Maximize Your Local Business’s Online Potential: The Overlooked Power of Google Listings
Local businesses are constantly searching for the magic bullet to amplify their marketing efforts and drive customers through their doors. In the digital age, the first instinct is often to focus heavily on social media. However, many local businesses are making a critical mistake that’s costing them valuable engagement and sales – neglecting their website and Google listings. Today, we’ll explore why this oversight can be detrimental and how businesses can harness the power of online tools to see real results.
The Pitfall of Relying Solely on Social Media
It’s easy to get caught up in the social media whirlwind — the pressure to maintain an active presence, the hope of creating viral content, and the desire to keep up with competitors. Yet, despite their efforts, local businesses frequently find they’re spinning their wheels on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok without seeing any tangible returns. One of our clients, a local service business, experienced a significant shift by changing its focus. They saw a 33% increase in business within six months and expanded their house cleaning crews – all by paying attention to their website and Google listing instead of social media.
The Untapped Potential of Your Google Listing
A Google listing is perhaps one of the most potent tools at a local business’s disposal. Why? When customers are making those final purchasing decisions, they’re not browsing through Instagram or Facebook – they’re checking out Google listings. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the concept of managing your Google listing or believe it to be complex, rest assured it’s much simpler than it seems.
Imagine spending only 15 minutes per week optimizing your Google listing. We’ve witnessed businesses transform almost overnight, with customers walking in the door as a direct result. This modest investment of time starkly contrasts with the hours dedicated to crafting social media content that often goes unnoticed.
4 Key Updates to Supercharge Your Google Listing
You can start harnessing the power of your Google local listing today by making four critical updates:
- Categories: Evaluate the categories your business is listed under and add six to ten relevant options. If you offer multiple services like housecleaning and commercial cleaning, make sure they’re all included.
- Products and Services: Even if you don’t sell physical products, updating this section is crucial. Services are treated equally in terms of helping your Google listing rank, so list your most prominent services for better visibility.
- Offers: A nifty feature that is visible only on mobile devices. Create an enticing offer, such as a discount or complimentary service, to encourage customers to engage with your business.
- Weekly Posts: Utilize the update feature on your Google listing. Incorporate relevant keywords to your community’s searches; this can significantly boost your visibility to prospective customers.
Frequently, simply repurposing your existing social media content for your Google listing can achieve better results, as customers are actively searching for this information when they’re ready to engage with businesses.
Beyond the Basics: The Full Spectrum of Google’s Ranking Criteria
When delving into your listing, keep in mind that Google uses approximately 75 different criteria to rank local businesses. Understanding and optimizing these criteria can be game-changing for your business. However, knowing which ones are most critical to your specific needs is essential.
Your Personalized Plan for Success
If this feels overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be a solo journey. Go ahead and book a free call here: abovethefold.live/listing where we can chat and strategize for your business’s unique needs. We’ll help identify which of the 75 criteria are most pertinent and set you up with a tailor-made plan.
For those who prefer to remain hands-off, we’ve got you covered, too. Our team can manage the optimization process, making it a hassle-free experience that yields real results.
Your Next Steps
Don’t let your local business fall into the trap of relying solely on social media. Instead, take control of your Google local listing and give your business the attention it deserves from customers who are ready to buy. Whether you’re diving in yourself or seeking expert assistance, the path to enhanced online visibility and growth is just a few clicks away. Book your free call now, and let’s elevate your local business above the fold.
Transcript
[00:00:00] Today, you’ll learn the biggest mistake that most local businesses make with their marketing, which often causes them to spin their wheels on social media without seeing any results. You’ll also learn how to avoid making that mistake and what to do instead. Let’s dive in. So the big mistake I see local businesses make is they pour all their time and effort into their social media and they forget about everything that’s happening on their website and in their Google local listing.
[00:00:30] Social media has become that thing that we feel we have to do. There’s social pressure, there’s peer pressure from other businesses. Everyone else is doing it. Maybe it’s the next post that will go viral. It’s the next video that’s going to bring customers through your door and it’s not working by putting all your time and effort into social media and forgetting about your listing and forgetting about your website.
