So, you have an engaging, informative, well-designed website, with search engine optimization (SEO) and digital advertising campaigns in place to drive traffic.
But have you cleared the path to your homepage?
According to NetMarketShare, a staggering 75% of all searches in 2018 are placed through Google. Be sure to get more than your share of these leads by mastering a few rules of the game.
Manage Your ‘Google My Business’ Listing
Search for a business type or service on Google, and a helpful box appears with the top ranked local businesses that match your search. This result is a by-product of a service called “Google My Business.” The box includes a map showing physical locations and other critical information such as address, hours of operations, phone number, website and directions. It’s imperative that you keep these details up to date. You can also take it a step further and post photos and company updates.
Address Your Address
Google Maps is another incredible tool, but it’s far from perfect. Mailing and physical addresses can differ, so if you leave it to an automated program to generate a search result, there’s a chance your building photo could appear as a warehouse, open field or worse. Play it safe by ensuring that Google Maps shows your lovely building, with accurate directions for getting there.
Review Your Reviews
The information box will also list customer reviews and average out the scores of those reviews to provide a star rating. Folks, we are living in the Wild West of customer satisfaction. Anyone can review your business, any time—even unscrupulous competitors. Ignore those reviews at your own peril.
If you receive negative reviews, respond to them and articulate your side of the story—professionally and apologetically, of course. On the flip side, also respond to positive reviews to show customers you appreciate their loyalty. Finally, encourage positive reviews from your satisfied customers to boost your ratings average.
If you’re not keen on adding more tasks to your to-do list, the good news is that Netwave can manage all of this for you. In fact, we do it for most of our SEO clients.
Bonus Tip: Think Beyond Google
Last but not least, pay attention to the search tools and directories NOT named Google. They represent the other 25% of web searches, certainly a significant number. Directories and ratings services differ by industry—all the more reason to have an SEO specialist such as Netwave manage your search listings for you.
Contact us for a free estimate. No jargon and no obligations. We just want your business to be buckled in for more customers.
