As a digital marketing consultant, I am constantly researching for information on how small businesses are being found when potential customers search online for their services. In my research, I’ve found some very useful tools, especially when it comes to Google My Business, and I’m here to share them with you!

Your success relies on customers both finding and choosing your business. Showing up on the map and gaining traction against your competitors are must-haves in reaching that goal. This blog will guide you in both of those areas!

GS Location Changer

Up first is a tool that allows you to run a Google search from any specified location. Why is this important to you? Any time you search from your office, you are likely going to see your business rank well. This is because proximity plays a huge factor. As you may have guessed, this isn’t a great indicator of how you are ranking outside of that specific location.

Relative to your area, certain zip codes have a significant impact on the traffic your business receives. Well, what if you could search for that zip code to determine your rankings in that area?

In comes the Google Chrome plugin, GS Location Changer!

When this plugin is enabled, you can specify any location and run the Google search as if you're in that location.

The local search results and Google Ads appear as though you're located in the area you specified. Imagine all the possibilities!

Now you can see how far of a reach your business actually has in local search results. In this way, you can identify your local competition. GS Location Changer allows you to see who is showing up and how their reviews and reputations rank.

GMBspy

The next tool I use when doing online research is GMBspy. This tool is as exciting as it sounds!

GMBspy is another Google Chrome plugin. This plugin also allows you to identify the categories assigned to any GMB listing.

But you may be wondering, why does this matter to me as a small business owner? Often, businesses do not assign the correct or most specific and relevant category. 

To put this in perspective, let's use a divorce attorney as an example. In this role, would you rather have your Google category listed as "lawyer" or "divorce attorney"? This is where GMBspy comes in. Using this tool, you can identify your competition's categories. This is an invaluable resource because you can capture the traffic that is important to them.

With a little detective work and the correct keywords, you could rank higher in those search results! Take this for example:

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it, two of my best-kept secrets to help deliver value to small business owners!

My goal is always to help potential customers find and choose your small business. GS Location Changer and GMBspy are a couple of my go-to strategies for doing that! No matter the market you are in, these tools can be your secret weapon too.

As you can see, building a winning online presence can be simple in some ways! Start by monitoring your local presence and choosing your Google categories strategically. If you can keep up with this, you are well on your way to beating your competition!