Everything A Contractor Needs To Know About Google My Business

 


Hello there contractor community, my name is Reggie from The Contractor Social Media Guru. In this blog we're going to be taking a deep-dive into contractor marketing, specifically Google My Business.

If you’re a contractor and you use Google to advertise your business, then you need to know as much as you can about it in order to win. There are tons of ways that Google My Business can help your business grow. You should also know that there are some things you can do to make sure that your company is getting the most out of using this platform. Here's what every contractor needs to know about using Google My Business

What Is Google My Business?

Google My Business is a free tool that allows you to manage your online presence across Google Search and Maps. It's the best way to establish yourself :

  • Update and maintain accurate information about your company, including contact info, opening hours and even photos of what you do best

  • Respond to customer reviews in the right place and time

  • Make sure customers know they’re connected to the right person at your company with their own contact page (you might even want to link this up with LinkedIn and Facebook)



Why is Google My Business awesome for contractors?

It’s an essential part of any contractor’s digital marketing strategy, but don't mistake it for just another social media account. In fact, Google My Business can be used alongside other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to boost your bottom line.

Here’s why:

  • Google is the #1 search engine used worldwide with over 90% market share.

  • According to HubSpot's State of Inbound Report 2019, only 1 in 5 small businesses have a website that converts visitors into leads or sales within 30 days of visiting the site for the first time (which means a lot of missed opportunities).

  • When someone searches for something on Google and happens upon your business profile page(s), they're more likely than not going to click through from there!

  • It's free & easy to use meaning you don't have to fork out a cent to use it



What makes Google My Business the best social media platform for contractors?

Google My Business is a free platform, so there's no cost to set up or maintain your business listing. This means that it's easy for contractors to add their business details to Google My Business if they don't already have a listing set up.

Google's algorithm

One big advantage of using this platform is that Google's algorithm works with you and not against you as a contractor. Unlike other social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram, where posts from businesses tend to be automatically filtered out by Facebook and Instagram respectively (in order to make room for more personal posts), the algorithm used by Google My Business can help get your posts seen by more people searching for them on Google search results pages (SERPs).

Another advantage is that enhanced features such as online booking forms & messaging are available only on this platform at no extra cost! You also get access to useful data analytics about how many people visited your page over time which helps improve engagement rates over time...



What should contractors be posting on Google My Business?

  • D.I.Y videos

  • Facts about the industry you work in

  • Client reviews and testimonials

  • Timelapse videos (showing your work in progress)

  • Before & After photos of jobs you've completed

  • Memes related to your niche, e.g., if you're a plumber or electrician, post some memes relating to plumbing or electricians!

  • Deals and special offers for customers - make sure they are legitimate though as this can get you into trouble with Google if not done correctly!

  • Trust badges: BBB A+, etc



How often should a contractor post on Google My Business?

It's true that Google doesn't penalize you for excessive posting. The goal is to post enough that people will notice your business, but not so much that it looks like spam.

So, how often should a contractor post on Google My Business?

In the beginning stages of building up content, we recommend posting once per day or every other day. Once your account has established some history and credibility within the community (about 6-12 months), then you can start to increase your frequency of posts as needed (maybe twice per day).

The best thing you can do is try different frequencies and see what works best for your audience or niche in which you work; however, we recommend keeping these factors in mind when deciding how frequently to update your profile:



Optimising your contractor businesses Google My Business listing.

  • Use keywords in your business name to help you get found.

  • Complete your whole listing and fill in all your information. This includes hours of operation, contact numbers and email addresses, website URL, Google Maps location and more!

  • Be sure to update your services if they change according to the season (for example: if you do roof repairs during the summer months but don't offer them during winter.)

  • Make sure that you have listed the appropriate primary category for your business (examples: Carpentry Contractor or Roofing Contractor). If you are unsure of which category is right for your business type then ask yourself what customers would search under when looking for someone like you. For example: "roofers" vs "drywaller". You may also want to add additional secondary categories so that people can find you while searching those terms as well (examples: drywall installation contractors or general contractors).



The metrics available to contractors on Google My Business

The Google My Business Dashboard is a powerful tool for contractors that allows you to track and analyze data regarding your business. This section will provide you with an overview of the metrics available on the dashboard, as well as details about why these metrics matter.

  • Overview: The Overview tab provides an overview of your entire Google My Business account, including information about your location page and all reviews associated with it. It also shows how many users have clicked through to your website from each listing (in this case, "Reviews" refers to the reviews written by customers).

  • Calls: The Calls tab gives you stats on phone calls received at your business's physical location or office phone number (if applicable). You can filter results by the hour or day, so if there are days when more calls come in than usual—or fewer—you'll know why!

  • Messages: Messages are a great way for contractors who have multiple locations or local offices spread out across several states/countries to keep their teams up-to-date on important announcements without having everyone constantly call each other back home base every time something changes."

  • Website Clicks: This sections displays how many times the "Website" button was clicked on your profile. It is up to you where you direct traffic from the website buttons click.



Reviews on Google My Business & why they're important

So, you’re a contractor who wants to get more customers. You do your research, check out the competition and find out that they have a bunch of 5-star reviews that are both helpful and attractive. What should you do? You should focus on getting clients to leave reviews for your business.

Don’t know how? Well, let’s dive in!

Why Are Reviews Important For Contractors?

Businesses live or die by their ratings and reviews. If people don't trust them enough to leave a review then they'll never become successful enough to make any money at all (which is why it's so important for contractors not just purely focus on getting contracts signed). Ratings are also one of the most important signals Google uses when determining where something should appear in its search results - so having high ratings can help with visibility too!



How to get more reviews

Ask for an honest review via text. You can ask your clients to leave a review on Google My Business by sending them a text message. Just send the following text: "Thanks so much for working with us! We'd appreciate if you could take a minute to tell us how we did by filling out this quick survey." Then, include a link to your Google My Business listing in the same message.

You can also encourage clients to leave reviews by printing out thank-you cards that contain QR codes that direct users straight to your page on Google Maps or Yelp.

The idea here is straightforward: do good work, and people will write about it!



Conclusion

The more reviews you have on Google My Business the better, but this does depend on how much time and effort you put into it. If you're serious about growing your business then this is an important part of your social media strategy. By following the tips in this blog post, we hope that you'll be able to get more reviews on Google My Business and improve your online reputation as a contractor.

If you'd like to connect with me to talk about your contractor business & it's social media all you have to do is "Click Here".  The link will take you directly to my Calendar where you can choose an appropriate time & date to chat.

I look forward to meeting you!



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