Perhaps a recognisable thought: 'Mmm... Hungry. Fancy eating out. Just googling for restaurants nearby'. Tadaaa: with the help of Google My Business, your business appears on the map among the search results. Google My Business is a kind of business directory. It is a free tool you can use to display important basic information about your business, such as its address or phone number. This is useful information for both new and existing customers searching Google itself or Google Maps for a restaurant or hotel in a particular neighbourhood. It is also an effective way to contribute to your online visibility and is part of your marketing.
Why is Google My Company important to you?
It is definitely important for a hotel or restaurant to set up Google My Business properly. You will then show up in search results faster, which means more potential guests will see your business or concept. This way, you increase the chances of guests coming to eat or sleep with you. An important part of your customer journey (customer journey) thus. Oh, when your Google My Company is all up-to-date, the brand or concept also exudes more trust. Why? You then show that the face behind the business is professional and committed.
Fact: did you know that a webshop or other online brand without a physical address, cannot create a profile via the tool?
Make a reservation directly through Google My Business
For restaurants and hotels, you can facilitate additional operations through Google My Company, namely:
- Booking a table
- Booking a hotel room
- Viewing the menu
- Placing an order (at restaurants where you can also take away, for example)
Downside of the tool
Is everything rosy then? No, not quite. In fact, reviews also belong to Google My Company and are a source of social proof power. Negative 'stars' or reviews are publicly visible. Remember: negativity attracts negativity. When someone passes on a complaint about your restaurant or hotel, the threshold is lower for other guests to also leave complaints. Therefore, it is important to always respond quickly and in a personal manner. This way, others will see that you care about your guests and that you care about the piece aftercare takes seriously.
Dealing with inappropriate reviews
You may have to deal with fake or inappropriate reviews in the tool. Fortunately, you can try to have such a review removed. You then mark a review in question as 'inappropriate'. This request is then assessed by Google, which can take several days. So don't expect a negative review to become invisible immediately. You will automatically be notified by Google whether or not your review is valid and the review will be removed.
Can you turn off the option for reviews?
No, it is not possible to turn off the option for reviews in Google My Business. Still, you cannot leave reviews at all businesses. This is because when creating your business profile, you must also select a category within which your business falls. For some categories, such as schools, visitors are automatically unable to write reviews.
Source for voice search
Perhaps this is a new fact for you: Google My Company is a source for the increasingly popular voice assistants such as Siri and Google Assistant. For example, a question that could be asked is: 'Hey Google, which hotel in the province of South Holland has a room available tomorrow?' If your business profile is completely up-to-date, there is a chance that your hotel will be 'mentioned' by Google Home.
How do you set up your Google My Business?
In short, in Google My Business you put all the information a customer needs to understand at a glance what your business is, how you can be reached and what other guests think of your business.
You can fill all this in:
- Address details
- Opening hours (including different opening hours on e.g. public holidays)
- Website URL
- A brief description of your hotel or restaurant
- Photos, videos and virtual tour
- Products (e.g. pictures of different dishes)
Fill in all the details, not only to give the most complete picture, but also because it gives you a bigger Google My Business block. That stands out more! After all, scrolling visitors will see your company details for longer and be tempted to click on your company profile.
An example of a well-organised Google My Company Profile
As a potential visitor, you want to be able to see very quickly whether a hotel or restaurant is of value to you. So the basic information, such as location and opening hours, should be correct. Furthermore, it is good to include a phone number because it makes you easier to reach. What else? Add professional photos to your profile and describe your business in a few sentences, especially highlighting the distinctive features emphasised. Finally, respond actively and spontaneously to the reviews.
Additional features at Google My Company
Make use of the following perks for an impressive company profile:
- Add your logo
- Incorporate important keywords in the title (such as 'restaurant' or 'hotel') to make your business more visible when searched here
- Show the menu or a selection of special dishes
- Publish vacancies or announce events and specials via the posts function. This also shows that your business is alive and active online
Need help?
Could you use some extra help when it comes to Google My Business? The specialists at The Fully Bookers will be happy to give your hotel or restaurant an online boost. We can make your Google My Business block complete and up-to-date in no time. Although essential, the tool is only a small part of the total marketing mix. When your company profile and the website behind it are completely in order, we can start focusing on, for example: advertising (via Google or social media), your Instagram feed or writing SEO pages. Together we'll go bananas!