Bye Bye Google+, Hello Google My Business

“When one door shuts, another one opens.” As of April 2, 2019, Google+ will be shutting all the doors and will no longer be offering its services. Google+ was Google introduction into the social media platform, offering new ways that individuals and business owners would interact and communicate. June 2014, Google My Business hit the ground running, creating the need for business owners to be found via Google’s Map feature. Paved way for the new interactive connection for reviews and information gathering we use every day.

Interacting, leaving review and comments or simply finding out when a business is open is easier than ever with Google My Business. Making it an easy decision for Google+ to close the doors and pass the “torch” over to Google my business. Google+ is urging all the contributors to Google+ to begin to save all their images and important information before April 2, 2019.

Importance of Google My Business

When you are hungry or in need of a plumber, all you need to do is ask Google. “Hey Google, call the nearest plumber” or my personal favorite “Hey Google, where can I get taco’s.” Not only does it show results to my question, but it gives reviews, locations, hours of operation and much more. On the flip side of the coin as a business owner, you can only imagine how important it is to have the correct information out there for your potential clients to find.

Keeping your hours of operation, up to date pictures and location are of absolute importance. So now that you know the importance of being on Google My Business and you have updated your profile, what’s next?

Engage with the Community

Now more than ever people choose where to eat or what tool to purchase based on customer reviews or ratings. A few bad reviews can keep people from adding that tool to the cart and purchasing the product. But on the other hand, good reviews and steer clients who are on the fence of purchase to hitting the buy now button.

Don’t be afraid to go out there and engage with the community, business owners should be responding to their reviews and consumers should leave more reviews to help people make educated decisions. When a review is left good or bad, we encourage you to go and write a response. A response lets the community know even if you are not perfect you are willing to interact with your clients and that you are willing to make it right when there is a mistake. A simple response can be a huge difference-maker in a buyer’s decision to purchase.

Standing Out in the Crowd

Do a quick search for businesses that are near you and you will notice you are not the only one in town who offers the same services as you do. Take a quick scroll down the list and notice that they are not alphabetical or seem to be in any order. So how do you get noticed?

Several things can help you get noticed, number one is outranking your competitors and showing up first on the list for specific keywords. At Circle City Digital we realize that by posting often and engaging with your clients on the social platform greatly increases your chance to show number one on the listing when someone searches for your keywords.

Your number of reviews along with your keyword terms on your website are a complex algorithm used by Google to create relevancy to your business and service offerings. This relevancy is known as search engine optimization or SEO for short. Your website should be fully optimized for keywords that your potential clients have questions about or are searching for.

Ask an Expert

If social media, web design or digital marketing is not your cup of tea, then contact us. Our team of experts stay on top of industry trends and stay in the know of all the new technology.