This post was originally published on November 6, 2014.
In this series of three posts, we show how businesses in the service industry can use Google My Business, Angie’s List, and Yelp to bring in more customers as part of their marketing plan. In our Going Local post, we advocated for using Google My Business because people are searching locally for products when and where they want to buy them. But what if you’re not retail or don’t have a physical location customers visit?
Why Fight a Battle You Can’t Win?
It’s a question we get a lot from clients, but there’s actually a lot you can do yourself before you call in the web experts.
Google is the most used search engine, so it’s a no-brainer your service industry business would want to be at the top of the search engine results page (SERP). Google Search’s geo-targeting technology automatically tailors users’ results to where they say they are. Take advantage of it.
With My Business, profiles integrate onto the Google SERP, which allows consumers the option to see all the important information at a glance, including location and phone number, while also offering reviews and a link to the business’ website. When visiting the Google Plus profile that populates when companies sign up for My Business, potential customers can see posts that your business has created, like blog articles and events.
Yes, your business will still show up on the search engine results page even if you don’t have a My Business account. But take it a step further by creating one. It’s free and automatically shows your information to consumers who are in your area looking specifically for your services; it acts as a quick reminder of hours and exact address for existing customers; and it’s mobile optimized, even if your website isn’t yet. Why not take advantage of the opportunity?
Make the web work for you by signing up for Google My Business and using it as part of your overall marketing strategy. Stay tuned as we continue the series next week.
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