by Mark Goren | Aug 6, 2020 | Blog, Listings Management, Small Business Marketing
If you’re looking for a way to get more foot traffic into your car dealership, look no further than Google My Business. Google My Business is a powerful tool that can help raise awareness, drive website visitors and ultimately increase foot traffic to your car dealership. The goal? To help you find new leads and increase sales.
What is Google My Business?
Not to be confused with Google+, Google My Business is one of several listing sites – and probably the internet’s most important. A listing site is a directory where your business can appear. When the listing is correctly set up and managed, the people who actively search for a car dealership near them will be able to quickly find your business. A proper set up in Google My Business makes it easier for potential buyers to discover you and:
- call your car dealership
- get directions
- click through to your website to browse the inventory
- or share your location with others.
Google My Business is often the first point of contact people have with your business. This makes the platform even more important than your website in some ways. Why? Because Google My Business can become an online hub for your business location. The platform will feature all of your pertinent business information, reviews, posts and updates, events, offers, products and photos.
Also, when you take advantage of all that Google My Business has to offer, Google will understand your car dealership more and be able to point even more qualified shoppers your way.
How Can Google My Business Help My Car Dealership?
No matter how established – or new! – your dealership and its online presence is, there is an opportunity to increase your visibility and the number of interactions potential customers take with your dealership.
Still unsure of how important it is to have your dealership listed on Google My Business? The eight key metrics we track will indicate improved awareness and increased interactions. The metrics we track will show numbers steadily increasing when your Google My Business listing is active and optimized. They are:
- Total Views:Total number of times your Google My Business (GMB) listing is presented in a given month.
- Total Actions:Total number of times people clicked through to call, map your dealership’s address, or visit your website from your GMB listing.
- Action Rate:Total actions/total views. The action rate shows the percentage of people who acted on your business information to learn more about your dealership (for example, called your location).
- Map Views: The number of times your local listing appeared in the Google maps results following a query.
- Search Views:The number of times your local listing appeared in search results following a query.
- Calls:The number of calls made to your dealership initiated from your local listing on desktop or mobile.
- Directions:The number of times someone mapped your address from your local listing on desktop or mobile.
- Website Visits:The number of times someone visited your website after clicking from your listing on desktop or mobile.
Of these eight, the two most important metrics we track for our clients are views and total actions. We recently worked with a local dealership with three locations (and therefore separate listings for all three). One of these was brand new, opening just before working with us. Take a look at the trend report below for those two metrics after working with us to optimize the listing at this location (i.e., manage information, reviews, and post to the listing twice weekly):
This car dealership had impressive, business-changing results with all three locations, not just their newest one. For one of the dealerships, our service helped improve views and actions by 88% and 61%, respectively, after ten months of working with us. Results like these represent a lot of new leads – and car sales!
What Happens If A Car Dealership Doesn’t Optimize Their Google My Business Listing?
Every error in your dealership’s information across the internet reduces your chances of appearing in results when potential customers search online.
Without having an active and optimized Google My Business listing, each day you miss out on:
- Increased awareness of your business (eyes on your listing)
- Additional awareness by appearing in Google Maps
- Phone calls to your dealership
- Website visits
- Easy directions to your dealership for potential customers right from their current location (key for attracting those who are spending an afternoon browsing dealerships)
In addition, Google My Business helps validate your business, which has an impact on SEO, and makes your dealership more ‘findable’ overall.
Remember the days when you needed a plumber, and you went right to the Yellow Pages Book under P for ‘Plumber’? No plumber in town would intentionally not have their business listed there, and Google My Business is today’s digital version of the Yellow Pages. You can’t afford not to appear there when people are searching for your business.
Not using or not optimizing your Google My Business listing is a missed opportunity.
What You Get For Your Car Dealership When You Work With 10|20 Marketing
When you work with us, you get more than just a quick review to ensure your listing is set-up correctly. We will:
- Claim business listings online
- Manage how locations appear across the internet
- Fix errors in listings that are costing businesses sales
- List locations on new engines, review sites, social networks and maps
- Improve search engine optimization
- Monitor customer reviews and ratings
- Drive more customers to your client’s locations
If you have questions about how your car dealership can start taking advantage of a Google My Business listing right away, and start seeing more foot traffic on site, send us a message and let’s chat. Want more info on the process and results you can expect as a car dealership? Write us and we’ll happily send you our case study.
by Mark Goren | Mar 23, 2020 | Blog, Small Business Support
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1585009657087{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]These are not normal times for businesses across the world. With the COVID-19 pandemic spreading like wildfire, business owners are not just worried for their health, they’re worried what the impact of this new world will be on their business. Our view? It’s time to double down on your online infrastructure where possible. Prepare your business to be the first thing people see when they search for goods and services that you offer. The good news is that there are many things you can do for yourself, especially as it pertains to your online business listings. Follow these best practices for Google My Business.
