Knowing how to optimize your Google My Business listing is critical to showing up in local search results and attracting users and customers. Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool provided by Google that allows businesses to create and manage their online presence and provide details that help local customers find them.

Focusing on Google My Business optimization can boost your customers, users and revenue. According to Publer, 45% of companies receive requests through Google My Business, and 93% of consumers use the Google My Business map feature when searching for a local business.

Understanding how to get more customers from Google My Business by completing your profile with local SEO keywords, engaging with customers, and adding pictures of your practice to ensure you make the most of your GMB listing.

Tips for Optimizing Your Google My Business Listing

Optimizing your GMB page can help you boost online visibility, rank higher in SEO listings, and attract more customers. To optimize your listing, focus on the accuracy and completeness of your profile and the distance of your practice to those searching online. You can also use business listing optimization techniques, such as adding citations, reviews, and images to enhance your online presence.

1. Claim and Verify Your Listing

Your first step in optimizing your GMB is to claim and verify it. This will give you control over the information displayed and allow you to respond to Google reviews. Start by visiting the Google Business Profile site and clicking “Manage Now.”

Follow the instructions to claim your business listing. Once claimed, you’ll need to verify it by choosing the verification method that suits you best, such as receiving a phone call.

If you dont know how, our blog on A Comprehensive Step by Step Guide to Google Business Suite might help.

2. Craft an Engaging Business Description

Craft a concise and compelling business description using relevant keywords to improve your profile’s local search optimization. To implement this Google My Business tip, write a business description that mentions the specific services you offer. Emphasize your expertise, qualifications, and any unique approaches you use. For example, “At Savour Streets, we provide quality food with quality price.”

3. Showcase Your Practice With High-Quality Photos

If you want to know how to rank higher in local search, consider using images to boost your GMB page presence. According to the Publer article, an average GMB profile has 11 pictures; listings with photos can see 35 times more website visits than profiles without images.

Upload high-resolution photos of your business, business rooms, and team members. Include pictures depicting a welcoming and professional environment.

4. Encourage Positive Reviews

Request satisfied customers to leave reviews on your GMB page. 94% of customers use online reviews as a first step in finding the right provider.

When consumers leave a review, respond to their post, expressing gratitude for positive feedback and addressing any concerns or issues mentioned. This engagement demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction.

5. Ensure Consistent NAP Data

Make sure your name, address, and phone number (NAP data) are consistent across your GMB page, website, and other online directories. Check that the information matches your business signage and contact details exactly. This consistency helps Google and potential customers recognize your business practices as reliable and trustworthy.

6. Select Relevant Categories

An often overlooked tip for how to improve your Google My Business listing is choosing the most relevant categories on your GMB page. Taking the time to select categories that are most fitting for your services helps niche your practice and allows customers to find a provider specializing in a certain area.

When creating your GMB page, select the most relevant categories for your business. Choose the proper category for the primary category for eg, “IT Services” and consider adding additional categories like “Network Solutions Provider,” “Cybersecurity Specialist,” or “Cloud Computing Services” to refine your classification and attract specific consumer segments.

7. Engage in Regular Posting

Regularly post updates, special offers, and educational content on your blog and social media channels to keep your audience engaged. Use eye-catching graphics, infographics, or screenshots to make your posts visually appealing and attract more engagement. Craft compelling headlines that pique the interest of your audience and encourage them to click and read more. Don’t forget to include clear calls to action in your posts, directing users to take the desired action, such as signing up for a newsletter, downloading a free ebook, or scheduling a consultation. These calls to action can help you convert your engaged audience into potential leads and clients.

8. Use Keywords in the Q&A Section

Answer frequently asked questions on your GMB page and incorporate relevant keywords in your responses. Address queries about specific conditions, treatments, or techniques.

