Help Google to send customers who are searching "[your product/services] near me".
This article if for brick and mortar businesses that have not claimed their business on Google Maps yet.
It's free and will only cost you some spare time.
Have you wondered why so few people come to your business after a search on Google?
Stop blaming your webmaster, the website he created for you isn't the one to blame.
There is a feature setup by Google called Google My Business that is free and will help you to gain customers that are using Google, which mean practically everyone.
The time of the Yellow pages is over. Get over it !
The Yellow pages are now extinct because no one is using them anymore, they use google on the go.
Why?
Because it's free, convenient and far easier : everyone has google on their phones and it can instantaneously give you what you ask, with the location and an itinerary to get to it.
The explosion of Near Me searches.
Google is not only a search engine. It has a maps, a directory of all sort of things and is developing IA to mix it all and find how it better interconnect to provide its users a better experience.
Google official motto is to provide its user with what they want.
So for example, when a user want to eat a fish and ships, he will search for "fish and ships near me".
As Google search app have access to the geolocation of the phone, it can cross-reference the database of F&S shops with their location on the map, the relative distance of the user and finally narrow down a list of the shops that are at a humanly acceptable distance of the user.
It even go further by offering the possibility to post pictures and leave a review for the user.
The business owner can take control of the data published there and update them with all what would be relevant for the customer.
Google like that, because the most accurate the information about your business is, the better the experience of their users would be.
Why does it matter to provide Google with all that information about my business ?
Because one simple reason :
59% of the users have begin the purchasing process with a search on Google.
Yes, that between a half and two third.
I believe the last third are the ones you will get by chance or because he already knows you.
This data is provided by Google itself here:
Not only more and more people are using Google before making a decision about what product to purchase, but they also rely on it to choose where to buy it, as said in this conclusion:
Can you leave that big chunk of your prospective customers in oblivion about your business?
When I survey the map on Google in my area, I easily found our that nearly half of the businesses have not claimed their spot on Google Maps !!!
Some businesses do not even appear.
That's so easy to get it and that's free to do, so why aren't they doing it ?
I see so many local businesses going belly up unnecessarily.
Some of their managers blaming profusely online shopping for being the cause of their demise, while we know all that when a business is going burst, that's mainly because of the poor decision process of the owner.
How to claim your spot on Google My Business.
For those who haven't figured it out, there is the process.
Go on google map and search for your address.
Can you see your business there ?
Yes ?
That's a good start. That mean that google have spotted it. Click on it and you will see that Google have gathered elsewhere all the information it could. You can claim this spot by clicking on the business on the map, that will open a side windows with all the information that it already got. Click on claim this business and follow the instructions.
No ?
It might be misplaced. Check by typing the legal name of your business. If it appear elsewhere, you can submit a request to get it updated, and you can claim it too.
Or, it might still not be spotted by Google. In that case, you can create it : Zoom on the map till you can locate exactly where your shop is, then right click and select "Add your business" and follow the instructions.
What are the information you can add or update?
Google will let you add all the information that will be relevant about your business, ie relevant for your customers. That you have run 5 times the London Marathon isn't probably relevant, while the fact that you are open till midnight would be.
Those are some example of information that you should update:
Name
Address
Picture of the store, inside and outside.
Opening times
Price list / Menus
Link to website and social profiles
Description of your activity, including a short description of the products or services you sell. Be precise without being spammy.
There is an example:
A&B Barbers (totally fictional business)
Poor description:
Barber shop in your area.
Average description:
Barber Shop for men, beard and hair. Scissors, trimmer and razor hair salon.
Rich Description:
Hair Salon for men, youngsters and kids.
All sort of hairs, we will cut them and shape them to the style you want. Razor cuts, trimmer cuts, or scissors, we can do all. Pop in our shop whenever you want, no appointment needed. We do hair and beards and we're happy to sell the products that will help you to maintain it the way you want.
There are many other things like moderating and answering comments, posting photos, etc.
Whenever someone will tag your business on Google Maps or Google StreetView, you will get a notification for that and you will be able to see it.
Once all the information is provided to Google, they will be able to use it to refine the search result of their users.
If on your menu you've got Cod fish and someone is searching "Cod fish take away near me" there would be a great chance that your business will appear in the search results.
More appearances would mean more people curious to know more about you and probably more business going your way.
Don't let the competition of online shopping ruin your business. You can compete using the same weapons. The one I've described here are free to use. You would be guilty not to use it now.
At least it's worth a try.
Good luck with your business !
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