Four ways to improve your business Google search results

MEDIA RELEASE

Insight Online

22 January 2019

Four ways to improve your business Google search results

With online advertising growing in leaps and bounds – by more than 23% globally year-on-year, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau – New Zealand businesses need to get smarter if they want to succeed in fending off international competition.

“In South East Asia online video advertising such as YouTube is seeing huge growth,” says Kim Voon, head of digital marketing agency, Insight Online. “But in New Zealand, businesses are underutilising the suite of online marketing tools available (many free) to them – in a time when nobody can afford to be complacent.”

Voon says a little-known fact about search marketing is that Google’s search engine results page is not just one list but a collection of multiple lists such as Video, Image and Local. A business needs to understand which list to optimise and be found for, if it wants to be competitive online.

“For example, if you Google ‘buy an electric scooter’ your search result is going to be pulling information from lists like Google Ads, Google My Business, YouTube and Google Knowledge Panel.

“Right at the top of the page you may find ads from an international competitor like Amazon, and below that listings from a selection of local retailers, and then Adwords and then Google My Business and then finally the organic results,” Voon says.

Google My Business, which was previously known as Google Places, is a local, location-based search tool that is particularly valuable for companies that have many bricks-and-mortar branches.

“I don’t think a lot of marketing managers, particularly those in businesses with more than ten branches, realise they can take advantage of brick-and-mortar stores online. Having an actual physical location gives a business access to local SEO where there is far less competition and where it isn’t as hard to hit the sweet spot.”

Voon offered the following advice to companies wanting to increase sales and exposure online in 2019:

1. Have a website page dedicated to each branch

Regardless of whether you have five, 10, 20 or 30 branches, Voon says, “It is an advantage to have a separate page on your website for every single one of those branches".

2. Make sure your name, address and phone numbers are consistent

“Your name, address and phone number (NAP) information should exactly mirror the name, address and telephone number on your website and on all your listings, including Google My Business.

"Also, make sure your NAP information is listed, and is the same, in basic online directories like Yellow, Finda and Yalwa,” Voon says.

3. Build up your reviews

Voon says that as far as search engines are concerned, reviews are proof that your business is real, so you’ll feature better in search results.

“Once you have completed a transaction with a customer, send them an automated email requesting a Google review – you can send the customer a link that takes them directly to the page – try to pick the happy customers”

4. Complete your Google My Business listing

Voon says that Google My Business is a tool that is under-utilised by New Zealand businesses, even those with a significant branch presence around the country.

“Speaking from our own experience with clients, those businesses with a significant branch presence can generate a generous amount of business for their local branches using Google My Business.

“Clients report that that 10 to 20 per cent of sales can be attributed to local search via Google My Business.”

To make the most of your free Google My Business listing, ensure that you complete as many details as humanly possible, including adding photographs, blogs, opening hours and regular updates.

For more information visit: https://insightonline.co.nz/

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