9. Monitor Insights and Analytics

Regularly review the Insights and Analytics section of your GMB dashboard to gain valuable insights into user interactions. Track metrics such as the number of views, searches, and actions taken, like phone calls and website visits. Analyze this data to identify trends, understand your target audience, and tailor your marketing strategies.

10. Backlinks and Inbound links

Backlinks and inbound links are crucial for Google My Business (GMB) optimization, boosting local rankings, authority, and credibility. Reputable websites linking to your GMB page signal trustworthiness to search engines, leading to better visibility in local searches and Google Maps results. Quality backlinks also enhance click-through rates and conversions by building customer trust. However, it’s essential to prioritize relevance and avoid spammy links to avoid penalties. A strong backlink profile drives sustained SEO benefits, making them a key factor in long-term GMB success and increased organic traffic.

11. Use GMB Messaging

Activate the messaging feature on your GMB page, allowing potential customers to contact you directly. Respond promptly and professionally to inquiries, providing helpful information and scheduling appointments when appropriate. Consider setting up automated responses to frequently asked questions to provide immediate assistance.

Conclusion

In conclusion, optimizing your Google My Business listing is essential for local businesses to thrive in 2023. By claiming and verifying your listing, crafting engaging descriptions, showcasing your practice with photos, and encouraging positive reviews, you can boost online visibility and attract more customers. Consistent NAP data, relevant categories, and regular engagement through posts and keywords further enhance your GMB presence. By monitoring insights and using messaging features, you can effectively connect with potential clients and drive business growth through this powerful tool. Start optimizing your GMB today and reap the benefits of increased visibility and customer engagement.

In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for businesses of all sizes. Among the plethora of tools and platforms available, Google Business stands out as a powerful tool for enhancing your online visibility, managing your brand image, and engaging with potential customers. In this blog post, we will delve into the world of Google Business, exploring its steps and optimization.

What is Google Business Profile?

Formerly known as Google My Business? It is a complimentary business listing offered by Google that enables you to furnish essential details and images about your business, encompassing its location, services, and products.

Establishing this profile is an excellent method to enhance your visibility across various Google services. The information contained within your Google Business Profile can potentially be displayed in Google Search results, Google Maps, and even Google Shopping.

However, it’s important to note that Google Business Profile is exclusively available to businesses that have direct interaction with customers. This includes businesses with a physical establishment, such as restaurants or retail stores, as well as businesses that provide services by meeting clients in different locations, such as consultants or plumbers.

For online-only businesses, alternative Google tools like Google Ads and Google Analytics are more suitable for their needs.

How to set up a Google Business Profile

Step 1: Sign into Google Business Profile Manager

To begin, either log in to your Google account or create a new one if you’re not already signed in. This automatically grants you access to the Google Business Profile Manager, where you can manage your profile.

Step 2: Add your business details

Enter your business name. If it doesn’t appear in the provided drop-down menu, click on “Add your business to Google.” Next, select the appropriate category that best represents your business and proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Provide your business location

Indicate whether your business has a physical location that customers can visit. If it does, select “Yes” and enter your business address. You may also be asked to pinpoint your location on a map. For businesses without a physical storefront but providing in-person services or deliveries, you can specify your service areas. Once done, click “Next.”

Step 4: Fill in your contact details

Enter your business phone number and website address, enabling customers to easily reach you. If you prefer not to share a phone number, it is optional. Once you’ve provided the necessary contact information, click “Next.”

Step 5: Verify your business

Enter your actual physical address for verification purposes. Note that this address will not be publicly displayed on your Google Business Profile. Choose the appropriate verification option based on your business type.

Physical businesses typically receive a verification postcard by mail, while service-area businesses can verify via email. Upon receiving a five-digit verification code, enter it on the subsequent screen or visit https://business.google.com/ to complete the verification process.

Step 6: Customize your profile

Tailor your business profile by adding your operating hours, messaging preferences, a compelling business description, and high-quality photos. This step allows you to optimize your profile’s content to attract potential customers. Once you’re satisfied with the customization, click “Continue” to proceed.

