If you are here you probably have heard about Google My Business (GMB). Probably, you even registered there but then hit a wall. How does it work and how to get the best out of it for your home service business? With our guide you can improve your GMB game for your HVAC, plumbing, landscaping, and electrical work. We gathered some tips to optimize your GMB to attract local clients and grow your business.
Make Your Business Info Accurate
For starters, your customer needs to find clear and correct information in your info. So it’s crucial to make your GMB profile info accurate. What's the scheme?
- Business Name. Don’t use nicknames, it should be exactly the name of your business.
- Address. Your client should easily understand where you are located. As well as Google services. So use the appropriate format for your area.
- Phone Number. It’s a good sign for a customer if you have a local and trackable number. They may even call you.
- Website URL. The Internet might be unpredictable. Make sure that link directs to your website.
- Business Hours. To avoid both you and your clients stress keep working hours up to date, including seasonal changes and holidays.
Note: Remember about consistency. All information should match across your media resources: website, social networks and others.
Choose the Right Categories
Google needs to know how exactly to show your business in search results. If categories are picked right there won’t be a problem and your customer can easily find you. How to do so?
- First goes first! Your main service is your primary category. Choose “Plumber”, “Electrician” and so on.
- Your secondary categories are your additional services. For example, “Heating contractor”, “Air conditioning repair services” and others.
Note: Keep your categories brief and clean. Put only core services because adding too many categories can spoil your listing relevance.
Upload Only High-Quality Videos and Content
Show your customer what you do—that’s what people want Here is our advice:
- Say hi with your logo and cover photos.
- Show who and what makes things work. Photos of your team, tools, completed projects and service vehicles are the best for this.
- Mesmerizing video with your work done or explanation videos can help your customer get involved in your business.
Note: Update your media regularly to keep your profile engaging and fresh.
Enable Messaging and Call Tracking
Thanks to GMB your customers can contact you straight away. Don’t forget to enable those features so the number of your leads can be significantly increased. What to do?
- Find the option “Messaging” on the GMB dashboard and turn it on.
- Don’t forget to use a call tracking number (like CallRail or Google Ads) so you can monitor calls from your listing.
Note: It’s important to have an operator who will be always able to respond quickly. Customers really appreciate businesses who respond quickly.
Take Care of Customers Reviews
People trust each other so it’s crucial to have customer reviews in order. It will boost your local ranking. So encourage satisfied customers to leave feedback and keep a professional tone of voice while responding to any kind of reviews. Our tips are the next:
- When the job is done send your customer a link to your GMB and kindly ask them to leave their expression.
- Respond to all reviews—even negative—so customers know you’re there for them. In addition, with such responses you’ll have an opportunity to explain yourself.
Note: It’s better to have less reviews regularly than a plenty once. Take as a good habit to ask your customers to leave feedback.
Regularly Update Your Customers
With GMB you can post updates about your business so you will stay visible and relevant. What to post?
GMB lets you post updates about promotions, new services, or completed projects, helping you stay visible and relevant.
- Promotions, special offers and discounts.
- New services and where they will be available
- Completed projects and their highlights.
- Seasonal posts with reminders like preparing for winter, spring maintenance and so on.
Note: Posting at least once a week will keep your profile engaging and up to date. Remember to keep your posts regular no matter how often you post them.
Remember About Q&A Feature
Your potential customers might be curious about a whole lot of different things. The Q&A section allows them to ask and you to respond and this way showcases your expertise. How to work with this section?
- Keep an eye on your GMB for new questions.
- Answer the questions with clear and helpful answers. It will highlight your knowledge.
- Add and answer FAQs to guide customers proactively.
Note: Think forward and answer common questions before they are asked.
Track and Analyze Your Insights
GMB allows you to understand how your customers interact with your profile. Those valuable insights will help you to improve your strategy. What metrics are worth to track?
- How were you found—in the search list or on the map?
- What does your customer do on your profile—where do they click, how often do they call and message you?
- Which specific words and expressions were used to find you?
Note: Notice the terms that lead to your page more often than others and include them in your GMB profile and website. That’ll help improve your SEO.
Boost Your Local SEO
GMB is a great way to boost your local SEO. It’ll influence your search visibility and your presence on Google Maps. Here are our tips:
- As mentioned at the beginning of this article, NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) should be consistent across all your media resources.
- Don’t forget about keywords. Use them in the description, posts and reviews.
- Build high-quality backlinks from local directories, blogs, and news outlets.
Note: Keep your business info fresh and up-to-date. When you are expanding or adding a new feature add information about it. As a result Google will display your business in relevant searches.
Conclusion
With help of this guide you’ll get the most out of your GMB profile. You’ll increase online visibility, attract more customers and leads and stand out in search results. And this is essential for any home services business looking to grow locally.