If you have a locally-focused business (e.g. restaurant/cafe, beauty salon, tradie business like an electrician or plumber, or retail store) then Google My Business is one of the best platforms at your disposal to reach new customers online.
As I established in a recent article, Google My Business even has benefit for non-local businesses (and it is 100% critical for local businesses to boot).
But is Google My Business free?
In this short article I'm going to walk you through the costs of Google My Business.
How Much Does Google My Business Cost To Set Up?
The good news is that Google My Business is free.
You can set up your profile for no cost. That's right, it is 100% free (and probably always will be) to set up your Google My Business listing.
Google does not charge you anything to create your Google My Business profile, nor do they charge you anything to use any of the features.
If you're on a tight budget, you can even build a free (albeit very basic) website using Google My Business.
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Is There Any Cost Associated With Google My Business?
The only paid component of the platform is if you choose to set up Google Ads advertising from within your Google My Business dashboard - you'll need to pay for your activity here.
However, my view is that you are better to use the full Google Ads interface to set up and manage ads, as opposed to running them through Google My Business.
If you're interested in Google Ads for your business, then talk to me first so I can help you avoid the many pitfalls that can come with Google Ads advertising.
Are There Professional Google My Business Setup Services That Do Cost Money?
Yes.
There are many different digital marketing consultants, agencies, SEO companies, freelancers and every other type of contractor under the sun who will be able to help you set up your Google My Business profile - at a cost.
If you're short on time - or you're not confident on how to do the best possible job of setting up your Google My Business profile in order to attract the maximum possible attention - then it might pay to get a professional in to do the job.
However, if you are on a budget and want to promote your business for as little cost as possible, then ultimately Google My Business is free.
If you have a business with any kind of local presence (especially hospitality, retail, local service etc) then you NEED a Google My Business.
And with listings being free to secure and set up - why wouldn't you do it?
If you'd like to learn more, then watch the video version of this article here: