Get More Google Reviews to Grow Your Online Presence

Positive Google Reviews can really impact your business.  These independent ratings of your business can increase your credibility and pique the interest of Google searchers when they see your high marks online. Research shows that 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation (Bright Local 2018). Because Google is one of the most utilized and trusted search engines, it’s more important than ever to utilize their Reviews.

As you probably know, when you perform a search in Google, the results page will show any businesses that have a Google My Business listing. In this listing, you can profile your contact information, photos, news and gather customer reviews.

One of the greatest benefits of Google Reviews is how they can boost your local search engine ranking. Google favors businesses that have frequent and positive reviews on their Google My Business listing. Additionally, there are no fees associated with leaving or responding to a Google Review.  Great reviews are positive endorsements or free advertising for your business.

How to Get Great Reviews

Come up with a strategy for collecting positive Google Reviews. Consider all the ways you create great experiences and outcomes for your clients and how you can be proactive about securing reviews from them.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Personally Request the Review

Did you just have a great client interaction in your store? Or maybe you’ve spent months on a client project that surpassed its goals? These are great opportunities to personally ask (in person or by phone) for a Google Review. 

2. Add a Google Review Link in Your Email Signature

If you regularly communicate with clients via email and feel confident that your reviews will be positive, add a request and link in your email signature. 

3. Ask Partners and Vendors for Reviews

Business partners and established vendors can attest to what it’s like to work with you. Exchange Reviews to help each other’s SEO and visibility.

Create Your Google Review Link

Clients may be willing to give you that great online review, but you need to make it easy for them. Here are the steps to create a direct link to your Google Review form:

1. Search for your business name in Google

2. Find your Business Listing on the right-hand side of the Google search results page and click on ‘Write a Review’

3. Once the Google Review box pops us, copy the url from the address bar.

4. This is most likely a very long url. Go to www.tinyurl.com to shorten it into a concise link.

Make it a strategic part of your sales and marketing processes to ask happy customers to review your business. Great Google ratings will go a long way in improving your digital presence.

Have questions or need help with your Google My Business Listing or Reviews? Contact Jocelyn Murray for help today. 

Local Marketing Musts for Your Business

If much of your business comes from local customers, then local marketing should be a priority.  Even on a limited budget, targeted, local marketing initiatives can be some of the best ways to maximize your marketing dollars.  Here are some marketing ideas to increase your local marketing presence:

1. Online Business Listings

Make it easy for people to find you by listing your business with Google My Business. In addition to Google, be sure you're listed in all of the other significant online directories including Yahoo, Bing, Yelp and YellowPages (to name a few). Make sure your business listings are complete, correct and consistent on all these major sites.

2. Ask for Reviews

Let your fans sing your praises- they're your best local advertisement. According to BrightLocal, 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Encourage happy customers to review you on sites like Yelp, Yahoo Local or Angie's List. 

3.  Connect with Local Journalists

If you regularly read the local newspapers, you're probably familiar with the reporters that cover your city or industry.  Make an effort to form professional relationships with these journalists and they may end up reporting positive things about your business.

4. Facebook Local Advertising

Local ads can help you reach your nearby target audiences. Facebook’s Local Awareness advertising is an easy and affordable way to get in front of people in your neighborhood, city or county. 

5.  Local Email Marketing

Target your emails and include messaging and an offer that local customers can take advantage of. Use a local subject line. Integrate social media to make your local email marketing even more successful.

6. Participate in Community Events

Be sure that your target audience will be in attendance at any local events you commit to. Plan your marketing strategy ahead of time.

For more marketing tips, visit www.marketing-er.com.

Local Marketing: How to Get your Business Displayed in the Google 3 Pack

When you do a Google search, have you ever noticed the business listings that show at the top of the page? The top three local listings that appear are called the Google 3 Pack.

As a business owner, you understand how vital it is to show up at the top of the first page when people are searching for your products or services in your area. Increasing your visibility via local search results can help you be more competitive. Being in the Google 3 Pack can drive traffic to your website and increase your SEO rankings.

           

How to Get Your Business in the 3 Pack

The following are some methods for increasing your ranking within a local search:

Local Reviews

            Google’s algorithm is tailored to rank local results, and it’s especially favorable to businesses that have online reviews, as this helps with decision making for buyers. Make sure to encourage your customers to give your business feedback on Google and other sites like Angie’s List, Bing and Yahoo, for example.

Links

            Links to your website can optimize your chances of ranking in the 3 Pack. For every guest blog or blog comment that you write, include a link to your website.  Link to your site from your published articles, interviews, press release and directory listings.

Google My Business

            Manage your online presence in Google Search and Maps by using Google My Business. This is a free tool that allows you to post all your relevant business information to help customers find you more easily in a Google Search.