[00:00:56] You’re missing out on the opportunity to attract customers to [00:01:00] your business today. One of the clients that we worked with a local service business saw their business change by 33% in a six month time period. They went from having two house cleaning crews to three simply by focusing on their Google listing and their website instead of social media.
[00:01:20] Your Google listing is one of the easiest tools that you can use as a local business. Your Google listing is such a powerful tool because it’s the last stop that a customer makes before they’re ready to make a purchase. So when they have credit card in hand, they are heading over to your Google listing.
[00:01:38] Let’s just talk about ignoring Google, ignoring the power of Google, ignoring the ease of Google, because for a lot of local business owners, it just feels complicated. And it’s not, or it doesn’t have to be. I’ve seen so many local businesses see results that they weren’t getting from social media. In as little as [00:02:00] 15 minutes a week, they can see customers walking through their door, where they’ve spent hours, two hours, three hours a week on social media, and all they’ve heard is crickets.
[00:02:11] I’ve seen local businesses go from trying to post on social media on a daily basis to closing their social channels. because they spent the time on their Google listing and their website. They no longer even needed their social media channels. Honest to God, if you spend 15 minutes a week in your listing, you are going to bring in more customers into your business.
[00:02:30] Honest to God, like 15 minutes. Because in that first week, you’re going to tune it up. In the second week, you’re going to make some small improvements and you’re going to post to your listing. In the third week, you’re going to add a product to your listing and another post. In the fourth week, you’ll add another product.
[00:02:50] You’ll add an offer. So each week I encourage everyone to spend 15 minutes in your listing and it’s going to make a difference in your business. So there’s four [00:03:00] things that I want you to go and update in your Google listing today. The first one is the categories. that you have your business in. If you’re a housecleaning service, I want you to make sure that you’re listed as a housecleaning service, but you can also be listed as a commercial cleaning service if you do offices and businesses.
[00:03:19] So, go and find the categories that apply to your business and add six to ten categories. for your business today. The second thing that I want you to look at is products. Add at least four products to your listing. But Barb, I don’t sell products. I’m a service. That’s okay. Products and services help your Google listing rank equally.
[00:03:46] So if you are service based, then focus on the services that you provide. So update your products or update your services. This is one of the most important things that we’re seeing in terms of Google [00:04:00] ranking right now. So that’s your second change. The third one that you’re going to add is something called an offer.
[00:04:07] And an offer is only visible on mobile. To add an offer to your listing, add an update. An example of an offer. would be a free item with purchase. So on your first product purchase or service booking, you can offer a complimentary item to go with it. A house cleaner might be a 10 percent discount off your first service.
[00:04:31] And for a plumber, it might be as simple as a complimentary check on your furnace come winter time. Number four, the last one, posting to your listing on a weekly basis. If you go into your Google listing, you’re going to see a little button that says, Add update. I want you to add an update to your listing on a weekly basis.
[00:04:51] Why? Because it is keyword sensitive. All of those searches that people are doing in your community, the [00:05:00] keywords in your posts are going to help attract new customers to your business. Wondering what to post on your listing? Here’s a couple of examples of what you can share to your listing today. Start with what you’ve already posted on social and share that into your listing because those same customers They want to know about the celebration you’re having in your store They want to know about the gift certificates that are available for the upcoming holidays They want to know about the products you’re carrying and the brands that are already available through your plumbing shop So anything that you’re posting on social You can do better with it on your Google listing.
[00:05:36] But Barb, is it really that easy? Yes, it is. But there’s one other thing to keep in mind. When you log into your listing, you’re going to see that there’s about 75 different criteria that Google is using to rank local businesses. Knowing the correct criteria is very important and that will impact how quickly your listing moves up as well.
[00:05:58] To help you get started, book a free [00:06:00] call so we can go through your Google listing with you. Point out which of the 75 criteria are going to be most important to your business and your takeaway will be knowing exactly what you need to do to optimize your Google listing. You can book that at abovethefold. live / listing. On the call, we’re going to talk about exactly what you need to do with your listing. There is no mold that applies to every single business. Each business is unique and we’re going to help you build a plan that is specific to your business. And if you want it to be totally hands free, We can help you with that as well.
[00:06:40] Go to abovethefold. live / listing and book your free call with me right now. See you soon.
