The Local Business Online Toolkit will help you get ahead of your competition and begin dominating your local market in your business niche.
You may remember, in the past, businesses wanted to get on the first page of Google. The first page of Google was “gold.” If you were on the first page of Google, you made it! Google would send people to your website.
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Times have changed. Getting on the first page of Google is not good enough today. It is largely dominated by Google Ads and business directory websites like Home Advisor and the many others. Getting found on Google has become extremely competitive. Our agency has been doing this for a long time.
You need to be in the Google 3-pack to get any business from Google
Today, the “gold” is the Google 3-Pack. We have the formula to get your company in the Google 3-pack. You need to be in the Google 3-pack to get any business from Google, and the higher you are in the 3-pack the better. See this screenshot of one of client’s #1 ranking in the Google 3-Pack.
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The Local Business Online Toolkit: What is it?
This has all the tools a small business needs to market their business on the Internet. These are apps; smart, intuitive apps that often interact with one another. You will have access to all these free apps in your own personal business dashboard. We are here to help you get started and provide as much assistance as you need.
The Local Business Online Toolkit: What’s Included?
Your toolkit includes a lot of great features ranging from an E-Commerce Website with free hosting using the very popular WooCommerce plugin to Email Marketing with a free 60-day subscription to the Constant Contact Email marketing platform. If you are attracted to these two apps, use them.
Please understand though, you are not committed to using any particular app.
While the Local Business Online Toolkit includes all the tools a small business needs to market their business on the Internet, we do not recommend using all the apps when you first get started. Rather, we recommend you get started on a much smaller scale.
We recommend you first establish a strong foundation. Google owns the local search world. We do not make the rules, Google does. However, we understand their rules and follow them.
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Get started by using the tools to manage how your business appears online and to potential customers, for posting to social media, for managing reviews, and for keeping your business information up to date. In other words, focus on building a strong foundation.
The two most important Google ranking factors are having a Google Business Profile Page and reviews. Plus, Google wants your business consistent across all review and listing sites. This consistency is measured through your NAP (Name, Address and Phone Number).
So, start by ensuring your NAP is consistent across review and listing sites.
The app is called Listing Builder. In the picture at the top of this article it is called SEO & Listings. Do not worry, they are the same thing.
A strong presence with consistent NAP is the first step toward success. With Listing Builder, you get an essential free tool you need to start building your foundation.
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The second most important app or tool you need is Reputation Management. This app enables you to respond and manage review on the top two review sites: Google Business Profile and Facebook (business page).
This is a smart intuitive app that provides you three alternate responses to your review. It is easy. It is fast. It is a great management tool. And it is free to use.
Customer Voice is another free app you should get familiar with. Customer Voice gives you the flexibility to request reviews on the medium that works best for you and your customers—either text message or email.
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This valuable feature is tied into your Reputation Management app. In the picture at the top of this article, it is called Customer Communication… no worries.
Social Marketing provides one place to publish and schedule posts to your Facebook Business Page and Google Business Profile page. You can effectively manage and schedule posts using a convenient calendar view in this free app.
In summary, these are the four free apps we recommend you learn how to use to build a strong foundation on the Internet.
We will go over each during the onboarding process. Our goal is to get you feeling comfortable with these four great apps.
If you have any question, please book an online meeting with us. You can use this Booking Link to pick a time at your convenience.
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Need a Google Business Profile Page for your Small Business?
You need a Google Business Profile (GBP) Page for your small business if want to successfully market you business on the Internet and be found by new customers in your local market. Furthermore, it is essential to Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO)!
In fact, the first step in local SEO marketing is to claim and verify your GBP listing. The second step is to optimize the GBP listing (This can be found in our ne article). This can help you improve the chances of your local business showing up in Google’s Local 3-pack, Google Maps, and their organic rankings as well. Yes, a small business does need a Google Business Profile Page.
Local SEO will greatly help your business to rank on Google’s 3-pack – which is a coveted spot on Google search. A recent Moz study showed that more than 44% of individuals who performed a local search would click on a 3-pack listing while only 8% of them choose to check the other results on Google. And this includes paid or sponsored search.
While every small business does need a Google Business Profile Page, they also need to get their business page to be found in the Google 3-pack. If it is not, chances are better than not that their business will not be found.
What is this Google 3-pack anyway? Here it is along with some key characteristics:
Key Characteristics of GBP: It is Free
Google offers this service free of charge to small and local businesses. So, why not take advantage of it.
Please understand that this is different from Paid or Sponsored search such Google’s Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising. Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) is the single most popular PPC advertising system in the world.
The Ads platform enables businesses to create ads that appear on Google’s search engine and other Google properties. Users bid on keywords and pay for each click on their advertisements. This can become very expensive, and it is a major revenue generator for Google.
Google reserves some free advertising space for small business owners that do not have a large advertising budget.
Any small business that wants to be competitive or even dominant in their local market need a Google Business Profile Page.
Key Characteristic 2: The Google 3-pack will get your phone to ring!
As shown in the above picture, this is prime real estate for digital marketing advertising.
A visitor who performs a local search will find what they are looking for within the 3-pack listings on Google. That is why small businesses wishing to get found on the Internet should use an effective local SEO strategy, like described here, to improve their site rankings to attain one of these coveted spots on Google.
It will help improve conversion rates, sales, and profits of your business in the long run. So, yes again! Any small business that wants to be competitive or even dominant in their local market need a Google Business Profile Page.
Local SEO is for location-based searches. In fact, a physical address or zip code is a prerequisite for your business to rank for local search results. For this purpose, your business details should be up to date on your Google Business Profile Page and other online directories. If the information is not constant across all these properties, your business will not show up when a customer runs a local search on Google.
Furthermore, a listing in the Google 3-pack is both visual and functional. It appears on a local map, so you know that Google has verified it as a legitimate business. It shows that others are looking for a service that there are several people that have reviewed the business.
They can read the reviews. They can see how you interact with your customers. They will learn whether the business has a website. If a business does not have a website, this might hurt their credibility.
The bottom line is that a potential customer can learn a lot about your business if you have GBP listing and your business is in the Google 3-pack. Learn more about how to get started here.
GBP is a featured service in our digital marketing suite. Use this link learn more.
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