Let’s talk about Google My Business First
Here are some of the things you can do to get your Google My Business listing organized right away.
Important note: reviews locked down too
The first thing you need to know is that Google has locked down business reviews. Last Friday, the company decided that no reviews will be published on any listing to protect small business owners. This goes for business owner responses as well. How does this protect your business? Google (and Yelp, as it turns out) is hoping this will prevent malicious reviews related to a businesses’ handling of issues related to the virus. There are ways for you to manage these reviews, as you will be able to see them in your Google My Business platform, but that requires specialized software. Ask us about it if you’re interested.
Change your business hours
If your business has been impacted, it’s vital to change your business hours so that people know if your business is open or not and, if it is open, when you’re available to them. If you have special notes you’d like to leave about when you’re open in relation to social distancing guidelines, you should do this too. This could mean statements such as, “Only 5 people will be let into the store at a time”, “Available by appointment only”, and other similar ideas.
Manage your business information
Use the space in your business description – up to 750 characters – to let people know about the precautions you are taking or extra services you are offering to handle COVID-19 or not. Here’s your opportunity to share if you’re facing any delays too.
Create a Google My Business post
About 18 months ago, Google started allowing business owners to post content on their Google My Business listing in much the same way they post to Facebook or Instagram, for example. Take advantage of this feature to share timely updates about your business. You can add information about what products or services you have in stock, link to other resources, or just use posts to directly communicate with your customers about the state of your business and help people learn how you can help them while they’re in isolation.
Update your phone number
It’s vital that you make sure that your phone number is correct so that your customers can reach you. If you’re working remotely and using your cell number as your primary number during this crisis, make sure Google and all the other directories you’re listed on know.
Expect delays too
Google has been prioritizing changes to hours, special hours, temporary closures, business descriptions and changes to attributes. If you’re attempting to create a Google Post, it may take a bit of time before it’s published. As a note, some of the content we published for clients was published right away, while others are still taking time. Stick with it, Google will likely push everything through eventually.
We’re here to help
We’re not here to push, we’re here to help. If you need anything from us in relation to Google My Business or your other directory listings, just ask. We’re happy to help you get your online presence settled so you can focus on the elements of your business that you know best.
Do you have any tips on how to handle your business during this crisis? What else are you doing to get your digital infrastructure in place while you have the time to focus. Over the next days and weeks, we’ll focus on a different area of your online presence that you can focus on strengthening while dealing with preventative measures associated with coronavirus.
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Free Small Business Marketing Consultation
If you’re a small business owner looking for help, advice or just to talk to a marketing specialist during this time, book a free consultation with Mark at 10|20 Marketing and we can discuss your business, your concerns and how to best use the time you have now to get your digital presence in order. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
by Mark Goren | Dec 16, 2019 | Blog, Listings Management
Small business owners will often confide in us that they don’t have a website. They’ll tell us that they have a Facebook page, but no website, and they may even feel embarrassed that they’re not properly set up with one.
We’re here to say, it’s alright! In fact, there’s no better time than right now to not have a website if you’re a small business.
Reasons Why Small Businesses Might Not Have A Website
In our discussions with small business owners, we’ve run across the following reasons for why they don’t have a proper website set up for their business. The list is wide-reaching:
- No budget to build one.
- Have signed a contract with a developer but don’t have time to create content and never got started.
- Lack the skills to create a website and don’t trust outside suppliers.
- Worried about maintaining the website after it goes live.
- Feel they’re doing just fine with Facebook or Instagram
- They’re not an e-commerce business so they feel they don’t need a website.
- Think nobody would find them or visit their website.
- Believe they’re already so far behind the eight ball that there’s no point in having one now.
These are backed up by statistics as well, as we’ve read that “Small businesses cite cost (26%), irrelevance to industry (27%), and social media (21%) as key reasons behind their decision not to have a website”. And while the same article states that at least a third of small businesses don’t have a website, we have reason to believe that even fewer Canadian small businesses have a website.
Whatever the reason, these are all valid concerns for not having a website. But not having a website doesn’t mean these businesses shouldn’t be online.
Let us explain further.
Google Is All-In On No-Click Search Results
What is a no-click (or zero-click) search result? Ever try to book a flight? A hotel? Make dinner reservations? Have you noticed that, now more than ever, you can get all of this done within the first page of Google’s search results? Welcome to the era of no-click search results. While you may never have heard how these results are described, we’re pretty sure you’re familiar with the concept.
Just so we’re all on the same page, a No-Click Search Result, as defined by BXB Media, are “when the search engine results pages (SERP) provide an answer to the user’s query within the search results, negating the need for a user to click through to the actual website.”
