Introduction
The power of Google is without question. On the local level, Google services, such as Google Maps help local businesses find new customers through a variety of processes that impact the buyer’s cycle. Strong, local SEO for Google Maps and Google My Business engages customers who want to buy a product or service and who are not ready to commit. Correctly optimized local search allows potential customers to:
Trust your Business
Research Products
Increase the accuracy of local your marketing efforts
Reduce the pressure for users’ experience when buying a product
Increases the relevancy of passive marketing for your business.
Keep reading to learn more.
Google Maps SEO and Why You Need It
The folks at Google and other search engines approach online business from many angles. Most of us understand the importance of optimization for a web page, but many of us assume that tools like Google My Business or Google Maps, is just another online feature. Well, it is less of a feature, and more of a tool and tools have particular uses. In the case of both Google Maps and Google My Business, they put your business on the map. In so doing, they make your business “findable” in the local search market.
The Aspects of Google
Google and other search engines divide the search market into two major areas. First, is the online search arena which people use to help them solve problems. Second is the local search field. Local Search allows searchers to find products and services that are physically close to their location – even when those searchers have locations that are not constant. If your business is search engine optimized, it is trying to locate customers through organic and ad-based search results. When your business is Optimized for the Local Market, you are engaging people who are actively looking for a product or service in your area. Local Search is not about purchasing products that come in the mail but about targeting those shoppers who are looking for a local product or service to buy right now.
If you are optimizing your business site for Online Search and you have not optimized for local Search you are missing out on a large segmentation of the market. Calgary Local SEO is the gateway to integrating with Google Products.
Google Maps is very powerful because it:
Increases the Trust customers have in your business. Trust is very much part of the buyer psychology that makes up the Sales Funnel and Buyer Persona. Google Maps, especially the street view portion, allows potential customers to gain trust in your business by recognizing and familiarizing your business. Both of those actions help them to feel that they know and trust your business.
Product Research – Part of all, online Search is about solving a problem. In the sales funnel, this is referring to internet searchers who think that your product or service may help them solve a problem, but they want more in-depth information. That is where product research enters the buying cycle. For example, if you are shopping for a widescreen TV, then one of the things that you want to look at is the size of the physical TV, not just the size of the screen.
You might also read reviews to see how the product or service faired from those who not only bought the product but who bought it from your store. Product research is a powerful way that potential customers use to rectify fears about buying and buyer’s remorse. This process is vital in developing a deeper relationship with potential buyers. It works in conjunction with building trust and through site optimization features, such as quality content.
Tightens the Focus of Marketing on the Local Level – Even though Google Maps works on geographic locations, you can still outrank businesses that are closer to the searcher. That trick is more specifically related to quality reviews and professional-grade content. Content does not have to be perfect. However, it does need to be optimized. Doing so allows online searchers to go deeper into the Sales Funnel and its process.
For example, if you want pizza for lunch, Google Maps will show you its top three choices for pizza based on many factors. Those factors include ratings, customer experience, location, etc. That is why it is essential to optimize Google Maps and Google My Business. The reason is that without optimization, the person standing in front of your pizza parlour may never enter if a pizza joint down the street ranks better. Yes, it is that powerful.
Eases Shopper Conflicts – An internet search for a local pizza parlor brings up many options. All of those options create a conflict that the potential customer must solve to choose a place to enjoy lunch. The benefits of ranking better include better visibility on Google Maps, improved customer reviews, and new traffic to your business. That is the goal of optimizing Google Maps and Google My Business. That is especially true of mobile searches.
Improves Conversions from Word of Mouth Passive Advertisers – Passive advertising occurs when past customers give your business a recommendation to their friends. For example, If you are at a meeting and you ask your group, what is their favourite pizza place, many will tell you. That insider information helps you to feel trust, but when those coworkers are not available, then reviews take on that job. Passive advertising is all about quality and organic customer reviews. That fact goes beyond Google Maps and Google My Business to include referral sites such as Yelp! That process of improving conversions comes about because those reviews help the searcher to alleviate fears and buyer’s remorse. They may not know you, but in their mind, you are more friendly than sites with less favorable reviews or even fewer reviews.
Calgary Search Engine Optimization
The Process of Google Maps for Potential Customers
Google Maps and Google Map Pack is something we all use, and the next time you use this tool to think about the information that you glean from it. The primary aspect of Google Maps or Google My Business — and they work in tandem — is to reduce the pressure that a potential buyer has. Buyers worry about making choices that involve picking the right product and buying from the best source. These are tools that go beyond finding a business’ address and dives deeper into the psychological process that occurs when a potential customer is trying to solve a problem. In short, they are asking a series of questions that matter to them. They use additional information, such as:
Photos (yes in Google Maps, there are photos)
Product information and pricing
Reviews by past customers
And many other bits and pieces.
Photos help online searchers to feel that they know and trust your business. The process works like this: A picture of your business makes your company recognized, and people are willing to trust a business they recognize. Other tools include:
A link to Social Media, which can help them personalize their relationship with your business
Online content from your site helps them to answer questions about the product and process of buying it.
Quality customer reviews help to diminish fears that your business will not “harm” them. After all, when a new customer sees that other customers have had great experiences in dealing with your shop, they are more willing to risk buying from you.
Businesses that are looking for Calgary SEO help, our services help your business to integrate with Google Products, such as Google Maps. We help your business connects seamlessly across the Google Knowledge Graph.
The real question is, can your business survive without Google Maps SEO and the power that it has in the local search market. The secret is that Google Maps and Google My Business must be set up and optimized correctly. We run across businesses all the time that do not rank well in Local Search. The reason is that their Local Search data is not correct nor optimized. Local searchers can find the business, build trust, and reduce buyer apprehension. For a more in-depth explanation of how your business ranks in Google Maps and Google My Business, reach out to our team.