We all know that showing up first in the Google SERP (Search Engine Results Page) the best way to attract new customers, especially if you’re a local brick-and-mortar business. One surefire way to do this is with Google’s own business platform, Google My Business.
Google My Business is a free tool business can use to give their customers their hours, services, contact information, and even content that shows up on Google Search Results when searched for.
A Google My Business account guarantees that when someone looks your business up on Google Search and Google Maps, they find it. Once they do, your listing shows searches where and how to visit your business, whether you have a physical address or not.
One reason it’s so valuable: Google often puts local business listings at the top of search results when people look for a specific type of business.
As with most SEO results, this is a combined effort - another piece of the marketing puzzle - and a Google My Business listing is one of the best ways to be seen as a more authoritative figure online.
Keep Your Google My Business up to Date
If customers can’t find the information they’re looking for in regards to your hours or other important details, they’ll either head over to your competitors or leave and go to other sites such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, and other review sites that you have no control over.
Your Google My Business listing includes contact information, business hours, and other essential details. You can post updates to share that you’ve expanded services, temporarily closed, or fully reopened (an especially useful feature during emergency situations like COVID-19).
The best way to make sure your Google My Business, and other directory accounts, are up-to-date is with Zoek’s Listing Sync.
Run a free listings audit
https://brand.gozoek.com/
With Listing Sync automation from Zoek, you don't have to worry about ranking or misinformation online, ever. Your business will be listed in over 30 high-quality directories to help boost your SEO and online footprint without the hassle of remembering accounts, passwords, information, and lists.
Post on a Regular Basis
Something Google loves more than accurate information is fresh updates! When a business updates their content with new, fresh posts, Google then sees that this business is active and engaging, which means it’s going to be active and engaging with its audience.
Publishing useful content on specific topics related to your business will help you to get on the first page of Google for relevant searches and get discovered by new customers. At the end of the day, Google wants to make sure the sites it’s showing its users is going to help answer their question.
You can use your Google My Business to repost website content such as blogs or FAQs and social media content such as YouTube videos or LinkedIn posts. Whatever that content may be, reposting it to Google My Business will not only expand your reach, but help your audience see you as an active and reliable source of information.
Creating content for your Google My Business takes four main steps:
Content Alignment: Align your content with the buyer's journey. When your audience is searching for your company or what your company offers, they are most likely in the "attraction" phase of the buyer's journey.
Content Audit: Audit your existing content to determine what can be used as-is, what needs to be updated, and what must be created.
Production Plan: Determine the subjects of your new content, identify the subject matter, and keywords, and put a schedule in place. This content can include blog posts, YouTube videos, articles, and more.
Creation: Create your content and publish it to your Google My Business. Research your analytics to determine which type works best and what your audience is drawn to.
Ask Your Current Customers for Google Reviews
Customer testimonials and reviews can help improve search rankings and general SEO efforts. Although there are many factors involved in search rankings, online customer reviews send a strong signal to search engines that communicates expertise, authority, and trust.
If you’re not comfortable with asking your customers for reviews, there are a few ways you can do it in a way that doesn’t seem too forthcoming:
Create a Google review link for your business and include a Google review CTA in your website footer
Create “leave us a review” cards or emails to go out after deliveries
Include your Google review link in your email signature
Create a “review us” flyer in your business near check-out
Create a “reviews” highlight on Instagram where you post other reviews for your audience to see
Even if you have negative reviews, by responding to them you demonstrate that you’re interested in fixing your mistakes and learning how to better meet your customers’ needs. It’s a vital part of improving your online customer service.
If you need help with review responses you can go to our blog, here, for samples.
Fill Your Account With Keywords and Power Words
Making sure your content is “clickable” is important for your conversion rate. You want to include keywords in your content that your audience is searching for, and include power words in your titles and headers that will entice them to keep reading.
Power words are words that can trigger emotion and actions.
While we want to stay away from seeming clickbait-y, using power words can make your reader feel like they have to keep scrolling.
Here is a list of some of the best power words for headlines…
Inform Your Customers of Your Pricing Quickly
One of our favorite features of Google My Business is the ability to include your prices right on your listing. This saves audiences multiple steps to go to your site, search for products or services, and find the price they’re looking for.
According to Google, 76% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby visit a business within a day.
Being able to save them those extra steps can increase your conversion rate and the chance of gaining new customers.
For example, when you search “Zoek” in Google, our Google My Business pops up with our pricing information right there.
How to Set Up Google My Business
Now that you know how to use your Google My Business to attract new customers, let’s go over how to set it up!
First, go to www.google.com/business to sign in. You can either sign in with a pre-existing Google account or create a new one. If you have to create a new account we recommend using your business email and not your personal.
Next, enter your business name. If it does not appear in the drop-down menu, click Add your business to Google. Then select the appropriate category for your business.
If you have a location, this is when you would input your address as well as fill out your contact information.
If you need to verify your account, a postcard by mail is the default verification option. If your business is eligible for other methods, such as phone or email, choose the one you prefer.
Tip: A postcard can take a few days to a few weeks to arrive.
And that’s it! It really is that simple. Anything from here on out is up to you depending on what your product and services are, but Google My Business is a relatively easy tool to set up.
From here you can add any COVID-19 updates, content, or ads you want to run. The main page is also where you will be linking your content as well.
We highly recommend turning on notifications so you can be notified when customers leave reviews or message you. Google launched messaging on GMB in October of 2021 so that customers can get in touch with companies faster and more easily.
If You Need Google My Business Optimization Services
Zoek is here to help! We offer GMB optimization services in all of our SEO Bundles and as stand-alone off-site SEO service. So if staying up-to-date with your Google My Business listing just isn’t in the cards for you, we can handle it.
Staying on top of your Google My Business account is crucial if you want to draw in new customers from search. Making sure all your information is correct, you’re posting valuable content, and having a steady flow of reviews will guarantee you the right kind of traffic you’re looking for.
Kellyann Doyle is a Content Marketing Writer at Zoek, an SEO, Web Design, and Digital Marketing Agency that assists small and medium-sized businesses with their online footprint. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in 2013 from the University of Houston with a Major in Communications and a Minor in Marketing and has been working in the Digital Marketing world ever since. When not working, you can find Kellyann trying new recipes, enjoying a good nap, or watching Friends for the 500th time.
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