Here are some examples:
Search for the weather in your neighbourhood and you never need to click through to Environment Canada or The Weather Network.
Search for “dry cleaners near me” and you get results from your neighbourhood and other related questions.
The idea is to provide the user with all the information needed so they do not click away from the search engine results page. Essentially, Google wants you to stay on their property longer, so they’re attempting to ensure that the visitor has no reason to leave. ‘
For the local small business owner with no website, though, the no-click search can be an asset if they’re properly aligned with Google.
How Can Small Businesses With No Website Set Up For No-Click Searches?
Without a website, the goal now becomes to own as much real estate on the search engine result page as possible. And what’s the biggest available spot on that page? The empty right hand side. Or, for the savvy business owner, their listing. And, more precisely, their Google My Business listing.
Look how much space our client Maison Goldberg Bijouterie takes up on the first page of Google’s search results.
The whole right side of the page is dedicated to their business, making it an unmistakable destination for those looking for the jeweller – or for a jewellery provider in Montreal.
In addition, because they’re properly optimizing their listing, adding content, reviews, and questions and answers, the listing becomes a de facto website for the business. If all they needed were phone calls or visits to their location, you could argue that this would be everything they need to drive new leads and customers to their business.
In addition, this client has been working on getting reviews for their listing. These reviews are a key component of getting new customers to believe in your business and choose to visit your location. The more positive your reviews, the more likely you are to close new business.
All these elements combined make up the best, most useful parts of a website for many small businesses: contact information, testimonials, photos, social posts and FAQs. The more you update your listing, the more people you can attract to your listing and have call you or visit.
A Final Word on Websites
Now, don’t get us wrong, we’re not saying that you shouldn’t have a website. There are obvious reasons why this is important. If you do have one, this makes your listings even more powerful as you can link to your website from the listing, giving people a destination when they discover your business. However, if a small business doesn’t have a website, then they absolutely should claim and optimize their local listings, particularly on Google, because this is the best way to be discovered – website or not.
The key, though, is to start thinking about being ready for those no-click searches, which means you should be giving web users the chance to know as much as possible about your business on the first page of Google’s results.
To learn more about how we help small businesses optimize their business locations and be set up for the no-click search, check out our pricing page and let’s set up a discussion.
by Mark Goren | Oct 29, 2019 | Blog, Listings Management
We write a lot about the power of your Google My Business listing. What most business owners need to realize, though, is that the power of your listing is often made up of the combination of many small things. Reviews, Google Posts, address consistency, proper business description and other key elements help you optimize your listing. Google Attributes is another. Making sure that you have all of these in order is an excellent way to get more views, calls, map clicks and website visits from your listing. We’ve collected some tips for optimizing your Google Attributes here; check out our other Google My Business posts and our case study section for even more benefits of some simple optimizations.
Defining Google My Business Attributes
An Attribute is exactly what it sounds like: the ability to attach unique characteristics (or, attributes) about your location to your Google My Business listing. Of course, these Attributes will impact search results that could lead people to your business.
For example, a hotel can list that their rooms have air conditioning, free breakfast and wifi. A restaurant can indicate that its location is wheelchair accessible, offers take out and serves alcohol. A hair salon can state that they specialize in hair colouring, serves coffee and is dog-friendly. You get the picture.
Adding Attributes To Your Google My Business Listing
There are two ways for Attributes to be added to your listing:
Add them yourself
You have full control to visit the backend of your Google My Business profile and add Attributes yourself. Click on “Info” in the left-hand navigation menu and look for this tag symbol:
Once there, you’ll be presented with a list of Attributes that are relevant to your type of business. Select the ones that apply and they’ll be added to your listing.
Crowdsourcing
Google users are often presented with the opportunity to add Attributes to your listing, as Google will present them with an opportunity to “Answer Quick Questions” directly in the listing. If clicked, Google will then ask simple questions such as, “Is there wheelchair-accessible parking?” and other questions until it is satisfied.
Our suggestion is to add Attributes to your listing yourself so that your business isn’t misrepresented by your customers. After all, nobody knows your business better than you.
Benefits of Google My Business Attributes
So you’re probably wondering what the point of adding Attributes to your listing really is. Well, it’s simple: Adding Attributes helps Google to index your listing for more specific searches. Think of the criteria you use when looking for a hotel, as an example. You may want to make sure that your room will be outfitted with wifi, a fridge, a safe and iron. As a result, you’ll create a very specific search to help you determine where you should book a room. Adding Attributes to your listing will help your business appear as a result of a very specific search. Or maybe someone just searches for hotels in a specific area and uses the Attributes in your listing to make a final decision. Either way, ensuring that you meet the searcher’s criteria is key to getting that booking. So if a competitor has the desired Attributes listed and you don’t, it’s quite possible that the sale will be lost.
