In part 1 of our series on local SEO marketing strategies, we explained how Google’s local search algorithms work and the importance of your Google My Business (GMB) page is within it. We also provided details on why it is critical for your NAP to be consistent throughout the web and why you need to make sure that your GMB page is filled out completely. This month we will provide three more strategies to make sure your GMB helps make your local SEO marketing program a success.
Create GMB Posts Regularly
If you want to take it to the next level, create posts for your GMB page. GMB posts are short articles, that can be up to 300 words long, and provide another way for you to connect with your customers. This format is ideal for announcing an upcoming sale or special, welcoming a new employee to the business, or just provide a summary of a longer article from your website’s blog.
Attach a photo or video to attract additional interest for your GMB page when it appears in the Google search results. Providing regular content to your GMB page shows the Google algorithm that your GMB page is active and worthy of notice.
Set Up Links for Reviews
Although Google doesn’t discuss their ranking algorithm, it is clear that getting reviews is a critical component of ranking high for local SEO. But the Google algorithm isn’t the only important aspect to consider.
What is the first thing you do when visiting an unfamiliar town and are looking for a good place to eat? You do a search in Google Maps for a restaurant near your location. You read the reviews and make a selection based on the social proof provided by other customers. It doesn’t matter if the reviews are just on Google. They can be reviews on Facebook, Yelp or dozens of other review sites as well. You want buzz about your business and you want to make it easy for your customers to leave reviews on the major review sites. So, make sure that you have a prominent link to your GMB review page on your website and even in your email signature. For details on how to do this, check out my article Get Customers to Provide Google Reviews the Easy Way.
Reply to All Reviews
Google doesn’t just look for a number of reviews in order to rank your business higher in the local SEO rankings, but also looks for activity. If you comment back to a customer review, that provides proof to Google that the business is not only operating, but that the information in Google is accurate and important which causes Google to reward that site with higher site ranking.
But replying to customer reviews, good or bad, is a great way to encourage repeat business. A simple thank you for a good review can go a long way to building customer loyalty. And if for some reason you received a lukewarm or negative review, it provides you with an opportunity to engage the customer and hopefully transform a negative experience into a positive one.
Want to Supercharge Your Local SEO Program with a Dynamic Google My Business Page?
Contact Search Marketing Resource for help. We are a local search engine marketing company that gets results. We can set up, configure and manage your Google My Business page as part of your local search engine marketing services program. Give us a call at 888-842-9033, email us at sales@searchmarketingresource.com, or complete our simple online form for a free search marketing services proposal.
