Here's How to List Your Tour Business on Google: A Complete Guide for Tour Operators

Want more website visitors, customer trust, and higher booking rates? Google My Business (GMB) is your solution.

Consider this:

• 56% of actions on GMB listings lead to website visits.
• Businesses on GMB are seen as 94% more reputable.
• The best star ratings for conversions are between 3.5 and 4.5.

Source: Google My Business statistics, by Gitnux

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Google My Business can significantly boost your online presence. But it's not just about being on GMB, but using it effectively.

This guide shows activities and tour operators how to do just that. From setting up your business listing to optimizing it for better results, we’ve got you covered.

Let's start by introducing GMB briefly.

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool from Google. It lets business owners manage their business information and online presence, including Google Search and Maps.

GMB lets businesses control their Google Search appearance. With it, you can verify and edit your business information. This helps customers find and understand your business. In turn, helping you interact with potential customers through Google searches.

Businesses should use Google My Business. It's plain. If you want to be discovered online in local results, you should be listed. From small local shops to large corporations, optimized Google Listings are key to targeting local customers.

Why Should Travel Businesses Use Google My Business?

Let me explain the reasons by statistics.

56% of customer actions on Google My Business listings are website visits.

Want to drive more traffic to your website? Having a GMB listing can help you do just that.

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Businesses with Google My Business profiles are 94% more likely to be reputable.

Want to stand out from the competition? Be credible. Earn customers' trust by optimizing your listing profile with customer reviews.

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Businesses with reviews on Google My Business get 380% more clicks than listings without reviews.

What better way to increase website conversion rates? Double sales. Get more customers.

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Takeaway: An optimized and current Google listing is a valuable tool for tour operator businesses. This is especially true in the tourism industry. With 1.5 billion near-me searches every month, it opens up a vast market of ideal customers for local businesses.

With this said, let us dive into the details of the steps to list your tour business on Google.

How to List a Business on Google My Business

There are two ways to list your business on Google My Business. The first option is to claim a listing, and the second is to create a listing.

Which one is for you?

• Claim a Listing - If you have an existing listing on Google Maps.
• Create a Listing - If you do not have an existing Google Maps listing. This means you have to start from scratch.

Claiming a listing

1. Visit Google Maps.
2. Search for your business name.
3. If your search results include an address, this means your business profile already exists.
4. Click Claim this Business > Continue.
5. Click on Request Access > Fill out the form.
6. Submit.

Complete instructions here: support.google.com

Creating a listing

1. Login to your Google Account.
2. Go to Google Business > Sign up for a Google My Business account.
3. Fill in the requested information for your GMB profile:
4. Business Name
5. Address
6. Website
7. Phone number
8. Delivery area (if applicable)
9. Business Category
10. Working hours
11. Submit.
12. Verify ownership of your business.

Here's a video that can help you verify:

Best Practices when Listing on Google My Business

Now that you've finally listed your business on Google, your journey doesn't end yet. Make sure to note these practices to keep your GMB listing active, SEO-friendly, and attractive to customers.  

1. Use Relevant Keywords: Include the right keywords related to your tours and location in your business description. But avoid keyword stuffing! Otherwise, Google can penalize you.
2. Encourage Reviews: Positive reviews improve your visibility and trustworthiness. Encourage satisfied customers to leave a review. If you are using a tour operator online booking system like TicketingHub, send your customers a message post-tour and invite them to leave a review on your Google Business profile. Simplify the process by sending them the link.
3. Utilize Google Posts: Share updates, events, or offers through Google Posts to engage with customers and keep your listing active.
4. Add FAQs: Anticipate and answer common customer inquiries in your listing to enhance user experience and save time.
5. Monitor Insights: Regularly check your GMB insights to understand how customers find and interact with your listing and use this data to improve your strategy.
6. Stay Active: Regular activity on your GMB account signals to Google that your business is active, which can positively impact your search rankings.
7. Utilize Booking Features: If available, use the booking feature on GMB to allow customers to book tours directly from your listing.
8. High-Quality Images and Videos: Visuals are crucial in the travel industry. Upload high-quality images and videos of your tours to showcase your offerings attractively. But do not use stock photos! This may appear illegitimate, repelling customers. Best to use your own photos.
9. Local SEO Optimization: Ensure your website and GMB listing are optimized for local SEO, as this will help your local business rank higher in local SEO results, like near-me searches.
10. Engage with Customers: Respond to Google reviews and messages promptly, including negative reviews. Engaging with customers builds trust and encourages more interaction with your listing.

Conclusion

With 1.5 billion local searches each month, listing your tours, attractions, and activities on Google opens up a whole new world of traffic and conversion opportunities.

So what are you waiting for? We hope this article helped you claim or create a listing on Google My Business. And, optimize your listing and regularly update it.

Why not share this guide with any business you think should have a Google listing? What do you think of Google listings for tours and activities?