E-Business
Unlocking Marketing Success in Nigeria with Google My Business
By Reuben Kalu
In the dynamic landscape of business marketing, harnessing the power of online platforms is essential for reaching and engaging with potential customers.
For businesses in Nigeria, where the digital marketplace is rapidly expanding, leveraging tools like Google My Business (GMB) can be a game-changer.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore how Nigerian businesses can utilize Google My Business to enhance their marketing efforts and achieve greater success.
Understanding Google My Business
Google My Business is a free and user-friendly tool provided by Google that allows businesses to create and manage their online presence across Google Search and Google Maps.
With GMB, businesses can create a detailed listing that includes essential information such as their address, contact details, operating hours, website link, and customer reviews.
This listing appears prominently in Google search results and maps, making it easier for potential customers to find and engage with the business.
Optimizing Your Google My Business Listing
The first step in leveraging Google My Business effectively is to create a comprehensive and accurate listing for your business. Here’s how you can optimize your GMB listing:
Claim Your Listing: If your business hasn’t already been listed on Google My Business, you’ll need to claim and verify it.
This involves verifying that you’re the owner or authorized representative of the business.
Provide Accurate Information: Ensure that all the information provided in your GMB listing is accurate and up-to-date. This includes your business name, address, phone number, website URL, and operating hours.
Add Photos and Videos: Visual content can significantly enhance your GMB listing and make it more appealing to potential customers. Add high-quality photos and videos that showcase your products, services, and premises.
Collect and Respond to Reviews: Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on your GMB listing. Be proactive in responding to reviews, both positive and negative, to demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction.
Utilize Google Posts: Google Posts allow you to share updates, promotions, and events directly on your GMB listing. Take advantage of this feature to keep customers informed and engaged.
Monitor Insights: Use the Insights tab in your GMB dashboard to track how customers are finding and interacting with your listing. This data can provide valuable insights into your target audience and help you refine your marketing strategies.
Enhancing Local SEO with Google My Business
One of the most significant benefits of Google My Business for Nigerian businesses is its impact on local search engine optimization (SEO).
By optimizing your GMB listing, you can improve your business’s visibility in local search results and attract more customers in your area. Here are some tips for enhancing your local SEO with GMB:
Choose Relevant Categories: Selecting the most relevant categories for your business in your GMB listing helps Google understand what your business is about and improves its chances of appearing in relevant search queries.
Optimize Your Description: Craft a concise and informative business description that highlights your products, services, and unique selling points. Incorporate relevant keywords to improve your chances of ranking in local search results.
Geotag Your Photos: When uploading photos to your GMB listing, geotag them with your business location. This helps Google associate the images with your physical premises and enhances your local SEO.
Encourage Local Reviews: Positive reviews from local customers can significantly boost your business’s visibility in local search results. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on your GMB listing and respond promptly to all feedback.
Use Local Keywords: Incorporate local keywords and phrases into your GMB listing, website content, and other online marketing materials. This helps Google connect your business with local search queries and improves your local SEO performance.
Engaging with Customers and Building Trust
Google My Business isn’t just a tool for improving your business’s visibility; it’s also a platform for engaging with customers and building trust.
By actively managing your GMB listing and interacting with customers, you can foster positive relationships and enhance your reputation. Here are some strategies for engaging with customers through GMB:
Respond to Customer Inquiries: Monitor your GMB listing regularly for customer inquiries and messages. Respond promptly and professionally to address their questions or concerns.
Share Updates and Offers: Use Google Posts to share updates, promotions, and special offers with your audience. This helps keep customers informed and encourages them to visit your business.
Showcase Customer Reviews: Highlight positive customer reviews on your GMB listing to build social proof and instill confidence in potential customers. Respond to reviews graciously, whether they’re positive or negative.
Provide Useful Information: Use your GMB listing to provide useful information that can help customers make informed decisions. This could include details about your products and services, FAQs, or links to helpful resources.
Monitor and Improve: Regularly monitor the performance of your GMB listing and use the insights gained to refine your marketing strategies. Experiment with different approaches and measure the impact on your business’s visibility and engagement.
Conclusion
Google My Business is a powerful tool that can significantly enhance your marketing efforts as a Nigerian business.
By optimizing your GMB listing, leveraging local SEO techniques, and engaging with customers effectively, you can improve your business’s visibility, attract more customers, and build stronger relationships with your audience.
