We've been tracking yet another new initiative from Google to help small businesses. Please read on as our San Jose SEO expert discusses making use of Google My Business to get better rankings on Google.
Most of you probably know small businesses in San Jose that have been significantly affected by COVID-19 service restrictions and "non-essential" closures. Google has added support links to the business profile on Google My Business, allowing loyal customers and caring locals to buy gift cards from or donate to local businesses.
The program launched first in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Small businesses can add a gift card purchase option, a donation option, or both on their business profile. Google has partnered with PayPal and GoFundMe for donations and gives merchants the option to link directly to a gift care purchase landing page. Google isn't charging a fee for services, but the third party affiliates might.
San Jose SEO expert advice for small business owners
Business owners also have a chance to write a personal message to their loyal customers outlining how the funds will be put to use. Some businesses, for example, may still need to pay rent, while others may use the extra money to change from brick-and-mortar shopping to online eCommerce stores. Having this type of transparency is an aspect of SEO marketing that helps develop a brand "voice" and build connections between repeat customers and local businesses. When customers feel invested in their local economy, it helps small businesses grow.
Enhanced user reviews
Other changes that Google is making to its Google My Business (GMB) program involve enhanced user reviews. You probably remember we mentioned in previous newsletters that Google had suspended reviews and responses, and then has slowly reintroduced these. Those of you in the Home Services sector may have noticed already that there are new categories in the reviews section such as "what do you like/ not like about this place?" Now, other business sectors will have these expanded review attributes, including lawyers, accountants, financial planners, architects, salons, car repair, and dry cleaning.
Reviews either "Positive" or "Negative" at the top, with a list of which aspects were critical or positive, such as promptness, value, responsiveness, etc. Keeping on top of these expanded reviews attributes is important – if you look at the reviews online, it's easy for your eye to be immediately drawn to whether your business has many positive or negative reviews.
The visibility of these review attributes is one of the most powerful aspects of them, and monitoring them is essential. We're keeping abreast of every client's reviews and working individually to cultivate more positive organic results.
Increases your lead conversion rate
Our next feature this month is specifically for our lawyer clients. There's a fantastic new app, the Martindale leads manager app, allowing you to directly respond to a consultation query from a potential client. The app directly connects you to real-time contacts from lawyers.com and you can respond immediately to client requests right from your phone. You know as well as us that sometimes when people need an attorney, they need one RIGHT NOW. If you need help setting up the app, let us know and we can walk you through it.
The app also is optimized for web use, allowing you to delegate a lead to a partner attorney or paralegal and increases your lead conversion rate with faster responses. There's also an auto-response feature that can help when you're in court for another consultation, letting potential clients know you've received their message and your representative will be in touch with them ASAP. You also have the option to assign new leads to someone else in your firm when you're unable to do so.
Profile photos add an extra professional touch to your business
Moving back to Google My Business, we're excited that there are several new categories for photos on your business profile. If you haven't submitted new photos to us yet, please do so. The more photos your profile displays, the more likely you'll have potential clients click through to your website.
GMB photos expire 7 days from posting, so please keep sending them our way!
Some of the categories that you can include are:
- Your brand identity and logo
- Owner-added photos
- Customer-added photos
- 360 images from Google Maps
- Interior – showing the physical inside of your building
- Exterior – this can help customers locate your building, especially important for businesses with small storefronts in a larger shopping center
- At Work – this is your team in action! You can upload spontaneous photos of your day-to-day operations
- Team – show off your hard-working staff and help customers get to know whos taking care of them
Finally, we want to highlight the hardworking team at Wooding Electrics, who we've been helping increase their SEO results and online positioning. They're an electrical contractor serving residential and commercial clients in San Jose and the Bay Area. They focus on ongoing education for their techs and everyone on the team and exemplary, knowledgeable customer service. Honest, transparent quotes and ethical business standards have helped them improve their online presence.
