Everyone always asks, “Should I still pay attention to my Google Local page?” The answer is (with no doubt) “Yes!” Here’s what Google updated and here’s what you need to know.
If you’re a small business, you know (or should know) how important reviews are. We stress that reviews are one of the main reasons people are able to find you online and finally, hire you from online. Reviews can make or break a company, as we’ve all seen. From restaurants to marketing agencies, what other people think still vastly influences their opinion and decision-making.
That’s why, when Google emailed me (if you’re signed up they send you updates) about their newest additions to their Google Local page, I paid attention. These are my top tips and how you can help your business grow even more.
Schedule From Google Local
They added a schedule link from the Google Local page. This is essential to my business because I always send people the link to schedule with me. In reality, we have 24 hours in a day and only 8 of those hours are dedicated to working. If you need a scheduling tool, I HIGHLY recommend Calendly. They have a free version you can use with their branding and they also have a paid version, which I prefer, because you can set locations for the person to automatically sign up for (Genious!) Here’s what the scheduling tool looks like on our Google Local page.
When people click on that link, they’re taken to my Free 30-minute consult page where they can schedule an appointment directly on my calendar. They get a confirmation and I do too. It’s ideal! The other part of Calendly is if you do have to cancel, you can do it through their program and they’ll send a custom message to the person and allow them to reschedule.
They Added A Message Option
In today’s society with everything needing to be now, now, now, Google Local has complied. There’s now an option to add a Message Now link. This is set up to any mobile phone you choose. This is how it’s displayed below.
You can also set up an app that Google recommends called Allo and the messages will go directly to the app so you can keep track of them. You don’t have to do this and it can be used as a messenger too.
Custom Posts
This is a huge deal and I’m pumped that they added this function. You can now also post to your Google Local page and it shows up under your information. As you can see from the below screenshot, we’ve already started doing this. 
Why is this important? When you come up for a search, on the left-hand side, your Google Local page does too (if you have one). This enables you to share other updates to make it a more personal experience. You can add new products, happenings, and other things that you’d like to promote. For us, it’s getting people to schedule for our Free 30-minute consult.
The one thing you must know about these posts is that they expire. They last for a week, so make sure to go on there and update it each week to keep relevant and to keep people “in the know” about your business and what’s happening!
All of these updates take about 5 minutes to add to your profile. If you’ve already put in all of the time, work, and energy, add these to your list too! If you’d like to update them now, here’s what it looks like from your dashboard below.
You get to this by accessing your Google Local page at business.google.com. You must have a GMail account to log into it too.
I hope these tips will help your business soar to the next level. These are so helpful to any small business owner and the best part is they’re FREE! It just takes time to implement. As always, if you have questions or would like to set up a consultation, click the link below!
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