Google makes managing your business information and how it appears in search (and on Google Maps) simple with Google My Business (GMB). It actually consolidates a number of tools in one place—for free!

Here’s what you can do and why you should care:

1. GMB Helps Add Consistency to Your NAP Information

Your name, address, and phone number (NAP information) must be exactly the same across the Web. When Google sees inconsistencies, it doesn’t like that so much.

If you claim to have different locations, this can confuse users and/or indicate you’re trying to rank for a location where you don’t physically have an office.

For local businesses, this is helpful to keep your search rankings high.

2. GMB Offers a Free Website Builder

You don’t want to use GMB’s tool for building a one-page website unless you absolutely have no website budget. The tool is simplistic and won’t give you much control over the design. And the designs themselves? They’re honestly not so great at highlighting your products and services.

However, if you need a free website builder that establishes your very first search presence, it can get the job done. You can build a one-page website, which works well for local SMBs such as restaurants. With this tool, Google’s goal is to help businesses not already on the Web (however few that may be) establish their online presence.

3. Google Posts Allows You to Write Social Media Posts

With Google Posts, it’s possible to attach social media posts to your search and Google Maps listings. So when people click on your listing, you might reveal posts containing:

• Your latest specials
• Products they can buy
• Reservations they can make
• A newsletter they can sign up for

As you can see, this is quite handy as well.

4. You Can Drive Traffic to Your Company Website

If you’ve hired a local internet marketing company to advertise your business online, you can use your GMB listing to drive traffic back to your website. Your GMB listing should be attractive though, too. You’ll need the afore-mentioned posts, accurate business info, and positive reviews.

All in all, Google My Business makes promoting and managing your online presence so much simpler than before. You still need to put in the hard work required to climb up the search rankings, but GMB adds efficiency to your efforts while doing so.