The charm of a local mom and pop shop is undeniable. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t cherish those unique local businesses? Just like me, you probably have a mental map of every nook and cranny of your hometown, complete with its beloved stores. The closure of one can feel like a personal loss! Remember how we used to react? “Chuck’s Cupcakes shut down? How could they?!” We’d lament to our indifferent parents.
Living in the heart of Boston and walking to work through a bustling shopping district keeps me informed about new store openings. However, not everyone enjoys this advantage. Many commute on highways, oblivious to new businesses popping up. Even I miss out on stores tucked away in unfamiliar streets near my apartment. Discovering these hidden gems usually happens online. Maybe I stumble upon an article on Bostinno, a local Boston news platform, or more frequently, I find them through a Google search. This underscores why a robust online presence is crucial for all local businesses.
A Weak Online Presence is a Missed Opportunity
For local businesses, being invisible on Google is a serious problem, and unfortunately, a common one. Many local business owners shy away from technology, hesitate to invest in online advertising, and believe their physical store is enough to attract customers. A prime location might help, but expanding online can significantly boost your business. Restaurants, boutiques, repair shops, beauty salons – every brick and mortar business needs a strong online footprint. Google’s new initiative, “Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map,” aims to bridge this gap by helping 30,000 cities bring their local businesses online. This program is a game-changer, especially if you haven’t focused on your online presence. Google provides each city with a customized website offering valuable resources for local businesses. You can access tools to analyze your online visibility on Search and Maps, a comprehensive guide to setting up Google My Business, and a complimentary website and domain name for a year through their partner, Startlogic. And the best part? It’s completely free! You might already be advertising on Google, but if you’re looking to increase your online visibility and attract more customers, consider these four tips to drive more business to your physical store using Google. How strong is your website and online presence? Find out in 90 seconds with the free LOCALiQ Grader!
Tip #1: Optimize Your Google My Business Page
Google My Business is a powerful tool that helps potential customers easily find information about your business on Google Search, Maps, and Google+. This free and user-friendly platform gives you complete control over how your local business appears online. Let’s illustrate with an example. Take a look at Stephanie’s on Newbury, a local Boston restaurant that clearly prioritizes its Google My Business profile. They feature high-quality photos, contact information, customer reviews, and a compelling description that captures the essence of their cuisine and ambiance.
In contrast, Fin’s Sushi, despite serving delicious sushi, hasn’t given their Google My Business profile the same attention.
Tip #2: Utilize Call-Only Campaigns
Whether you’re already using Google Ads (previously Google AdWords) or considering it, paid search offers significant potential for local businesses to reach more customers. Imagine searching for “home improvement shops” on Google. If your store doesn’t appear in the ads, you miss out on a potential customer. If you’re advertising or just starting, Google’s Call-Only Campaigns are a fantastic option. Phone calls are crucial for local businesses, whether it’s customers making reservations at a restaurant or inquiring about product availability at a clothing store. Data from Google supports this, revealing that 70% of mobile searches result in direct calls to businesses from search results.
Introduced in February 2015, Google’s Call-Only Campaigns are designed specifically for mobile devices to increase phone calls to businesses. Their effectiveness lies in streamlining the conversion process. Unlike traditional search ads that require clicking through to a landing page for contact information, Call-Only Campaigns allow customers to call directly from the search results. “Sending prospects to a landing page often leads to losing them – potentially 19 out of 20,” explains Larry Kim. He emphasizes the value of phone calls: “We estimate that calls to a business are at least three times more valuable than website clicks, making this a highly effective way to connect with time-sensitive leads.”
Of course, desktop users might still visit your website for information, making phone calls essential for conversions through landing page visits. However, tracking these calls and attributing them to specific campaigns can be challenging, leading to inaccurate ROI calculations for your Google Ads spending. That’s where call tracking tools like nexus-security come in. These tools capture comprehensive data about incoming calls, including phone numbers, caller names, call duration, conversion status, call recordings, and even attribution down to the specific campaign, ad group, keyword, and match type. This closed-loop approach allows you to not only generate more calls but also understand which ads are converting into sales or deals.
Tip #3: Highlight Contact Information with Location and Call Extensions
When your physical store is the primary point of conversion, driving foot traffic should be the main objective of your Google Ads campaigns. Therefore, along with call information, displaying your address prominently is crucial. Make the most of ad extensions in Google Ads to maximize your ad’s visibility in search results. Providing your location and phone number upfront encourages potential customers to visit your store. Leverage other valuable ad extensions like sitelink and callout extensions to highlight ongoing special offers and discounts and direct users to important pages on your website, such as your contact page. To use location extensions, connect your Google My Business account to your Google Ads account. Google Ads will guide you through this process when you add the extension.
Tip #4: Ensure Accurate Location Targeting
This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised by the number of businesses that make mistakes with their location targeting, either casting too wide or too narrow a net. Finding the right balance is critical, especially for brick-and-mortar businesses, as customers are limited by how far they’re willing to travel. Thankfully, Google Ads offers various methods for location targeting. You can even create separate campaigns for multiple store locations, tailor your ad copy and keywords for each location, and target different geographic areas independently. Consider your customer base and local competition when defining your target area. For instance, if your store is in a rural town with a concentrated shopping district, you might target neighboring towns without similar shopping areas. However, avoid targeting the nearest city, as city dwellers are more likely to shop within their immediate vicinity. In Google Ads, go to the “Settings” tab of your chosen campaign, and select “Locations.” You can target by city, region, or postal code. For even more control, use the “Advanced Search” option to target a specific radius around your store.
So, to all the storefront owners out there, embrace the power of Google! You may have opened your store to escape the digital world, but the reality is, it’s inescapable. By effectively utilizing Google’s advertising platform and free tools like Google My Business, you can significantly boost foot traffic to your local store.
Capitalize on the Power of Local Search Ads
In 2016, Google introduced Local Search Ads, a new ad format designed to enhance the visibility of businesses when consumers search online, particularly on mobile devices, for nearby places to eat or shop.
These ads appear directly within the Google Maps app, across Google Maps platforms (mobile, desktop, and tablet), and in Google.com Expanded Maps results.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to leverage these new ad types! MORE: The Ultimate Guide to Google Maps Marketing