What is Google My Business?

Google My Business is an information panel that appears in the right side of the screen when people search for your business on Google, and is an important part of your website's SEO footprint and a critical component of your online presence.You can see our Google My Business listing on the right side of the screenshot below.It features interior and external photos of our office, a map, and our relevant contact information, and most importantly - our 5 star Google review rating.

The Google My Business information also appears in the Google Map results - so it is very important for location-based businesses:

Acquiring and maintaining positive reviews in your GMB listing not only gives your business credibility, but it can help position your GMB listing above your competitors - especially for map-based searches, but getting your customers to leave reviews is no easy feat.In this guide, we will show you how to generate a link you can send your customers to get reviews easily.

Step 1 - get access to your Google My Business listing

The first step is to make sure you have access to the GMB listing for your business.There's a chance you already have access to this, and if you can see your business on the GMB dashboard here you're in luck - http://business.google.com.Alternatively, if you need help gaining access to your GMB listing you can check out Google's page for more information.Tip: GMB has a great app for [iPhone https://apps.apple.com/us/app/google-my-business/id853371601] and [Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.vega] which allows you to manage you GMB profile from your phone and quickly make tweaks to your listing - and promptly respond to reviews or questions.

Step 2 - Create your GMB short name

The Google My Business short name allows you and your customers to easily access your Google My Business information.You can create a GMB short name through the phone app or via http://business.google.com.

How to create a GMB short name on iPhone or iPad

1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google My Business app.
2. Tap Profile and thenAdd profile short name.
3. Enter your short name. You can enter up to 32 characters.If your name isn’t available, you’ll receive an error message and have to choose a different name. Try abbreviating your name or adding other descriptions, like your location. You can also pick another word that describes your business or brand.
4. Tap Save. Your short name will show as pending, and when it’s ready, it’ll show on your Business Profile.

How to create a GMB short name on Android

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google My Business app.
2. Tap Profile and then Add profile short name.
3. Enter your short name.
4. Tap Save. Your short name will show as pending, and when it’s ready, it’ll show on your Business Profile.

How to create a GMB short name on your computer

1. On your computer, sign in to Google My Business.
2. Open the location you want to create a short name for.
3. From the menu, click Info and then Add short name.
4. Enter your short name.
5. Click Apply. Your short name will show as pending, and when it’s ready, it’ll show on your Business Profile.

You can find more information about creating and managing your GMB shortname here.

Step 3 - Find your review link

Now you have a GMB short name for your business, finding your review link is as easy as adding "/review" to the end of the link.For example, our Google My Business review link is - https://g.page/bangdigital/review.While you're at it why don't you go ahead and leave us a rating :)Anyone who visits this link will be taken to your Google My Business listing and the prompt to leave a review will automatically be displayed.

The review widget for desktop users

The review widget for mobile users

Step 4 - Getting reviews (the hard part!)

Now you have the review short link, you can start contacting your customers for reviewsFrom our experience, you only get one chance at requesting a review from a customer so make it count.Whether it's via SMS after a job is completed or in a follow-up email thanking them for payment, it's important to make sure that you ask them for the review when they are most likely to be positive and willing to take the time to do so.