How to use Google My Business to improve your sales
Tips to use a free Google feature to attract and retain customers
The most common thing customers do today when they are looking for any product or service is to search for it on Google or any other search engine. In this article, we shall discuss web search using Google only as though there are other search engines, Google is the most popular and best-integrated one in terms of listing businesses as also showing them on a map. With Google recommending users to phrases that other users keyed in while searching for similar items, ‘’pest control services near me’’ is a common search term now used by people. All of this is closely linked to the search and Search Engine Results Page (SERP) as managed by Google. Smart PCO’s can easily ensure that they get listed in a SERP by making minimal effort to updating their information on Google My Business, which is a free feature and as we shall see later in the article, very important to connect with customers.
Any search on Google leads to both organic (unpaid) and inorganic (paid or advertised) results. A search for “pest control services in mycity” on Google now will show advertised services at the very top and sometimes to the right of the screen. Increasingly, however, Google now shows a Google Map with service providers marked on it and a list of service providers below the map, as the first of organic listing. Even in the Maps listing, Google has started showing paid listings, so the first few results at the very top are ads. Clicking on “See more listings” in this box leads the user to all the service providers who Google thinks are relevant for the service and the location where it is being searched for.
Just see what has happened – Google now ensures that its paying advertisers get the most attention at the top and right of the page with the word Ad used to distinguish such listings. Thereafter, Google lists relevant businesses on its Maps and only after all ads have been shown, will Google show organic search results of businesses matching the search term. Do you see what I am getting at – if you have not spent time updating your company of Google My Business (GMB) to appear in Google Maps, you are losing out being featured FREE during searches for your type of business in your city. We can’t predict whether Google shall one day charge companies to be listed on GMB, but as of now it is free, and PCO’s should make use of it.
Points to consider when listing a PCO on GMB: The name of the company, of course, is most important and should be entered exactly as it is known legally and commercially. There is no need to add the branch name as the city in the address is enough to clarify that it is an office in the place where it is based. Thereafter, fully and correct address should be entered after which Google Maps starts showing the PCO at the exact location as the address. Don’t worry if the location map is wrongly placed on Maps – Google Maps allows business owners to write to it and get any errors including location corrected. With name and address correctly entered, timings of the company, the company website and telephone number too have to be entered. GMB also allows businesses to update any information about themselves which will be shown when users click on a company.
In the Google Maps list of the search results, when users click on a PCO shown and whom they want to evaluate, a screen with the name of the PCO at the top opens with the location on the map shown to the right. At the top of this screen, the GMB information is listed with the star rating including the number of Google reviews – with second-row having links to the company website, the directions to reach the PCO and option to save the information. Google Maps incidentally shows all this information from the perspective of its user, not the PCO! So, it has sections where the user can request for editing of information, add missing information or even ask a question. As one scroll below, Google Maps shows the star-wise ratings it has received from users and single-line summaries of what its customers are saying about a PCO. Also, actual Google reviews are shown with the user, their rating and their full review are shown, all to help potential customers make a decision based on the experience of other users. At the end of this split-screen, Google lists Company Update, What Other users also searched for and other web results about that PCO.
What Should You Do Now? As you have seen users now search on Google for a PCO near them and thereafter can easily find out a list of those who have paid for getting themselves featured (under Ads) and others who have taken the effort to update their information on GMB. Entering details on GMB is only a start! PCO’s have the option to put periodic updates and also edit information for any changes in address, timings etc. all of which will show up thereafter on searches. Most importantly, each customer should be requested for a Google Rating and Review on Maps. The more the number of reviews and higher the rating, the credibility of a PCO is higher on a Google Search. Sadly, one user can rate a PCO only once (unlike in Ola or Uber cabs) but can always edit their review and rating. Which means, it is in PCO’s best interest to track all ratings and reviews and respond to the reviews (Google allows it, again free of cost). Incidentally, reviews are of the business and not just the pest treatments – so anybody who is a Google Maps user, including employees, vendors, family members of employees can and should be made to give Google reviews and ratings. Do note that Google has its mechanisms to detect fake and not genuine reviews – so always ensure that the reviews are real and not influenced in any manner.
From the developments in Google search and listings, it seems that directories of any kind may over time become redundant. If a user can search for anything, know its location and also its reputation as judged by Google users, why would anybody look for more information in any other directory? Google Maps is likely to become the most comprehensive directory of every business on earth in the coming years. And you can be on it by listing yourself on GMB, tracking your reputation and ensuring you engage with your users both online and off-line.