How to Create a Standout Google My Business Listing for Tours and Activities

Did you know that your Google My Business (GMB) listing can boost your website’s ranking on the Search Engine Results Page? For a tour and activity business, this is priceless.

GMB is a free tool that creates a business profile in Google Maps and search pages. Think of it as a mini version of your website with all the essential data readily available.

A professional GMB listing can make your business visible to the 82% of smartphone users who use local search or “near me” tags when looking for local and domestic tour and activity operators.

Also, the fact that Google My Business places your company on Google Maps means you can also reach up to 74% of consumers who conduct weekly local searches and 77% of buyers who use Google Maps when looking for local businesses.

To help you unlock these hidden potentials of GMB, we’ve prepared this article to guide you on how to create an exceptional listing. But first, we’ll shed light on what your goals of GMB listing should be.

Goals of a GMB listing

An attractive GMB account makes your business easily accessible and helpful. Potential customers can access vital business data in a flash. They don’t need to go over to your website to view your location, working hours, or quality rating.

So what are the goals of a GMB listing?

Gain visibility and traffic

Google has a soft spot for GMB listings, prioritizing them when customers perform a search. The search engine will list a GMB account first in relevant results.

As an illustration, a potential client looking for a cycling tour in England will probably use “England” and “cycling tour” on Google search. Google will place local GMB listings that have these keywords topmost on the search results list. This translates into higher visibility on Google for tours and activities providers, leading to increased traffic and sales.

Dominate your local SEO

Google ranks pages with the use of its powerful algorithms. All search engine optimization (SEO) efforts strive to unlock the secrets of these algorithms. One simple way of making sure your business shows up in a search is having an optimized GMB profile.

Use the right keywords and content in your profile that are relevant to your location and activity type, and your business will dominate your local SEO in no time. Ignoring to optimize your site for local SEO could cost you 8 out of every 10 potential customers looking for services or products in your area.

Convert more customers

A GMB account will make you discoverable on Google and provide potential customers with essential business details. If you’ve left this task to review sites such as Tripadvisor or Yelp, you are at a high risk of losing quality leads.

For one, you are not in control of the content that these review sites hold. Your GMB account is the best source of legitimate data and will help fight off any misinformation that may cause low sales. Any person looking for a weekend boat tour, for instance, can quickly choose your tour business if they land on your well-detailed business listing.

Strong local SEO via a GMB account can enhance business credibility and boost bookings. Customers have a 70% higher chance of getting in contact with a business that has a complete GMB listing.

Get into the local 3-pack

The local 3-Pack is a display of the top three search results as per the user’s location. An excellent GMB account listing has a high potential of featuring in Google’s local 3-Pack result snippet. You should strive to get your company’s name up there and get more traffic and sales as a result.

Work on your account’s reviews and have accurate and consistent online business details. Work on building local links with other businesses and have a strong social media presence to increase your chances of appearing on the local 3-pack listing.

How to create a Google My Business listing that stands out

A GMB account will positively impact sales because it helps customers get what they need without going through the effort of extra clicks. You can engage leads from your GMB account and access insights that will help you understand your customers better. So how do you set up a Google My Business account for your tour and activities business?

1.Fill out your business information

If you’ve never created a GMB account, Google will automatically collect your business’ data from various online sources and show it to your customers. But if you allow this to happen, you risk having inaccurate information displayed.

Claim your profile

The very first step in your GMB account creation is claiming your business profile. Claiming your profile allows you to populate it with helpful and correct data.

To claim your account, log into a Google account and add your business address if you have a brick-and-mortar store.

If you are providing online services only, input your mailing address. Keep customers from knocking on your front door by choosing the “I deliver services and goods to customers” option. Remote tour operators can also hide their address and insert a service location away from the business’s radius.

Choose the category

Choose your business category and add your website URL or phone number. There are so many categories to choose from, so the best thing is to try and be as specific as possible.

Update your business hours

Ensure your business hours on the listing are accurate to prevent customers from contacting you when you are out of reach. Mix-ups like these could create a negative customer experience that could adversely affect your reviews.

