Google My Business functions alongside Google Maps and utilizes Google's local search algorithms, which have some different features than those which work for general search.

We can see this easily in behavioral health. If you search for the term "addiction," Google assumes you are looking for information and so will try to rank a national authority like SAMHSA or ASAM. If you search for "addiction treatment," Google isn't sure if you're doing general research or looking for a provider, so gives you a mix of options. If you search for "addiction treatment center," now Google knows you're looking for a provider and will work to show mostly local rankings.

Local rankings rely heavily on combining Google My Business optimizations with local ranking optimizations on the website.

This video will walk you through the basics of how Google My Business works from an SEO perspective.

There are two main pieces on content that every GMB needs: the Description and the Google Website.

Everyone can see an organization's Description by searching for the brand name (sometimes brand name + city) and then clicking on the Knowledge Panel that pops up on the right.

The Google Website is almost impossible to find unless you've been given the exact link. However, Google likes Google, so creating a Google Website inside your GMB helps with SEO.

Google My Business (GMB)