Wix and Google announced a new integration deal allowing Wix users to claim and update their Google My Business profiles through the Wix platform.
With the addition of this new GMB integration, Wix users can now update their business information and hours, add photos, update their website, create posts, add attributes, respond to reviews, share Q&As, communicate with customers, and accept bookings, all in one place.
While its roots are in site-building, Wix appears more and more like an all-in-one SaaS tool for SMBs. Over the past year or so, Wix has expanded into eCommerce and online payments, point of sale, and more.
Wix’s moves over the past year kept the company a step ahead of SMBs’ changing product needs. The cumulative result has been a complete (or nearly so) business management suite for SMBs. This sets Wix apart from some other site builders that have made the strategic choice to stick to their knitting around websites.
This deal also continues a series of integrations between Wix and Google. The two companies have already integrated the Google Search Console, Google Workspaces (aka G Suite), Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Reserve with Google into the Wix platform.
“Together with Wix, we’re providing essential tools that help business owners efficiently and instantaneously engage with new and existing customers online,” said Valerio Sudrio, Head of EMEA Google My Business partnerships at Google, in a statement.
“We believe Google My Business is important for business owners to gain exposure and increase their customer base,” Kobi Gamliel, Wix’s Head of User Marketing, said in the same statement. “We’re happy to continue our partnership with Google and offer a seamless integration enabling our users to better optimize their online presence for engaging with customers and succeeding in today’s online landscape.”
What do SMBs Value in GMB?
Ipsos research finds that an up-to-date GMB profile is considered 2.7 times more reputable. And it is 70% more likely to attract location visits, and are 50% more likely to lead to a purchase.
Usage of both GMB and eCommerce has spiked among SMBs during the pandemic. GMB has become a critical resource for small businesses that want to keep the public informed about how their business is adapting to the pandemic. For example, updating hours of operations, payment methods, and so on.
Localogy’s Modern Commerce Monitor recently asked small business decision-makers what they value most from their GMB presence.
Respondents to the latest MCM wave (V6.1, Q4 2020), see GMB above all as a lead generator.
Specifically, 39 percent of respondents said they evaluate GMB’s ROI based on the number of phone calls it generates. Next came clicks/traffic (22 percent) and the number of messages that users sent to the business through GMB (38 percent).
Another 14 percent of SMB value the list of missed calls that the GMB dashboard offers. And 7 percent value reporting on the number of searches for the business. Reporting on driving directions (4 percent), search terms (3 percent), and map views (2 percent) brought up the rear.