Congratulations! You are now in the Business Profile Manager dashboard, where you can manage various aspects of your profile, view insights, handle reviews and messages, and create Google ads to further promote your business.

How to optimize your Google My Business Profile

Review NAP Consistency

NAP is the most important information in your Google My Business profile. It stands for name, address, and phone number. It helps potential customers identify and find your business. It’s crucial to keep this information consistent anywhere your business appears online to avoid confusion.

Start by making sure everything is correct in your business account.

Navigate to the “Info” tab and check that your business name, address, and phone number are accurate.

While you can manually manage your business information in local directories, it’s inefficient.

To save time and resources on admin, use tools such as Semrush to manage your NAP.

Write a Business Description

Business descriptions give you space to provide information about products and services, as well as the history of your business. Google recommends that you use your Business Description to provide helpful information about your products and services, as well as the missions and history of your business. Focus on providing a relevant description rather than trying to cram in as many keywords as possible.

Here are some additional tips from Google on what not to include in your business description:

Inaccurate or confusing information
Profane language
Specials or promotions
Misspellings, gibberish, or gimmicky character use

Add Images to Your Listing

Now that you have a Business Description, it’s time to add some images to help you stand out.

First, set a profile photo (usually your logo) and a cover photo that best represents your business. You can also upload additional business photos to your Google My Business listing.

Some examples of business photos to add include: exterior photos, interior photos, product photos, photos of your team at work, and common areas.

Here are GBP’s photo size guidelines:

File size: Between 10 KB and 5 MB
Profile photo: 250 x 250 px
Cover photo: 1080 x 608 px
Google posts: 1200 x 900 px
Business photos: 720 x 720 px
Format: JPG or PNG

Create Google Posts

Share offers, events, products, and services directly to Google Search and Maps via Google Posts. You can find them toward the bottom of the Business Profile in the “From the Owner” section.

Step 1: Sign into your GBP manager account and go into the “Posts” tab
Step 2: Click on the button found at the bottom right corner of your screen to create a new post
Step 3: Choose what type of post you want to create from the list given at the top of the page
Step 4: Write your post and add photos in the spaces provided.
Step 5: If you want, you can add a button to make it easier for customers to get to your website, place an order, or take other actions
Step 6: Click the “Preview” button at the bottom right corner of your window to see what your post will look like when it’s live
Step 7: When everything looks good, hit the “Publish” button at the bottom right corner of the window

Respond to Reviews

Keeping tabs on your reviews is crucial, as they are one of the first things people will see if they Google your business name. So Google reviews play a big role in your business’s reputation and how people perceive it. If you prefer to check your reviews manually, you can do so when logged into your GBP account.

Add Questions & Answers

Provide important information upfront by posting the answers to common customer questions directly to your profile. You can also let customers ask questions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Google Business Suite provides businesses with a powerful set of tools to enhance their online visibility, engage with customers, and manage their brand image effectively. By following the step-by-step guide to setting up a Google Business Profile, you can ensure that your business is accurately represented and easily discoverable on Google Search, Maps, and other Google services.

Keypoint:
GPT-4 is more intelligent than GPT-3.5, can handle longer prompts and conversations, and makes fewer factual mistakes. GPT-3.5, on the other hand, generates responses more quickly and does not have the hourly prompt limitations that GPT-4 has.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning have made great strides in recent years, particularly in the field of natural language processing (NLP). One of the most significant advancements in this area has been the development of Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT) language models. In this blog, we will explore two of the latest models in the GPT series – GPT-3.5 and GPT-4.0, their differences, and when to use each one.

What is ChatGPT?

Before diving into GPT-3.5 and GPT-4.0, let’s first clarify what ChatGPT is. ChatGPT is a large language model trained by OpenAI based on the GPT-3.5 architecture. It is designed to understand natural language and generate responses that are coherent and relevant to the given prompts.

What is ChatGPT 3.5?

