If you have ever picked up your phone to search for something, you probably headed straight to Google. Perhaps it’s overkill to say that Google is the ultimate search engine, but when it comes to your business, you can build the perfect website and product yet still lose customers if you don’t have a strategy for search engine marketing.
For local SEO and winning customers strategically around you, understanding Google My Business is key. There are three things to master when it comes to driving local traffic with this marketing method.
1. Add Keywords to Google My Business Name
When setting up your Google My Business profile, you want to make sure that you add descriptive keywords to help customers find you. For example, if customers are searching for “pizza restaurants near me” then your business name should have “pizza restaurant” somewhere in the title.
While it may seem off-brand and unfair to do it this way, Google is all about keywords. That doesn’t mean you should stuff every keyword into the title of your page, but you should add your main keyword to your business name. Then, Internet Marketing Team – Google My Business Listing recommends to sprinkle your top keywords throughout the description and about info on your profile.
2. Invite Customers to Review
It can be scary asking customers for a review. You never know what they’ll say, but if you are delivering consistently good products and services, you should have no problem receiving feedback.
Also, reviews are the one way that customers can differentiate between a good business and one that is going to scam them, and they are looking to find just that piece of information that pushes them to purchase. If they spot a business in their search with excellent reviews, it’s likely that you’ll win their click and purchase traffic.
However, lack of reviews or negative reviews can deter from your business. It’s best to reply to any negative reviews with a neutralizing message, offering to help via a customer hotline or email address that goes directly to the manager. This shows customers that you understand the issues and want to take care of it appropriately.
While reviews sometimes just happen naturally, you can also promote customers to review your products by sending a note via email after they’ve received their purchase.
3. Correct Location Information
Finally, the most important piece of all is your location data. Is your address correct and showing the right location in Google Maps? For customers to find you using local search, you have to be near their location. This is why it’s so important to check that every address and contact information provided in your profile is correct.