Google My Business is a tool widely used for those who perform commercial and service activities, especially the small and medium-sized companies that face increasing competition within their industry of activity and service. Google My Business is also a useful resource to stand out in searches.
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Nowadays, we all use the internet and search engines to search for needs and purchases. Even in unexpected situations, turning to the internet to solve problems has become a habit and also a necessity.
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An example that happened to me makes clear the importance of having an efficient GMN: one day I started the car and I didn't take it at all. I soon realized that the problem could be the battery. Still in the garage, inside the car, I Googled some workshop or shop that could help me at this critical moment. I typed “drum shop tele delivery florianópolis” and soon several options appeared on the screen of the mobile phone.
Like all good consumers, I focused on the stores that have Google My Business in focus and went to check the ratings and ratings. I chose the store that had the most stars and indications of satisfied customers. In half an hour, a mechanic came in, changed the battery, put the car on the line, and I still paid with credit card for the machine.
I told this story to reflect on some questions about the current consumption scenario:
Who will buy something and use the internet, choose preferably who has the best performance and delivery, because it is possible to search with few clicks almost everything about the company's reputation, as well as things like price, guarantee and good service. This is exposed more than ever on Google My Business, but many companies still sin in some situations that are gold to attract interested and possible customers.
Are you monitoring your Google My Business profile to ensure the accuracy of the information?
Failure to monitor information about your company that appears in a Google search can create a bad experience for your potential customers.
To facilitate your understanding and understanding, I listed the most common Google My Business errors that business owners commit and how to avoid them. But don't get desperate. They are all easily fixed!
Absent Information
This may be the most common mistake in several companies and pages I have researched. If your GMN listed information has been configured and you haven't checked it in a while, there's a small chance that it's out of date and missing vital information.
Many entrepreneurs forget to put up working hours, links to the site and phone numbers (yes, you should include WhatsApp). It will be difficult for your customers to know when you are open or how to contact you if this information is missing. Potential customers will end up going to your competitor if they can't get in touch with you and no company wants to miss out on default opportunities.
Remember that there are several options for the consumer to search and choose. Log in to the tool and make sure all your information is listed and mainly correct.
Not having correct information is worse than not displaying any information. In a situation where you do not update your schedule and interested consumers arrive to your site just to find out that you are closed, this will bother them a lot.
This can cause negative criticism that directly impact the company's digital reputation.
Pins on the map
The map pins, also known as pushpins, are often forgotten and are most often in the wrong place. I found map pins at the end of a shopping mall, in the middle of a parking lot or on the street; this does not help potential customers.
GPS programs are being used by more and more people who want to be directed to the right location. If they can't find your location, they may assume your company is closed and go somewhere else.
Ignore comments
Comments are an area that the owners of companies most sin. To begin with, some of them do not respond to comments, whether positive or negative. Consumers are attracted to companies that are engaged with their customers. Not responding to comments shows potential customers that you don't care about their opinions and suggestions and they will certainly go to competition.
Always make sure to respond to positive and negative comments. It is natural that responding to negative comments is very difficult and unpleasant. Unfortunately, some corporate owners respond in anger and insult those who wrote it. You may want to tell users to keep their negative comments to themselves, but you need to consider the fact that future customers will see their answers and judge you by your responses to comments.
This means that your future sales also depend on your response and interaction. Some ways to respond to a negative criticism:
- That's not how we'd like our clients to feel.
- We'll make sure that this is resolved and that it doesn't happen again.
- Contact us so we can solve this problem directly with you.
Pay attention to the photos
Photos are neglected most of the time. There are companies where there's only Street View. Sometimes the only other photo posted is from the client and most of the time the photos are not very attractive to the business. This can lead Google to pull a picture of the wrong Facebook page or a news article.
A great recommendation is to post about five to eight external photos and five to eight internal photos with and without team. Photos with people always look much better for a company than empty showcases and lobbies.
Show the qualities that differentiate your company from others and let people see that real people work in your company. Take pictures at different times of the day to see which photos you prefer. Ask for the contribution of your friends and employees, making them vote for the photos they like.
You can hire a Google Trust Photographer to tour 360o of your location and take photos of the team if you wish.
Lost Questions and Answers
Questions and Answers is a new resource and therefore also an element that is quite ignored. There are many consumer questions that can translate into new sales. If you do not answer, they will be unanswered or answered by someone else. What if the answer given is wrong?
Google allows business owners to post their own questions, so post the ‘most frequent questions’ you receive. If users can get information from their listing, they will not need to call you or a competitor looking for the answer, and you can focus your time on the customer in front of you.
Bad company description
Companies usually include a prolific description of the business that does not convince users about the company quickly enough to positively impact the decision to visit their location or even buy online.
Google only displays the 250 characters of the description, and users will compare it to dozens of other companies when they make a decision.
How to fix: Use a description of the company that explains what your business is for and how it differs from competition as quickly as possible. Prioritise the things customers tend to be more curious about, questions about your company that usually arise in phone calls or visits about what you can do for them.
Unclaimed listings
If you do not claim your Google My Business, how will you manage it? You will not be able to respond to the comments. Although you may suggest edits at your address, phone number, site URL and schedules, claiming your tool list offers much more control.
Without claiming your property, you can even upload photos, but they will be a customer's and not as owner. The Google My Business team will not be able to help with your doubts until the listing is verified, and you will not be able to use or create Google Posts. At the end of the day, you are missing a valuable tool you can use to improve your business listing.
Closed business
If your company's closed, mark it as permanently closed. You can do this on the Google My Business panel. Although you may no longer need the tool, it presents a bad user experience. If a potential customer tries to visit you just to find out you're closed, he'll be upset that you wasted time. Google filters closed GMN listings to prevent them from appearing in the map package.
Conclusion
All errors highlighted so far from Google My Business can be easily fixed, just devote some time and investment. If your company is on Google My Business, you need to do a fine-to-do comb on the profile. Look for any of these obvious problems that may be affecting your listing and correct them.
Your customers will like it and you may consider it the key ingredient to stay in business or permanently close.