Resources
Are you using attributes in your listing? Tell us about the impact you believe they’ve had on your business!
by Mark Goren | Oct 17, 2019 | Blog, Online Reviews
One of the best secret weapons small business owners have when it comes to building confidence in their business is good online customer reviews. Customer reviews are not only essential, but they’re also a proven business strategy for building your location-based business. But don’t take our word for it, either. Read some of these examples of why online customer reviews are so vital.
Today, we’re going to focus on the three key pillars of developing a solid customer review marketing strategy. First, though, let’s look at why having customer testimonials appear on your business listings is so important. And, to do so, let’s look at some statistics:
- If you have less than a 4-star rating, over half of consumers won’t use your business.
- It takes less than 10 reviews for 90% of people to form an opinion about your business.
- WHOA! 72% percent of people won’t take action before consulting online reviews.
- 15% of customers will not trust a business if they don’t have reviews to consult.
- Consumers will spend up to 31% more on a business that has great reviews associated with it.
- WHOA! Google accounts for 57.5% of all reviews available in the world.
- WHOA! 63.6% of consumers visit Google to check for reviews of a business.
- 73% of consumers consider written reviews to be more important than star and number ratings.
- LOCAL ALERT! Positive reviews encourage 68% of consumers to use a local business.
- Have more than four negative reviews about your business? That may decrease sales by 70%.
These are just a few of the many statistics available about reviews. We encourage you to read others right from our source.
So now that you understand the importance of your business’s reviews, it’s time to learn the three pillars of a customer review marketing strategy.
Pillar #1: Make sure that you’ve claimed your Google My Business listing (and other directories)
While we’ve written a comprehensive post that details everything you need to know about Google My Business, it’s important to reiterate that a sound review marketing strategy starts with owning your listings. Why is this so important? There are several reasons.
Owning (claiming) your listing gives you full control over what business information is placed there. Yes, this refers to all the key elements you would think of, including your business name, address, phone number, business description and more. What this also does is allow you to 1) get alerts whenever someone leaves you a review and 2) respond to reviews and have those responses appear as being from you, the business owner (more on that soon).
Owning your listing is the first step to having a successful online review marketing strategy.
Pillar #2: Respond to your reviews
Use the alerts mentioned above (see, told you it would be soon) to stay on top of the feedback you’re getting – and help guide your response. When reviews are positive, get in there and thank your customers, share your positive experiences with them and validate their visit and the reasons why they gave you that positive review in the first place. When reviews are negative, think of them as an opportunity to learn about your business, rebuild consumer trust and turn the negative into a positive. Most people will be shocked that you’re paying attention and care. This is a good thing. Take advantage and get them back on your side.
Another very important factor was validated by Google earlier this year. The company confirmed that responding to reviews is an important factor in getting your local business ranked in a “local pack”. In fact, in the Google My Business help section, they explicitly state that responding to reviews is a vital element to improve your local ranking on Google:
Manage and respond to reviews
Interact with customers by responding to reviews that they leave about your business. Responding to reviews shows that you value your customers and the feedback that they leave about your business. High-quality, positive reviews from your customers will improve your business’s visibility and increase the likelihood that a potential customer will visit your location. Encourage customers to leave feedback by creating a link they can click to write reviews.
Pillar #3: Ask for reviews
At the tail end of Google’s note about how to manage and respond to reviews, you may have noticed the following note to “Encourage customers to leave feedback by creating a link they can click to write reviews.”
So Google is encouraging you to encourage people to leave reviews. Excellent! When you consider how competitive it is to get into the Local Pack and rank well organically, coupled with the fact that the average local business has 39 Google reviews associated to their listing (same sources as our previous statistics), you can see why it becomes important to solicit reviews from your best customers.
There are many ways you can go about this, some easier to implement than others. Here are some ideas:
- Personally email your best customers asking them to support your business with an online review.
- Plant a link to your listing in your email signature.
- Add a URL to your receipts
- Embark on a drip email campaign with requests and links
- Use a specialized tool to monitor reviews, send out requests or embark on a campaign
These are just some ideas, and we’re able to help with any online review marketing strategies as well, even the more involved processes.
Go beyond Google if need be!
While we’ve talked a lot about Google here for its obvious power via its market share alone, it’s important to consider other search engines, directories, social networks and mapping technologies too. So if you’re established on Facebook, point reviewers there. If you’re reliant on Yelp, ask for reviews there and continually monitor that network. But remember where most people search, and that’s on Google. It’s likely that for most businesses, Google will have the greatest impact on traffic to your store and to your website.
What are some of your strategies to generate reviews? How do you go about monitoring for them? Do you respond? Let us know in the comments below.
