Tools of the Trade
It’s no good having a website if nobody can find it. That’s why Google provides businesses with many tools they can use to improve their performance in search engines. Through Google My Business, you have so many assets at your fingertips. They’re always updating and now they have some new tools available that you should be looking at.
1. Google My Business
When you verify your business, Google My Business features your logo and a cover photo, so potential customers will know immediately what your company is about. Additionally, it will offer a Dynamic Photos Module. This carousel/slide show will have a selection of photographs you choose, with the ability to caption them to display to your customers. Alongside these images, you can provide welcome offers as well. Those who choose to follow your business will be sent these offers as additional incentive to follow and visit your business. All of this information is searchable on Google, making you easy to find on the web.
2. Local Favorites Badge
It pays to be the company that everybody wants to go to. Now, Google might reward you for being the best in your area. If you become one of the top 5% of local businesses in your category, you’ll be awarded a Local Favorites Badge. This lets people know that your business is one of the best and most valued in your area. This could provide you with a significant advantage over your competitors if you make it into the top.
3. Book an Appointment
If your business listing is impressive enough to get a customer interested right away, why waste time making them look for where to book an appointment with you? Well, now you don’t have to. With Google My Business, you have an option to set a link that will take users directly to where they can schedule an appointment with you. This will save them considerable time and effort. Anything that makes it easier for your customers to get in touch is good for your business.
4. Request a Quote Buttons
The #1 question on everybody’s mind is always, “What is this going to cost me?” Well, now you can make sure the answer is clear right up front with Google’s Request a Quote buttons. These buttons will appear in the knowledge panel for branded search results, so people will only see them if they are searching for you specifically. Clicking on this button will instantly tell them what your services cost and you can customize the response to fit whatever your business is.
5. Short Names
Website URLs can get a bit long and unwieldy sometimes. To counter this, Google introduced Short Names for people who verify their My Business accounts. Once you register a short name, there will be two versions of it. One will be an actual URL in this format: g.page/shortname. The other will be an @shortname. These short names will connect to your website. Additionally, Google is setting up to use @shortnames to appear on Google Maps, letting people check out your website when they’re looking through the maps to find where they’re going. This will make it much easier for visitors to make up their mind about where they want to go while passing through, as well as help get your company’s name out there in people’s minds.
You Need to Verify
Google My Business started as a way to make sure people got their business information on the web accurate, but over time it has evolved into something much bigger. The amount of customer engagement that Google My Business allows has grown to make it an invaluable tool for online marketing. To get access, though, you need to verify. Verification is Google’s way of making sure that you are who you say you are. It helps prevent misleading information from showing up in their search results.
Reports show that 61% of business who sign up for Google My Business do verify, but that leaves 39% of people not verifying. If you don’t verify, you still get your information to show up in searches, but you miss out on a whole bunch of extra tools that can push you from just another name in the hat to one of the most recognizable businesses in your local area. Don’t miss out on these opportunities.
Let Us Help
Here at Atlas Internet Marketing, we’re experts in the field of online marketing. Sure, you can do all of this yourself, but that takes up time you could be spending doing the things that make you money. Let us help you out. We’ll get you set up for Google My Business and help you complete the verification process so you get access to all the best tools available. Then, we’ll help optimize your entry so that you can outperform your competition.
Get in touch with us today.
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