So, take advantage of this invaluable resource and unlock new opportunities for growth and success in the Nigerian market.
Galaxy Backbone (GBB) aligns with and celebrates the successful announcement by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation on the achievement of a Paperless Civil Service, a significant milestone in Nigeria’s public sector reform and digital transformation agenda.
The milestone was formally highlighted at a press briefing led by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who commended Galaxy Backbone for its sustained support and contribution throughout the implementation of the programme.
GBB has played a critical role in enabling this transition by providing secure, scalable, and shared digital infrastructure that supports the digitisation of government processes across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Through the 1Government Cloud, MDAs have been empowered to migrate from paper-based workflows to digital platforms, improving efficiency, collaboration, data security, and service delivery across the Federal Civil Service.
In addition, GovMail, GBB’s secure government email platform, has strengthened official communication, enhanced records management, and reinforced cybersecurity standards—key pillars in sustaining a paperless operating environment.
Galaxy Backbone acknowledges the collective efforts of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Permanent Secretaries, Directors of ICT, consultants, partners, and dedicated public servants whose commitment and collaboration ensured the smooth delivery of this initiative.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, was represented at the press briefing by Akintayo Bamisaye, Acting Group Head, Research, Digital Innovation and Skills Department (RDIS).
GBB describes the achievement as a strong close to 2025 and reaffirms its commitment to supporting the Federal Government in building a modern, efficient, and digitally enabled public service.
At the close of 2025, Temidayo Ojo, the CEO of Jumia Nigeria, reflected on a year-end shopping season that points to the growing maturity of the country’s e-commerce market. “Black Friday is no longer a single, short-lived spike in activity,” he said.
“It has become a familiar, anticipated moment in the retail calendar, where consumers shop deliberately and with confidence.”
Preliminary KPIs for the two months ended November 30, 2025, show strong year-on-year growth in both orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), with GMV growth outpacing order growth. This indicates that customers are placing fuller, more considered baskets rather than shopping in fragmented transactions. Nigeria ranked among Jumia Group’s better-performing markets, with engagement remaining steady throughout the Black Friday period rather than spiking briefly and tapering off.
A key factor behind this performance is the growing familiarity of consumers with online shopping. Customers are increasingly leveraging platform features such as saved carts, brand stores, and price comparison tools to plan purchases in advance. This trend suggests that digital commerce is becoming embedded in everyday habits rather than being viewed as a one-off event.
Ojo also highlighted the role of Jumia’s JForce network in connecting digital commerce to local communities. “Our agents are critical to ensuring that customers across Nigeria, including secondary cities and smaller communities, have access to variety, consistent pricing, and reliable delivery,” he said. “During peak periods like Black Friday, JForce agents can respond faster, serve more customers efficiently, and build stronger local relationships. This isn’t just a distribution channel—it’s a pathway to sustainable income and inclusion.”
Reflecting on the overall performance, the CEO concluded: “What we’re seeing this year-end is steady engagement across categories, stronger consumer confidence, and partners like our JForce agents benefiting from increased activity.
“It confirms that Nigeria’s e-commerce ecosystem is maturing, growing in a more structured and resilient way. As the December Holiday Sale continues, we expect these patterns of familiarity, trust, and participation to sustain momentum and drive both commerce and community impact across the country.”
Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has been ranked first overall in the 2025 Federal Government Website Performance Scorecard.
This is a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s digital economy.
The ranking, conducted by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), is the definitive benchmark for digital excellence and transparency across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Professor Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, managing director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone, received the award during a ceremony in Abuja.
He described the feat as a validation of the agency’s“Nigeria First”data sovereignty strategy and its relentless pursuit of service excellence.
This recognition comes as the Federal Government intensifies its push to achieve a fully paperless civil service by December 31, 2025.
GBB has been the primary architect of this transition through its 1Gov Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform, which now hosts the operations of almost all federal MDAs.
The award adds to a growing list of accolades for Galaxy Backbone in 2025, following its recent win of the “International Standard Excellence Award for Best IT Service Provider.”
As the central hub for government shared services, GBB’s performance serves as a blueprint for other agencies currently undergoing digital transformation.
With its expanded fiber-optic backbone now covering over 13 states and its secure cloud solutions, Galaxy Backbone remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s vision to become a leading digital nation by the end of the decade.
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