GPT-3.5 is a language model that is an extension of the original GPT-3 model. It was created by OpenAI to address some of the limitations of the earlier version. GPT-3.5 is capable of handling longer prompts and conversations, has better accuracy, and makes fewer factual errors. It is designed to be more intelligent and versatile, making it suitable for a wide range of applications.

What is ChatGPT 4.0?

GPT-4.0 is the next generation of language models in the GPT series. It is an even more advanced language model than GPT-3, with more than ten times the number of parameters. GPT 4.0 can process more data and generate more human-like responses.

GPT-3.5 vs GPT-4.0 – What’s the Difference?

The primary difference between GPT 3.5 and GPT 4.0 is the level of language processing and the amount of data they can process. GPT 4.0 has more than ten times the number of parameters compared to GPT 3.5, which means it can process more data and generate more human-like responses. GPT 4.0 is better at handling open-ended questions and generating creative and engaging responses.

1. Speed

In terms of speed, both models offer fast response times. However, GPT 4.0 is known to be slightly slower than GPT 3.5 due to its larger model size and complexity. Here’s an example when asked about an article about the relationship between humans and AI in the future. (GPT 3.5 left GPT 4.0 right)

2. Creativity And Coherence

While GPT-3.5 can generate creative content, GPT-4 goes a step further by producing stories, poems, or essays with improved coherence and creativity. For example, GPT-4 can produce a short story with a well-developed plot and character development, whereas GPT-3.5 might struggle to maintain consistency and coherence in the narrative. Here both of them are given a task to write a complex story about, about a team of thieves who enter people’s dreams to steal their secrets. (GPT 3.5 left GPT 4.0 right)

3. Programming

For coding tasks, GPT 4.0 typically outperforms GPT 3.5. It’s more proficient at understanding complex coding problems and generating accurate solutions. This improvement is a result of the enhanced training methodologies and a more expansive dataset used in GPT 4.0. With the help of GPT-4, weeks of work can be condensed into a few short hours, allowing extraordinary results to be achieved in record time.

4. Image And Graphics Understanding

Unlike GPT-3.5, which focuses primarily on text, GPT-4 can analyze and comment on images and graphics. For example, GPT-4 can describe the content of a photo, identify trends in a graph, or even generate captions for images, making it a powerful tool for education and content creation.

5. Hallucination

“Hallucinations” in AI context refer to instances where the AI generates information that isn’t based on the input provided or real-world facts. Both GPT 3.5 and GPT 4.0 are prone to such occurrences, but GPT 4.0 has been improved to reduce these instances significantly.

When should you use GPT 3.5 and 4.0

The choice between GPT 3.5 and GPT 4.0 largely depends on your specific needs. If your requirements are straightforward, like answering FAQs or guiding users through a simple process, GPT 3.5 might suffice. Its capabilities are robust enough for most general conversation tasks. However, if your requirements are more complex, involving intricate dialogues, deep context understanding, and nuanced responses, GPT 4.0 would be the better choice. Its advanced features allow it to handle sophisticated scenarios with more proficiency.

Conclusion

In summary, while GPT 3.5 and GPT 4.0 are both powerful AI models with a wide range of applications, GPT 4.0 offers notable improvements in terms of context understanding, response complexity, and overall performance. Ultimately, the choice between the two would depend on the complexity of the tasks at hand and the specific needs of your project or application.

OTP verification has become a common feature of modern web & mobile application. Either it be user registration, multi-factor authentication or password change mechanism, OTP verification seems to be perfect choice. Also SMS or phone call verifications are considered more secure & reliable than email links.

In this article I will explain about Vonage’s Verification API integrated with Nodejs(express) server. It also provides OTP feature, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time. You can check more info here.

Lets begin with a very basic express server.

The server.js file contains a very basic web server with 2 routes.

/api/request-token
/api/verify-token

Business logic for each endpoint are inside vonage.service.js. The service file uses @vonage/server-sdk; official JS library for Vonage API. Vonage API Key and API Secret can be obtained on dashboard once subscribed for the service.

