Google My Business – your secret weapon

1. Google Wants to Send You FREE Customers … and you’re not making the most of it So here is something we’ve observed and you need to know as someone who runs a business – Google is changing how some of their properties work. It used to be that Google was perfectly happy to take a visitor conducting a search on Google and direct them to your website. Oftentimes, this highly targeted visitor arrived with the intent to engage your business in some way. Obtaining such visitors is the subject of an immensely complex discipline called SEO, but that’s not what we’re exploring today. Nowadays, Google is shifting its strategy – they want that precious visitor to hang around Google for a bit. They want that visitor to get all the relevant information they’re looking for right on Google. That’s fairly new and not commonly known or understood (just yet). Enter Google My Business. Google My Business – your secret weapon (but not for long!)

2. Chances are you already have a Google My Business profile – you had your 17-year-old nephew claim and populate the listing with your location and hours, maybe a logo and called it a day. Here is why that’s not smart. Your Google My Business listing deserves a LOT more attention than that. First, understand that this is not another listing that needs to be filled out – this is a free, high-authority customer acquisition engine. A few numbers for context and perspective for you: 46% of all Google searches are done by consumers looking for local information  68% of people contact a business directly from search results  88% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations  28% of the time, local searches result in purchases  72% of consumers that did a local search visited a store within 8 kms (5 miles).  60% of smartphone users contacted businesses directly through the Google My Business interface using the “click to call” option  Google My Business has become the primary touchpoint for most people searching for local businesses. Searches for local businesses like yours have increased by 200% over the last two years. You’ve seen those listings and probably have noticed that Google My Business offers buttons to visit the website, directions, view and post reviews, call the business directly and most recently, initiate a chat session through direct messaging! Our SimpleUP! platform integrates closely with Google My Business, including the new direct chat capabilities.

3. This is a game changer for many businesses – especially recently, as so many people opt to conduct as much of their business remotely as possible. Whether you like it or not, the first impression many of your potential customers get may not necessarily be that shiny website you spent thousands of dollars on, or the Social Media profiles. The first impression may well be that Google My Business listing, that’s sitting there unattended, in need of updates and strategy, costing you opportunities every day. For some, a properly presented and optimized Google My Business listing can bring more visitors than all that expensive advertising they’re spending their money on. Are you ready to talk to us about your Google My Business listing yet?