Other Directory Listings

           

            Add your business to additional directories like Yelp and YP.com. Find out which listings are critical for your industry and location. Gradually add your listing to these sites and be sure all information is consistent across the board.

Upcoming Changes in the 3 Pack

            Will the 3 Pack soon be including ads? It looks like this isn’t just a rumor; indeed, the ad will soon show up above two other organic, local listings. This change will likely add financial strains to businesses that haven’t relied on pay per click in the past.

The new phase is still being tested, so it is unclear exactly how this change will appear when Google implements it. However, speculation has shown that paid ads could cause organic listings to have a weaker ranking.

            Appearing in the Google 3 Pack is valuable way to gain local attention. Keep these tips in mind and your chances of appearing in this coveted list will increase.

Local Marketing Musts for your Small Business

If much of your business comes from local customers, then local marketing should be a priority. Even on a limited budget, targeted local marketing initiatives can be some of the best ways to maximize your marketing dollars. Here are five marketing ideas to increase your local presence:

Online Business Listings

Make it easy for people to find you by listing your business with Google My Business. Then you're sure to be located when people search for you on Google Search or Maps. According to ComScore, 78% of local mobile searches resulted in a offline purchase(usually within a few hours). Appearing in a local search can have a direct impact on your business.

In addition to Google, be sure you're listed in all of the other significant online directories including Yahoo, Bing, Yelp and YellowPages (to name a few). Make sure your business listings are complete, correct and consistent on all these major sites.

Also, join your local chamber of commerce to ensure that your business is included in their online directory.

Facebook Local Advertising

Local ads can help you reach your nearby target audiences. Hyper local Facebook advertising is an easy and affordable way to get in front of people in your neighborhood, city or county. Facebook ads ask you to simply enter your business address and the area you want to reach around your business. Your ad featuring a photo and message will be routed to people in that vicinity. Your ad will show up in the Facebook newsfeed of people near your business at any time, on any device.

Ask for Reviews

Let your fans sing your praises- they're your best local advertisement. According to BrightLocal, 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Encourage happy customers to review you on sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, Yahoo!Local or Angie's List. 

Participate in Community Events

Local events can be a worthwhile way to meet potential customers and introduce them to your business offerings.Be sure that your target audience will be in attendance at any events you commit to. Plan out  your marketing strategy ahead of time and ensure proper event staffing, brochures, product samples, ways to capture leads and take payment.

Connect with Local Journalists

If you regularly read the local newspapers, you're probably familiar with the reporters that cover your city or industry.  Make an effort to form professional relationships with these journalists and they may end up reporting positive things about your business. Start by following local reporters on social media including Twitter. Comment on their articles, Retweet or Share their posts/articles and ask questions.  If you periodically provide these journalists with credible, helpful or newsworthy information, you're likely to see the fruits of your labor.

What free or paid methods do you implement in your local marketing efforts? Please share below.

Six SEO Tips for Small Business Owners

For businesses owners with a website and an online strategy, search engine optimization (SEO) is an important factor. If much of your business comes from local customers then local SEO, which helps businesses be found in a specific geographic market, should be part of your web strategy.

If you're seeking the greatest stream of web traffic in the ever-changing search engine scene, there are some non-technical ways to take advantage of local SEO. In addition to hiring an SEO professional like Scott Pierson from The Executive SEO, try to increase your rankings through a combination of simple tasks, some of which Scott recommended in our recent meeting.

Here are six tips to get you started:

1. City and State Info

Include your business city and state in your web site's title tag, alt tags and in your website content.  Ideally, your landing page should include the name, address and phone (NAP) of your company and it should match your Google+ Local listing.

2. Blog

To become a local authority and to be found online, write/blog about the subjects your target audience wants to know about. To strengthen your local strategy, include blog posts and press releases that focus on local business transactions and community events your business is involved in.

3. Inbound Links

Quality links that point to your site will strengthen your online presence.  Remember to link back to your site from social media sites, when you guest blog or comment on a blog.  Ask your business partners to post links to your site on their Resources page and do the same for them.

4. Claim Local Profiles

One of the best ways to optimize for local SEO is to completely  fill out your local profiles on sites such as Google My Business, Yelp, Bing and Yellow Pages(to name a few). For an $84 fee, Moz Local (moz.com) will ensure that your business listings are correct and consistent  on sites and directories that factor most in local search engine results.

5. Use Location-Based Hashtags

Increase your relevancy and visibility for local audiences by using location-based hashtags. Use your business' and your target audiences' neighborhoods, cities or towns (#Milford #Devon or #Bayview, for example) in your posts so your content will be found by your local market.

6. Reviews

Periodically ask your clients to favorably review you on Google+. A steady flow of positive reviews will go a long way in building your SEO.

Staying current with local SEO is a challenging but important task for entrepreneurs. If you're overwhelmed or not getting results, enlist help from an SEO expert to advance your local SEO strategy.