Service file has 3 methods: for requesting, verifying and cancelling token.

At first the vonage object is initialed with apiKey and secret obtained from Vonage. Then there are two pieces for this entire workflow: request code & verify. Lets dive into each of them.

Request OTP

The one job of this method is to send OTP token to the given phone number. Vonage verification service handles it in a cool way. As per the time of writing this article, it sends SMS to given number. If OTP isn’t verified within that time, it calls the number either on SIM card or in my case it called me on Viber. When you get the OTP code you can then send it to API for verification. Process seems straightforward but it can be tricky during implementation.

Some of the caveats I ran into:
– Can’t send concurrent OTP to a phone no within 30 seconds interval.
– Can’t cancel the OTP request multiple times. If done, it will throw error repeatedly.

Considering these points lets move forward with code. First of all lets complete the requestCode method in vonage.service.js file.

The method takes phone number and returns the most important thing request_id.

Normally you don’t have access to OTP code sent by Vonage. If you need please visit their pricing section.

If you get request_id on response, it was successful request, else there were some errors.

Another piece of this mechanism is the cancel token request. There may be cases which requires OTP request to be cancelled. One of the prominent reason would be: Vonage has 5 minute limit for OTP expiry. In real world, it’s a very long wait. Worst case: who waits for 5 min to receive a OTP 😂

So you may need to cancel the pending request and re-send another OTP. The code to cancel request looks something like this.

It’s a pretty straightforward code that requires the OTP’s request_id to cancel it. As you may have seen, request_id is the only way to track your OTP. So, store it safely.

These 2 methods would be sufficient to request an OTP. Now lets move onto server.js to implement these methods.

First of all check for the presence of phone number. Then remove all the present whitespaces . Sometimes phone number are in weird format(+12 345 678 890). It may cause issue for services like Vonage. It requires the country code though.

Basically, the code above requests for OTP via vonage.service.js. In case of success onOtpSuccess function is executed, in case of error onOtpError is executed. In case of concurrent OTP request to same number within 5 minutes, Vonage throws error with status 10. That case is handled by cancelling the OTP with its request_id and resending the request. If it fails again, its flagged as error.

Up to this point you have seen how to request OTP, how to cancel it (if required). Another piece of the puzzle is verifying the OTP.

Verify OTP

To recall: we have 2 files server.js, vonage.service.js and request_id is the only way to track your OTP.

The logic for verification is quite straightforward unlike OTP request mechanism. First lets look at vonage.service.js for its implementation.

Verification is done via

request_id which is store on DB or received from user
OTP code which user receives on phone via SMS or call.

Successful verification will return the result with status 0.

Moving onto server.js file, the verifyOtp method is used like this.

Here, both OTP and request_id is being retrieved from API request. It may depend on your implementation.

In this way, you can send OTP code to user’s device and verify it using Vonage’s verification API. You can find a basic implementation on Vonage’s JS guide too. This article serves a more detailed guideline to implement it on Express JS server.

Category: Blogging

A Comprehensive Step by Step Guide to Google Business Suite

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What is Google Business Profile?

How to set up a Google Business Profile

How to optimize your Google My Business Profile

Conclusion

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Comparing ChatGPT 3.5 vs ChatGPT 4.0: What’s the Difference?

In this blog, we will explore two of the latest models in the GPT series - GPT-3.5 and GPT-4.0, their differences, and when to use each one.

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What is ChatGPT?

What is ChatGPT 3.5?

What is ChatGPT 4.0?

GPT-3.5 vs GPT-4.0 – What’s the Difference?

1. Speed

2. Creativity And Coherence

3. Programming

4. Image And Graphics Understanding

5. Hallucination

When should you use GPT 3.5 and 4.0

Conclusion

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OTP Verification with Vonage

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Request OTP

Verify OTP

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