In recent years, consumer behavior has dramatically shifted to a digital-first approach when engaging with businesses. At the forefront of this trend is an increased quantity of consumers turning to Google to search, select and buy.
Due to this shift in behavior, local “near me” Google searches grew globally by more than 100% in 2020. If you’re seeking to help your clients generate more leads, it’s imperative that they optimize their Google my Business profile. This post shares some key tools to help your clients attract more customers through Google My Business (GMB).
Optimize a GMB profile with accurate business information
NAP (name, address, number) accuracy is a highly-influential ranking factor for local SEO. This may seem simple enough to manage, but many businesses fail to fill in accurate NAP information on their GMB listing. The challenge is businesses typically have multiple online listings on other sites as well such as Facebook, Yelp, etc.
Add a GMB profile to the mix and it becomes apparent why a whopping 86% of businesses have either missing or incorrect company name information listed across all listings. This can become especially difficult to manage for multi-location businesses.
It’s worth auditing your clients’ GMB listing across all locations to ensure their business information is accurate. This will improve local search ranking and the customer experience.
Help your clients get a steady stream of Google reviews
Google reviews are the second most influential ranking factor for local SEO. Healthy reviews management on GMB can have a tremendous impact on local search ranking for your clients. Furthermore, fresh reviews heavily influence purchasing decisions. 69% of consumers deem reviews older than 3 months irrelevant.
Regularly requesting reviews means your clients will be able to show positive, recent reviews on their GMB profile, proving to consumers that their business delivers a superior experience.
Turn on Google click-to-message for your clients
A trend that has emerged from the pandemic is that more consumers check to see if a specific product or service is available before visiting a business. Given that 67% of consumers plan to confirm online that a desired item or service is available before visiting a business, even after most Americans are vaccinated, this trend is likely here to stay.
Even though a GMB profile does share the company’s phone number, a whopping 75% of consumers prefer messaging a business. That’s where making it easy for prospects to message your clients comes in – and now they can with the introduction of Google click-to-messaging, right from a business’s GMB listing.
When a customer messages through GMB, your clients will get a message in the GMB app, the web messaging portal for eligible users, and an email notification with a response form. They can then reply directly from any of the notifications.
This makes it easy for customers to get in touch with your clients from mobile entry points like Google Maps and Search. What does that mean for your agency? You can now add a new level of value by equipping your clients with the tools to answer questions quickly and attract more customers.
As more businesses compete online, this tool will help your clients stand out by providing a new layer of convenience for consumers – and it will have a direct impact on lead generation goals. However, businesses already have a plethora of customer interaction channels to manage – email, social media, text messages, voicemails, etc. Adding another channel to the mix can spread even the most robust teams thin.
Tying it all together – Experience Marketing software
Effectively managing a GMB profile entails managing listings, generating and managing reviews, and quickly responding to customer messages. Leveraging Experience Marketing software equips your clients with an all-in-one platform to seamlessly tie all of the pieces together into a centralized solution.
Ensure that you offer your clients listing management tools, powerful reviews management, and a Unified Inbox so they can manage messages from GMB directly.
And finally, be sure to partner with a business that provides your multi-location clients with a complete Google marketing package to help boost their local SEO and win new business.
