How to Use “Google My Business” to Get More Customers in Restaurant
Khalid Hassan Emran
23 minutes read 
No matter where you start your business, you’ll miss out on a huge customer segment if you can’t be found through Google search.
Do you know that on a daily basis, Google performs nearly 99,000 searches per second, which amounts to 8.5 billion searches every single day.?
I think now you can understand the importance of Google for your business.
What did I mean by this? The fact is, if you own or manage a restaurant, you should establish a Google My Business (GMB) profile for your business, regardless of whether your restaurant is located online or offline. By setting up a Google My Business profile for your business, you can improve local search engine optimization, Google maps marketing, customer acquisition strategies, and help people to find your business when they search for it online.
The goal of this blog is to give you a clear understanding of how to optimize your Google My Business (GMB) profile for your restaurant to get it listed on the first page of Google as soon as possible after reading this blog. 🙌
♨️ Benefits of Google My Business for Restaurants
Did you know that your Google Profile acts like a virtual storefront? Clients can easily find your working hours, pictures, reviews, and contact information. But why stop there? By using Google Business Profile, you can enhance your profile on Google listing, reach more local clients with SEO, track your marketing effectiveness, and improve client engagement by replying to reviews, publishing posts, and answering any questions about your business.
👉 Let’s explore the benefits:
- Increased visibility on Google search and maps
- Manage and update information like hours, location, and contact details.
- Opportunity to showcase photos and videos of the restaurant
- Ability to respond to customer reviews and engage with customers
- Option to create and promote special offers or events
- Integration with Google Ads for targeted advertising
- Insights and analytics on customer engagement and search performance
- Ability to add menus and online ordering options
- Increased credibility and trust with customers through Google verification
- Access to customer insights and trends to improve business strategies.
🧩 How to Use Google My Business to Get More Restaurant Customers
If you want to attract more restaurant visitors to your restaurant through Google My Business, it is very important that you optimize your listing in order to provide accurate and detailed information about your restaurant in your listing. Including high-quality photos of your dishes and establishment can also attract potential customers.
Making a Google My Business profile is a very simple process. These simple steps will help you set up your own GMB account.
🛠️ Google My Business Setup (GMB Profile) for Restaurant
To create a GMB profile, follow these easy steps:
➡️ Go to the Google My Business website and sign in with your Google account.
➡️ Enter your business name.
➡️ Choose your business type.
➡️ Add your business website.
➡️ Choose your business category.
➡️ Enter the address of the place you’d like people to see or visit.
➡️ Choose the specific store location on the google map to help people find you.
➡️ Verify your business by phone, email, or mail.
➡️ Add your business hours based on your service availability.
➡️ Optimize your GMB profile by adding photos, a business description, and other relevant information.
🎯 Optimizing Your Profile
Once you have set up your GMB profile, you can manage and update it anytime. This will help your business appear more prominently in Google search results and attract more customers.
- Identify your business by its true name.
- Make sure you list a local phone number. The key signal is that you’re a real local business. Using call tracking, enter the tracking number in the primary slot.
- Ensure that your business hours are accurate.
- Write a compelling description. Give people a sense of who you are.
- Don’t forget to upload lots of high-quality pictures
- Video uploads are welcome. Please limit videos to 30 seconds or less and no more than 100 megabytes in size.
🔍 Getting Discovered on Google Search and Maps
➡️ The first thing you’ll notice about Google search results is that your restaurant appears in the upper right corner.
➡️ Your restaurant’s location will be displayed on Google Maps, and it will also appear in Google’s local search results. This is known as local SEO.
➕ Customer Acquisition Strategies Using GMB
Local businesses, such as restaurants, can benefit greatly from Google My Business. Most of the work has already been done. By setting up a Google My Business profile properly, now businesses can increase their visibility on Google Maps and in search results by showing up on Google My Business. As a result, they can reach potential customers who are looking for services close to their location directly.
✅ Additionally, you can consider the following approaches:
- SEO & Organic Search Engine Indexing: Optimize your online presence and focusing on search engine optimization (SEO). To improve your organic search ranking, create valuable content, utilize relevant keywords, and ensure your site is well-structured.
- Paid Google Advertisements: With Google Ads (formerly AdWords), you are able to create targeted ads that appear in search results or on relevant websites. You can set a budget, choose specific keywords, and reach potential customers who are actively searching for products or services related to your business.
- Google My Business (GMB): Keep your GMB profile up-to-date, respond to reviews, and post relevant content. GMB helps you appear in local search results and on Google Maps.
- Content Marketing: Create informative and valuable content related to your industry. Using blog posts, videos, and infographics to attract potential customers can help you establish your business as an authority in your industry.
- Connecting Google Analytics & Google Search Console: These tools provide information about your website’s performance, user behavior, and search queries. By analyzing this data, you can refine your strategies and enhance your online presence.
📑 Wrapping Up
It may come to your conclusion after a long discussion that Google My Business can actually get more customers into your restaurant. By following these steps and optimizing your Google My Business profile, you’ve equipped your restaurant to thrive in the digital age. Remember, potential customers are searching for you online – make sure they find a profile that’s informative, engaging, and reflects the delicious experience that awaits them at your restaurant. With a strong Google My Business presence, you’ll not only attract new diners but turn them into loyal fans who rave about you online and keep coming back for more.
📢 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Is it possible to link my Google My Business account with other online platforms for marketing purposes?
– There isn’t a direct way to link your Google My Business account with other platforms like Facebook or Instagram through Google My Business itself. However, you can achieve this indirectly through a couple of methods:
- Manually add links to your social media profiles and website on your Google My Business profile description. This lets customers easily find your social media pages and website from your Google My Business listing.
- Use third-party marketing automation tools.
Q: Can I track the performance of my restaurant’s listing on Google My Business?
– Yes, you can track metrics such as views, clicks, and engagement through the Insights section of your GMB dashboard.
Q: How can I encourage customers to leave positive reviews on my restaurant’s Google My Business profile?
– Provide excellent service, ask satisfied customers for feedback, and respond graciously to all reviews to encourage more positive feedback.
Q: Are there any restrictions on what type of content I can include in my Google My Business profile?
-Google has specific guidelines regarding content. You can find Google’s My Business profile guidelines here. Read more
