Your Lakeland web design is part and parcel of what makes your whole website better than your competitors. If the web visitors feel that your site can be trusted and that it was designed to provide an optimum experience for them, they will return to your site, maybe purchase an item or two, spread the word about your website, share links from your site, and consume the information they found there.

But people rarely memorize website links these days. What they do is to search Google for your company’s name. And yet, even if you have a good ranking on the search engine, that does not mean Google will automatically put you on the very top of the list. When it comes to businesses, that spot is reserved for Google’s own My Business links.

This is a list of companies associated with the keyword the web user just entered on the search box. If you don’t have a Google My Business profile, you won’t appear on this list. Or if you have not claimed your profile (meaning, others created it for you), you won’t have the chance to control the details there.

When you “own” your GMB profile, that gives you the power to customize it according to the needs of your target market. You can include a map, the exact address of the store, an appointment system, a Q&A portion, your contact details, and a lot more on that tiny space that Google will reserve for your GMB profile.

Do you think this isn’t important? Imagine checking out a restaurant on Google and finding its GMB profile. Would you want to still look for its site when you can see practically all the information you need on that profile? You can see its operating hours, its map (that’s integrated with Google Maps), the recommended dishes, the menu, the reviews, etc. You can even make a seat reservation via GMB if the restaurant allows it.

So if you think that the Lakeland web design is the only important component to appealing to your target audience, think again. Web users will most likely click on the very first link that will appear on their Google search page. If you do not prioritize signing up or claiming your company’s GMB profile, you are risking the chance of reaching out to a wide range of audience that will otherwise depend on what they see on the GMB listing.