Add special hours as well. If you are unavailable on specific dates or holidays, mention that.

Write your business description

GMB now offers a description section that fits 750 characters. Use it wisely and insert the right keywords.

Search results will display your description when your listing shows up. That said, only 250 of the description’s character makes it to the Knowledge Panel, so be concise. The Knowledge Panel is a snippet that appears on the search result’s right side. This tab gives searchers a quick preview of your business.

2. Link your Reserve with Google account

To make the most of your GMB account, you need the Reserve with Google feature working for you. Reserve with Google assists customers who want to make reservations with local service providers through Google.

This nifty feature is available to businesses that have scheduling or booking software on their websites.

Did you know that Regiondo users can get their businesses listed on Reserve with Google? That could mean more exposure and bookings for you.

Thanks to our partnership with Reserve with Google, your tours and activities can be booked directly on Google Search, Maps, and on the Reserve with Google website via the Regiondo integration.

We make your customers’ booking process seamless and straightforward.

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3. Upload multiple quality images

Optimizing your Google business listing can increase your website’s click-through rates by 35%. One way to optimize the listing is by adding images.

Use engaging, high-quality photos that display your business in the best light. If your images feature identifiable client features, seek their approval first before uploading them to your account.

Another image to add is your business logo and a cover photo that best represents what you do.

For the best local SEO results, upload new photos regularly. You can also delete any of your image uploads via the delete button. And should a customer upload an unpleasant image to your Business profile, flag it and ask Google to delete it.

A common mistake that businesses make when uploading photos is a lack of image SEO. For example, a good photo that has “OMG_000456” as the title tag will not do much for your SEO. Rename your images and use proper keywords. Add descriptions and tags such as the location for local SEO. Geotag your photos but don’t post photos of office location or street view if you don’t have a brick and mortar office.

GMB allows customers to upload their images on your account, just as it allows reviews. This way, Google can create a genuine user impression of your business. Monitor your photos and encourage your customers to tag themselves on their uploads to enhance trust.

4. Ask for Google reviews

Another thing that makes Google My Business listings stand out is multiple five-star reviews – as many as you can get. Ask your customers for reviews to help build a trustworthy online business profile. GMB reviews have become so vital to businesses that they are termed as Yelp killers. That’s right!

The only other review platforms that rival GMBs are Facebook Business Pages in terms of display and review management. Your reviews are a critical domestic marketing component because 56% of all searches currently show local intent. Management of negative reviews is vital to your review success. Reply and be courteous to reviewers, even if the review is one star.

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5. Create short videos

Want to get even more customers through your GMB profile? Why not use GMB’s easy video upload features to roll out your video marketing strategy? Post your short promo video (about 30 seconds) here and enjoy better local SEO results.

Create high-quality virtual tours and video content that leverages customer FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) to increase engagement.

7. Leverage GMB posts

Google My Business posts, although underused, are an easy and free brand promotion vehicle. GMB displays posts at the bottom of the Knowledge Panel.

For the best SEO results, have a weekly GMB post schedule. You can create posts on offers, updates, events, new packages, or your business COVID-19 policies. A GMB post has a limit of 1,500 characters. Add videos and photos for engaging posts.

8. Monitor progress with Insights

The GMB Insights tool is handy for the tours & activities provider looking for customer engagement metrics. You’ll have access to data on listing views and your potential customer’s behavior towards your listing. You will also have analytics on the direct discovery or branded search impressions, which can help you optimize your keywords, posts, and descriptions.

Conclusion

There is a lot of potential in the tours & activities sector, as domestic tourism rises and the travel industry recovers. But you’re dealing with intense competition in the online world, and you only have seconds to grab the customer’s attention. Earning your spot on the top of Google’s first page is vital to your business’s success.

Claim your GMB profile and optimize it with impressive videos, photos, and posts. Ensure that all the information is accurate and trustworthy. Use reviews to build trust with users, incorporate easy-to-use online booking features, and enjoy unrivaled success.

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