Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be a challenge. Particularly if you are in a competitive market.
But there are some quick adjustments you can make TODAY that will help improve your rankings and traffic opportunities.
1. Set up your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)
Google is still the proverbial elephant in the room when it comes to search and they have created tools that you can use to make sure your business is ready to go – particularly for local searches. Google Business Profile (GMB) is just one of those tools.
First, you will need to claim your business (if you have not done so already). Google will then send you a postcard with a code to use to confirm ownership. Once you receive this, you can optimize your listing.
Optimization is relatively straightforward. Simply start filling in the details of your business including: hours of operation, any special affiliations or designations you may have (like minority-, veteran-, or woman-owned, a business description, specialties, etc.). Then add your logo, and as many images as you think are relevant (we recommend shooting for 30) that showcase your space, services, products, team, etc. That’s pretty much it!
Once your listing is optimized, this information will appear on the right of local Google searches and clicks for your name. Plus, the Google algorithm (as it is currently understood) leverages this additional information for results positioning; making you more visible to your audience when they are searching for businesses like yours.
2. Ask for Reviews
Building on the effort you put in to get your GMB page set up, the second recommendation to help boost your local visibility is to leverage that new asset to get reviews for your business. We suggest reaching out to your best clients to request a review on Google. Here’s a template email you can use to help streamline this ask:
Hope all is well in your world.
I am reaching out today to ask a favor. I am looking to increase our reviews on Google and wanted to see if you would be willing to help out with a review on our Google Business Profile page?
Here’s the link to our page: (add your link here), if you scroll down on the left-hand column, you can see a “Write a Review” button where you can submit your comments and rate us.
I’d really appreciate your help if you are willing and would love to include your testimonial in a case study we are preparing about our partnership.
Let me know what you think!
Best,
Start racking up those great testimonials and customer reviews!
3. Optimize for Online Directories
This tip gets a little wonky but can go a long way to making sure that your business gets found by your customers and clients – subscribe to a listing service to standardize how you show up around the web.
The big three in search are Google, Bing, and Yahoo! but there are hundreds of other search engines and portals on which your site and business can be found. And when it comes to your listing, consistency is key. Going to each and every engine or portal to complete your listing is a major time-suck, so we recommend enlisting an agent to help with this work. Fortunately, there are quite a few options that don’t cost an arm and a leg to which you can subscribe to set your profile up once, then they do the work to disseminate your standardized info out to the portals. Here are a few of our favorites:
Let us know how it goes and as always, if you need assistance or want to learn more, drop us a line. Need help? We offer Google Business Profile Optimization and Management services.
