For modern consumers, looking for products and services have never been easier. The internet gives them a wide selection of different products and services. Search engines play an important role throughout the purchasing process of each customer. Proper use of search engines (Google), gives each business the potential to drive customer acquisition and new revenue.
When growing a franchise, it is essential that you start optimizing with Google my business while actively managing your Google reviews.
Organic Search with Google My Business
Optimizing organic search for franchise businesses should always start with Google My Business when it comes to driving a significant increase in customer visits, calls, orders and more. The first step to this is verifying your GMB listing which indicates to google that you are the business owner.
Next step is to verify all the necessary information and fill out your GMB profile. this includes information like the business category, name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation, and more.
This information is important because franchises are also part of a larger network or brand. Therefore, management of GMB profiles should be done in bulk across the system to make sure the information provided is consistent and accurate. Whether it is managed by the company or brand itself, or managed by a preferred marketing agency, optimization and distribution of all the data should be done using a central source to make sure there are better ranking performance and traffic increases for every single business location.
That being said, franchises can enhance their Google profiles by actively posting and creating content using GMB “post” feature. These types of posts act like a micro promotion or advertisements similar to social media posts like Facebook. Plus this also adds another layer of localization and authenticity for each of your GMB profile to enhance customer experience. Posting events or promotions about your business through GMB posts will provide your customers with additional info about your business and help turn a potential sale to a loyal and returning customer.
Managing your Google reviews
For Franchises, it is also very important to monitor and respond to your Google reviews regularly. Not only are these reviews a first-person view of a customer’s perspective, but these are also aspects on how Google will rank your business in search results while taking factors like the total number of reviews, overall review rating and response rate into account. Encouraging your customers to respond and review your business can help you increase traffic. Replying to reviews can show future customers your commitment to a quality experience.
Now when replying to Google reviews, It is very crucial that you are timely and authentic and it’s also worth thanking customers for positive reviews. When it comes to negative reviews, taking the time to listen to a customer’s concerns and replying in a thoughtful, helpful manner cannot only help rectify a difficult situation but can also potentially turn a bad experience into a loyal, lifetime customer. Whatever your technique or strategy, taking care of your Google reviews are very important.
Conclusion
After you’ve done this and have established your very own Google My Business page and dedicated the time and resources to engage with customers using Google Reviews, you can also take this one step further through tapping the different features offered by Google like Photo & Video content, Question & Answer content, Google Messaging, Google Menus, Google Booking and more. All of these features will give you additional opportunities to enhance your presence within this search giant.