Guess what, Google doesn’t want to send customers to your website.
This might sound odd, but if you are a business owner of a brink and mortar shop you must keep reading. Google is changing and you need to know how this impacts customers finding your business.
Why would I say the most popular search engine in the world “doesn’t want to send customer to your website”?
Search engines want to give the customer what they are looking for. Spoiler alert: The customer is NOT looking to hunt for information on your website.
A quick history refresher… think back just a few years ago… If I wanted to check on the arrival time of a flight, it took a lot of clicks and clicks mean page loads and page loads means time.
It went something like this:
- Go to Google.
- Search for the airline.
- Click on the airline website.
- Search for the flight number.
- Scroll around the page till you found the information you needed.
What does checking the arrival time of a flight look like today? Now you type the airline and flight number into Google search. The top of the results page contains all you need.
Another example of Google no longer sending you to websites… checking a basketball score.
Google has changed and it will continue to change. What does this have to do with you and every business owner on the planet?
Grab your phone. Search Google for something like “Fried Chicken restaurant”.
Notice the top of the page are all local results. This map and top three results are called “the local 3-pack“.
Try that “Fried Chicken restaurant” again on the desktop. There it is again, “the local 3-pack“.
Here comes the harsh truth that many small business owners are missing out on. Your website is just a piece of the puzzle Google uses to figure out who goes in that top of the results box.
Here is a breakdown of what Google looks at to verify you are who you say you are.
If your business is SEO you know what all those factors mean and just what to do to improve your chances.
If you don’t happen to be an SEO expert, I wrote this post just for you.
Let Me Save You Some Time… here is the MOST important action item you need to take away from reading this.
Go to Google My Business and claim your business… RIGHT NOW.
When you claim it, verify your address. Google will send you a post card with a pin number.
This is the first post in a series called Let Me Save You Some Time. The internet is flooded with advice for small to medium business owner on how to promote your own business online. The most common questions I get include “just tell me what to do next.” So here you go… Let Me Save You Some Time
Stay tuned for the next step. If you join my email list I’ll send it to you now.
You must be logged in to post a comment.