Google My Business for Restaurants: What it is and Why You Need it

Do your phone lines get flooded with basic questions like restaurant hours or your location? Have customers ever been frustrated that menu items online don’t match your current offerings? If you answered yes to either of these questions then we need to talk about Google My Business and what it can do for you.

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Google My Business (GMB) is a way to keep your restaurant’s information up-to-date on Google. It is the best way for online consumers to quickly find information about your business, hours of operation, and current menu offerings. When you search for a business on Google you will see a card on the right-hand side of the screen that provides a quick snapshot of information. This information is controlled through your GMB account and can be a powerful tool in shaping customer experience.

Why Restaurants Need GMB

A properly set up Google My Business can account for up to 60% of website traffic for restaurants. We have seen a direct correlation between having your GMB account properly set up and increased website visitors. While website traffic is important for the success of your online storefront, GMB also helps in the following ways:

• Shaping Customer Experience: Your GMB card is the first thing consumers will see when they search for your business. If your restaurant’s information is easy to understand, hours and location is correct, and the menu is accessible there is a much higher chance they order from you or inquire about your menu and services.
  
• Having Your Business Featured: Google sees businesses with a GMB account as more credible, so it makes them more likely to feature your business in relevant user searches. Users typically go with search results that appear on the first page of their search, so making this cut will be a huge advantage for your restaurant.  

Creating Your GMB Account

Setting up your Google My Business account properly only takes a couple minutes. It is a one time task that has long term value.T here are two options for creating a healthy GMB:

• Do it yourself:  simply go to business.google.com log into your account and manage your GMB profile directly. The website will walk you step by step through the information needed to create your account. The process is straightforward and can easily be done at once.
  
• Have us do it: if you are on our standard plan Fisherman will manage your GMB for you! We will maintain your profile but also make sure information about your website is automatically synced to Google. So any time you make an edit on your website, we make sure that information is pushed out to Google as well.

Start Connecting with More Customers

Your restaurant website is only as useful as the traffic you’re driving to it. GMB is one of many ways to help your website get more visitors and ideally loyal customers. We know it can feel like another task on a never-ending list of website to-do’s, but each item can make a difference and positively impact your bottom line.

We want to make things simple, so we even created a video that will quickly explain the benefits of Google My Business and why it’s necessary for your online success. Fisherman is here to help every step of the way. Preview your website for free today and learn more about how we can help create an online presence in minutes.

Are you a restaurant owner with more questions about Google My Business?

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