Today GoDaddy announced an integration between its website development service GoCentral with Google My Business (GMB). The first coupling between a website builder and GMB, the integration provides SMBs with an avenue for creating a website, while simultaneously constructing a GMB listing. The pairing offers a means for SMBs to increase their brand identity, gain better exposure and attract new customers.
Back in late 2016, a Brandmuscle study found that 56% of local retailers still hadn’t claimed their GMB listing. While the percentage has likely decreased since then, this integration will help fast-track the claiming of listings given GoDaddy’s 17 million customers worldwide.
According to the release, in a beta test, 1,538 businesses created GMB listings through GoCentral. In just three months those listings were reported to have been viewed over one-million times resulting in 7,000 phone calls, 17,000 clicks to the website and 11,000 requests for directions to physical storefronts.
Given the prominence of GMB in local search, the integration helps SMBs not only build websites, but improve reach via search results on Google. Beyond the listing itself, GMB offers a range of marketing tools that help SMBs engage with new and existing customers and the GoCentral integration also allows SMBs to respond to reviews on GMB.
GoCentral is designed to help SMBs create professional, mobile-optimized websites quickly. Businesses can type in their name, niche, or industry and GoCentral produces a near-finished website featuring pertinent images and sections.
The service also provides suggestions for refining visibility and allows SMBs to develop social media and email materials that pull content directly from the website.
