How To Make the Most of Local SEO

You are not alone if you have, for some time, felt as though Google’s interfaces aren’t particularly user-friendly. Surely to encourage the use of platforms such as Google +, it is in Google’s best interest that they make them as accessible as possible?! Turns out Google had the exact line of thought, which was why they introduced Google My Business in the first place. Think of it as your hybrid, integrated approach to your Local SEO efforts. Your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) can now be handled through the one interface. Whether you’re a retail storefront, providing a service across an area, or you’re a business looking to increase awareness and solidify your brand, Google+ and Google My Business have unique features plus interfaces for each scenario to accommodate for your business and social media goals.

Having established what Google + and Google My Business is and what it provides your business, understanding the features and how they can directly benefit you is the next logical step. Remember, the set-up of a Google + and Google My Business page is completely free. If you take on board all of the information we have to offer, then managing your company Google profile pages will also be a breeze. It’s easier to talk about Google+ and Google My Business together rather than separately, because they are essentially one interface controlling two pages. While the pages have different uses, they share the same information. If you update information on Google+, it will update on Google My Business automatically, and vice versa.

To make the most of this free product there are indeed some things you can do on your end to get the most out of it, such as ensuring your website is mobile responsive. Google has primarily designed the features of Google My Business with mobile users in mind. Your Google My Business page will need a link to your business’ website, so it’s a no brainer that you need to be responsive or you’ll drive that traffic away.

Google + and Google My Business is a fantastic tool for two-way communication with your audience if used effectively, which means you need to participate in and encourage engagement with consumers. This will in turn promote your customers to leave reviews for your business, which Google absolutely loves! Other people searching for your business can then not only see these reviews but can, at a glance, see the overall ‘star rating’ your business has received. Businesses should encourage their customers to review them on Google+ and should even dedicate some staff time to Google+ by adding people and other businesses to their ‘circles’. In a study by BrightLocal done in 2013, it was reported that, “79% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations”. This figure should speak for itself. If you do good business, you will be rewarded with good reviews. If you get good reviews, Google will reward you with more organic presence for your Google My Business page.

Considering that Google + and Google My Business is essentially controlled and managed through one interface, it is also vital to ascertain the small differences between the two so you know where you stand. One of our members from the SponsoredLinX SEO team, Conor Doyle, put together the points below:

Google +

• It gives your customers an immediate insight into the story and background of your business. It also includes what services you offer, an idea of your type of brand, easy access to your website and, other relevant pages a contact details.
• It’s also a place where you can reach out to your customers and thus interact, engage, receive feedback, co-create content, share your ideas and initiatives, broaden your target audience plus, promote and advertise your business and incentives.

Google My Business

• This provides your customers with current, easily accessible and on-the-go business information with details as to who can serve them with the best product and service and, how to contact them instantly.
• It ensures that the people who want to find you can find you, easily. Specifically, this means people who are using location based searches and need to know where to go to get what they need.
• Through the use of categories and Google’s cleverness, Google My Business also helps to bring more relevant, qualified traffic to your website, door, phone, or page.

The number one way to build a brand is to have a consistent message, tagline, a set of values and to stick to it, everywhere and all the time. It’s all about consistency! It’s called integrated marketing communication, and it aims to help you create synchronised, consistent brand messages at all ‘touch points’ between your business, products, brand, people and your customers. This is what Google + and Google My Business does for your company. Google loves consistency, and rewards those who are consistent.

Imagine your Google My Business page more like your online housekeeper, where you organise all your business information that you want customers to see on Google Maps, Organic Search and mobile devices. It’s important to keep this information accurate, relevant and current. Your Google+ page will be the place which you build your brand, share information with your customers and build engagement. The more people who are interacting with the page, the more important the page is perceived by Google. So off the back of all of this make sure you sign up for our Optimise Webinar ‘Local SEO – The Uncharted Territory’ here where you can hear straight from our SEO expert Conor Doyle who will be taking you through all of the above an so much more! Alternatively, call our Digital Strategy team on 1300 859 600 or visit our website.

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