Be C.R.U.E.L to improve the effectiveness of your Google business page

Why is it that your competitors are getting noticed by Google but your business seems to be left behind in the doldrums? Your business is 20 years old and you’ve had a website up and running for years, but some start-up has just begun using Google My Business and they’re really getting noticed online, whilst you remain firmly out in the cold. Where are you going wrong?

It’s all about values!

Google created their ‘My Business’ interface to make it easier for local businesses to get found online.  In this blog we will explain how keeping the acronym 'C.R.U.E.L' in mind when using your business page  can help to improve the chances of people finding your business when searching for relevant words or phrases.

Be C.R.U.E.L to gain credibility!

Take note of Google's values to get noticed

Understanding which qualities Google values is extremely important to the success of your business page.  Time and effort devoted to applying these values to your GMB profile will deliver a strong return. Consider this an ongoing process. Maintain the profile, encourage customer engagement, keep GMB relevant and up-to-date by using the following values to gain an advantage in a competitive market sector. 

To understand what kind of activity Google values we want you to think C.R.U.E.L thoughts. Use this acronym we have devised at Add People and it’ll help you to remember and understand the key principles of Google’s values. We’ll break it down for you to simplify things a little. 

C = Credible...  Google values businesses that are credible. Show them you have a good service and they’ll rate you higher. A credible company is seen as a trustworthy resource. Give your business integrity and Google will be happy to endorse your service. 

There are a number of ways you can make your business appear credible on Google my business. One option is to gain customer reviews. Encourage customers to leave positive reviews on your GMB profile. The more reviews you get the greater number of ‘stars’ you acquire. Get a five-star rating and this looks great on your page.  Not only will that attract attention from local customers looking for services, it’ll get picked up by Google as well.

R = Relevant...  Posting on your GMB profile is a good way of engaging with customers and offering extra value. Customers are more likely to engage with you if you keep posts fresh and constantly update your profile. Make sure that posts are relevant to the products or services that you sell though. 

Include relevant keywords within posts to make them more likely to show up in search results.  If you run a butcher’s shop in Basingstoke for example, use hashtags within your posts to highlight keywords relating to your business. Followers looking for ‘butchers in Basingstoke’ will be drawn to your profile if you include appropriate keywords and make your posts pertinent.    

Use Google’s free AdWords keyword planner tool to find keywords that perform well within your industry.  Keep posts relevant to your business sector and your profile has a really good chance of showing up higher in search results.  

U = Unique... Google values unique content so try to keep your posts original. Going back to the butcher’s shop in Basingstoke as an example, there are a number of tactics you could deploy to make your posts unique. You could include videos or pictures of your produce in a raw or freshly cooked state. There could be links to local companies that use your goods with testimonials stating how tasty your products are. You might want to include posts that highlight events in the local area, recipes, cooking tips or information about seasonal offers. 

E = Established...  If you want your business to rank well in local searches you need to show you are established within your industry. One way to get noticed by Google is to register your company in local business directories, just remember to use the same NAP (name, address and phone number) each time you register somewhere new.

Google will pick up on any external links that point back to your business.  The more external links it sees the more established it will think your business is. 

L= Locality...  When you perform a search for a business or service Google will take into consideration the location from which you’re performing the search and show you relevant, local businesses.  With this in mind, it's a good idea to make your posts relevant to the locality of your business or the area that you service.  For example you could include location in your hashtags - #ManchesterSEO.

Got all that? 

Keep these values in mind when using your business page to improve your business’ visibility online and get the most from your business page.

For more help and advice with your digital marketing please visit our website www.addpeople.co.uk.

Using Hashtags on your GMB page

Hashtags in your posts

A hashtag is a word or a phrase typed without spaces and preceded by the # symbol.  Hashtags are frequently used on social media and blogs to make posts easily discoverable for people searching for information or posts around the same topic.

When you publish posts on your Google business page you should include hashtags where relevant to gain more exposure for your business profile and brand beyond its existing followers

When a hashtag is added to a post, users who are not in your contact list or circles can find your posted content by searching for for the hashtagged word or phrase.

Auto Hashtags

If you make a post on your Google business page with a sufficient amount of text, Google will attempt to identify the subject of the post and auto-generate hashtags for you.  It's better if you can get into the habit of doing this yourself though to ensure that the most relevant and appropriate hashtags are chosen.

Using Hashtags in your posts

You can use hashtags by typing them somewhere within the text of your post. Here are some examples:

• New central #Manchester #italianrestaurant called #YOUR-RESTAURANT 
• Do you have that #fridayfeeling in #Manchester. This is how we roll here at #YOURBUSINESS

Hashtags can be used in a variety of ways to focus the post and attract attention: campaign, brand, trending, niche trending, content, event and location. 

Our advice would be limit the amount of hashtags that are used, you will rarely need to use more than 2-3 for any one post.

Follow these simple instructions on how to add a hashtag your post

Login to your Google account.

Access your Google Business page.

Create a post  by clicking on share what's new, add a link or attach an image or video.

Within the text box and as part of the the post, enter the word to be hashtagged preceded by a '#'.

Select who you intend to share the post with 'Public' or your circles and then finally hit the 'share' button and you're done!

Happy hashtagging!

If you're stuck for ideas on what to post on your business page read our blog: 'The Business Guide to Posting on Social Media' over on our website.

For more help and advice with your internet marketing please visit our website www.addpeople.co.uk.

Setting Up Mobile Notifications For Your GMB Page

Once you have your Google business page set up it's important to keep up with the maintenance and management of the page.  If you're a business owner then your schedule is probably pretty fully booked and you may not have time to be regularly logging in and checking your page.

That's where mobile notifications will really be of benefit to you.

When you set up mobile notifications on Google you will be alerted whenever something happens on your business page.  This could include a new review, comment or message on your page.

Setting up notifications means that you can respond to messages promptly to improve your followers' experience and to keep your page professional and your online reputation intact.

Ok, so now you know the benefits of mobile notifications, let's get them set up!

You can either follow the instructions in the tutorial video below, or alternatively refer to the step-by-step text instructions and screenshots in this post.

The first thing you need to do is, access your Business page (as demonstrated in our first video tutorial.)

Once you're on your business page, click on your business' icon in the top right-hand of the page, and then select 'Settings'.

Scroll down to the section called 'notification delivery'.

Click 'add phone number', enter your details and click 'send verification code'.

You will then receive a pin code to your mobile.

Enter the pin into the box provided and click 'confirm'.

You now have mobile notifications set up to your mobile phone.  This means that when you receive reviews or comments on your Business page you will be alerted directly through your phone enabling you to instantly respond or take action.

For more help and advice with your digital marketing please visit our website www.addpeople.co.uk.