. Google's algorithm tends to reject generic GMB content as it primarily focuses  on delivering high-quality, localized results. Avoid using stock content in posts, updates, or  your hotel's main profile.

5. Create a GMB account and link it to your GMB profile.

Once you've created a Google My Business profile for your hotel, create a GMB account to link the two. Visit Google.com/business and sign in with your  primary Google Account. After creating a GMB account, link the hotel's business profile to the GMB account. Now you can manage your hotel's GMB profile and content from the mobile app.

Create a Google Business Page that reflects your brand spirit, your hotel's unique services, and highlights what sets you apart from the competition. After creating a  Google My Business listing for hotels, the GMB listing will appear on the right. SERP (search engine results page) page in desktop results and under Google search ads on mobile.