One way to help your patrons find your golf course is to set up your Google My Business page. It is one of the most important tools not only for helping someone locate a golf course near them, but it also aids in marketing and SEO. Setting up Google My Business is not complex, but it is something you should keep up to date to ensure golfers always have the most accurate information about your golf course.
Why Google My Business Matters
When it comes to golf course marketing, Google My Business is an important component of reaching your target visitor. That’s because most people head online to Google when they need to find a local service, including finding a local golf course. This free tool helps people find you both on Google Search and on Google Maps.
Google My Business allows you to communicate core information to people who are looking for golf courses nearby. This includes:
- The business name
- Location
- Hours
- Photos
- Reviews about the business
If someone wants to play a day on the green, they may search for golf courses near them. Should your page show up, they can easily see if the golf course is open, what it may cost for a round of golf, and what amenities are available. These things are going to entice them into visiting or calling your location.
How to Set Up Google My Business
Setting up Google My Business should only take a few minutes, but you’ll need to come back to it any time this information changes.
#1: Set up your Google account
The Google account you use to set up your Google My Business account will always be linked to it. That’s why it’s a good idea to make sure your golf course has its own Google account set up using a company email and all the company data.
#2: Add your golf course’s name
You’ll be able to start the setup process with basic information. This includes listing your golf course’s name at the top of the page and making sure it is spelled exactly as you want it to be—punctuation and capitalization are important here!
#3: Set up the location information
The process will ask about your location, including your street address and country. Again, you’ll need to be accurate here to make sure Google Maps provides people with very specific directions that they will need to find your location. At this point, there’s also a box that allows you to check delivery for goods or services. Unless you are providing delivery of supplies or items from your golf shop, you don’t want to click that!
#4: Set up the business information
Google My Business needs to know what type of service you provide. That way, when someone searches for that industry, they can provide your golf course information to them. You’ll find “golf course” as one of the options to choose from in this listing.
#5: Verify information
Before submitting this information to the system, be sure to verify its accuracy one more time. You will also need to verify that you have the right to supply this information to Google. It will ask you to agree to a few specific statements next. This includes information about what you want Google to do for you, such as promoting your business with photos as well as allowing people to find you in Google Search and Maps.
#6: Provide more business information
In the next step, you’ll have created a basic account with Google My Business. There is no cost to this process. However, there are a few more things you need to set up.
You’ll need to set all of the details here including your business hours. Write a short description of your business. In it, list all of the services that you offer. For example, you may have a golf course, an instructor, a putting green, and you may have a clubhouse with a shop. You’ll want all of those details listed in the most concise form possible.
The system provides a simple to use dashboard you can use to access all of this information. Along the side are a few tabs to use to help you navigate your options. You can find reviews here and photos shared by you and others. You can also see insights listed. This is where you can see who is viewing your information and how often, which can help you to make decisions about your business marketing.
There’s also an area for Google Ads, Google’s search marketing service. You don’t have to use this to use Google My Business, but it is one of the most important ways to get advertising for your company.
Google My Business only takes a few minutes to set up. However, you’ll want to come back to this page often, even as often as weekly to ensure you are getting all of the information provided. You can create posts, check out trends, and even use it to read reviews your golf course visitors can leave for you!
Need help?
Whether your marketing goals are to polish your community image or just improve communications with your players, foreUP has the marketing services you need. Take a look at what we do and request a demo and see how our cloud technology can help you deliver the best player experience in the world’s greatest game.