Ever read Google’s tagline? It says – “For Everything There’s Google”
It’s true, isn’t it? We search everything on Google. Be it a grocery store in the nearby vicinity or a hotel located miles away, Google provides you with accurate search results.
‘Google My Business‘ for hotels has helped many hoteliers in establishing their presence online. (I’m sure your property must be listed on it too.)
However, just listing won’t do good, so let me guide you on what it is and ways to optimise your hotel’s Google my business listing.
Table of contents
What is Google My Business?
GMB is a platform designed by Google for business owners. It helps them to create a business listing and connect with customers in a hassle-free way.
The primary focus of ‘Google My Business (GMB)’ is – ‘To bring every business online.’
With various Google my business features such as customisable themes, metasearch, hotel attributes and so on, it became a boon for the hospitality industry.
Using GMB many local accommodation providers became a part of the online booking business.
It assisted them with inquiries and increased visibility on Google. Since GMB was free to use, hoteliers didn’t hesitate to invest in it.
Why is Google My Business important for hotels?
GMB listing received great popularity as it helped businesses to create their unique identity online.
Google being the epitome of information, with a single click it allows you to search around nooks and corners of the world. For travellers, it is the easiest way to find an ideal hotel to stay.
Guests now have multiple options to choose from based on the property ranking. It depends on several factors, such as the –
- Interaction level of your listing
- User-generated content (Reviews and pictures by guests)
- SEO optimization
- Regular update on profile, and so on.
Ignoring any of these factors can result in a drop in your rank on Google.
With Google metasearch, every hotel has the chance to display rates from all the OTAs. This in turn helps guests to choose the one with the lowest prices.
To ensure direct bookings you can run certain discounts on your website. Moreover, GMB creates a free website for your hotel during the registration process. So if your hotel doesn’t have one Google is there to help you.
Google my business has the option of purchasing a domain name at a competitive price. You can use it to create your official email addresses.
There is another feature which is exclusively for hotels – ‘Hotel attributes’
It allows you to list down your amenities in a detailed manner. All you need to do is update the category of the attribute you want to add
Let’s say you need to add points in the ‘Food and drinks’ attribute. So, just go into that particular attribute and choose all the relevant points such as restaurant, bar, buffet service and so on.
It would save your time in writing separate content for it. This also helps you to avoid missing out on any facility.
How can you add a hotel on Google My Business?
Listing a hotel on GMB is easier than baking a cake. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can register your hotel on Google.
- Step 1 – Search for ‘Google My Business’ on Google.
- Step 2 – Enter the name of your business. You may find your listing already. If yes, simply claim it; if no, here’s how you can get listed.
- Step 3 – Select a business type. Enter your complete address and accurately pin the marker to your property’s location.
- Step 4 – If you are having a restaurant, then you can select “Yes”. Or else, click on “No” and move ahead.
- Step 5- Give a contact number that is 24*7 available and update your website details. If you don’t have a website, GMB creates one for you.
- Step 6 – Select appropriate working hours.
- Step 7 – Enable the “Accept Messages” feature. This is a new add on in the GMB listing that allows your guests to connect over text directly.
- Step 8 – I’ll say this again – “Use high-quality photographs only.” You can upload a maximum of 12 pictures in Google my business for hotels.
- Step 9 – Once you submit details, your business is listed and you would be redirected to Google my business dashboard.
It is recommended to download the ‘GMB App’, to easily manage your listing. Try to explore Google my business features for hotels such as operating hours, Google 360 degree virtual tours, hotel attributes and others.
Further, you will be receiving a postcard from Google, at your hotel’s address. It would contain a six digit numerical code. Enter that code in the link you have received in an email, for verification of your listing.
How to optimise your hotel’s Google My Business listing?
Listing your hotel on Google is one thing and maintaining it is another. Here are 7 easy ways to help you optimise your Google My Business listing for better results and ranking.
1. Provide accurate information
Check for the accuracy of each detail you have mentioned. Focus on the amenities and facilities. Any incorrect information on your GMB listing will prove fatal for your hotel.
A room booked on basis of incorrect information will leave you with three things:
- Negative feedback
- Loss of booking
- Disappointed guest
So, if you don’t want to face such a loss, provide accurate details.
2. Check for location accuracy
Geo-tagging is an important task. If your guests can’t find your property at the location you provided, they’ll be annoyed. Why?
- Because a lot of time was wasted in asking directions.
- And all this chaos ruined their entire trip.
Don’t miss the address part. Be it a street name or lane number, ensure that you have updated even the finest details. For the landmark, give a famous one. Don’t put cliched places such as round the corner, near the hoarding, beside the pink house and so on.
Give some solid ones such as, near (name) school, in front of the post office, opposite to the graveyard (Ha Ha! Just kidding). But what I meant was, use a known location to pinpoint your hotel.
3. Integrate your website
If you have a website, use it during the registration process.
GMB creates a ‘(hotel name).business.site’ for you by default. It is a basic and customisable website. You can even integrate a booking engine into it.
But, it is recommended to go with a brand website. It’ll help you in establishing your unique identity among your guests. Here are some of the well-known website builders: eZee Panorama, WordPress and Wix.
#ProTip: When you opt for a booking engine, make sure the provider is an authorized partner for Google’s Free Hotel Booking Links. It will not only help you position at the top of Google meta search listing but also drive more direct bookings.
4. Don’t Ignore the Q & A section
Usually, hotels don’t focus on the Q & A section. This is where they lose a couple of guests. There are some facilities that seem minor in nature, but they do impact your booking ratio.
For example, there is a guest searching for a hotel with an accessible room (Disabled-friendly Room). He/she finds your property suitable to book but has certain queries regarding the room facilities.
He/she would be posting a query in the Q & A section of some hotels including yours. Suppose, you ignored this section and someone else addresses the query. The guest finds the answer satisfying, he books that property. So now, who is at loss?
OF COURSE, YOU!
You have lost two sources of bookings:
- The guest who enquired about the room.
- Potential guests who saw the query unaddressed.
So don’t ignore the Q & A section. You can also share the FAQ page of your hotel’s website with guests.
5. Focus on reviews
‘Collect more reviews’ – That’s the only advice I give to every hotel. With Google metasearch, guests can easily look at your reviews and tariffs across all the OTAs.
It’s easy, bad reviews and low ranking will result in loss of bookings. While positive reviews and high ratings will improve it.
Don’t let any reviews go unanswered. Learn from the negative feedback and focus on improving the guest experience.
6. Use analysis for improvement
GMB provides you with analytics of your weekly, monthly and annual performance. The analytics consists of data such as visitor count, conversion ratio and so on.
By using these analytics you can start improving your hotel’s GMB listing to make it impactful.
7. Post regular updates
You need to post regular updates of your hotel. It is as easy as posting one on any social media. This feature comes as a replacement to Google Plus.
Write content about an event happening at your hotel or maybe any specific promotion you want to highlight. Ensure it’s upto 1500 words only.
Once you have written the content, attach some relevant pictures and share it on your Google my business listing. This would help you promote your hotel and increase your guest engagement level.
Conclusion
Google has made the world a smaller place. With just a couple of clicks, you can learn anything, plan a journey far away, book a hotel across the oceans and whatnot.
From being a search engine to the most powerful tool on the internet, Google has impacted billions of people. The launch of Google My Business for hotels brought a revolution in the hospitality industry
It is mandatory for you to optimise Google my business listing. If you aren’t registered on Google yet, do it right now.
And then you can say to your guests – “ Just search for our hotel on Google.”
