It's no longer an option to have a Google My Business listing for your farm -- It's an important tool to implement to improve how you show up organically when folks are searching for businesses just like yours.

So what the heck is a Google My Business (GMB) listing? It's the business listings that show up on the right hand side during Google searches that include things like your phone number, open hours, address, and more.

Now don't worry, if you're already thinking to yourself that you don't want your farm address listed on the internet, you don't need to include your physical address instead you can include your area.

So why is a Google My Business listing important?

• It improves your local SEO so that your business ranks better to those local to you who are looking for the products and services that you offer

• It looks professional, putting in that little bit of effort improves how your business appears to potential customers

• If you offer farm shopping and want to encourage people to come to your place of business it integrates with Google Maps so your business is easier to locate.

• If you're struggling with visitors outside of your business hours, you can easily add and edit your farm business hours, limiting guests outside of when they're welcome.

If you're running a business and don't yet have a GMB listing, now is the time. It's absolutely worth the bit of effort... and if you already have a listing, be sure to go give it a look and see if it needs an update. Remember, Google only wants accurate and up-to-date information on their site.

Get the details direct from Google on how to create or claim your listing here.