Savannah Web Design and Internet Marketing | United WebWorks

A Little Help From Our Friends: Google Maps and Yelp

Written by Brian Chilcote | May 8, 2015

Succeeding in organic search engine optimization Savannah GA using Google Maps and Yelp

  • You've got the awesome website with all the bells and whistles
  • You've got a great staff, ready to make every customer feel special
  • You have a tremendous, world-changing product that everyone wants!

So where's my revenue?

Finding your business shouldn't be a treasure hunt. Your public- whether local, national or global- should be able to find you easily, as easy as typing “Organic search engine optimization Savannah GA!”

Is there a way we can use these to help people find us?

 

You'd never be lost among all the advertising clutter out there!

In July 2014, Google released their Pigeon. No, they weren't going old school with a city-dwelling bird with homing ability, "Pigeon" was the name of the update to their ever-changing search algorithm. You can see the result in any search that involves local goods and services. Consider your need as a resident of suburban Atlanta to replace or repair a garage door. Search for "Garage Door Marietta GA" and see what happens. Here's what we got:

 

 

As of this writing, there are three paid ads and one top result for Precision Doors Atlanta.

Below that is the promised land of search return placement, and one of our clients is Number One on the map: All Four Seasons Garage Doors. We've worked a long time with Dan and his staff to cement his place at the top of these returns.

1) first that the Maps area is that it pushes the rest of the results down the page. You NEED to be on map

2) Second, it automatically answers the very next question searchers have. The first is, "What are the local choices for what I need?" The second is "Where are these choices, or, which one is closest?"

So how does one join this exclusive club of top search returns? Easy. Get started by setting up a Google My Business account. Create or claim a listing (you might already be registered, but with no content). Verify that you are indeed authorized to act on behalf of your business. Make sure all the info is correct. You'll automatically generate a Google + account in the process.

3) the third question. Here it is:

"Why should I choose All Four Seasons? What do others say about the company?"

Yelp is by far and above the most used independent clearinghouse for reviews of purveyors of goods and services. Get on their site and claim your business contact info. What about all the negative feedback? you ask. Well, there are indeed some nuances to using Yelp to your advantage.

But first, get on there. Update your information, respond to reviews, upload photos and a lot more.

Now, as to the tricky parts. Here are a few no-no's for using Yelp

Responding to a negative review while you are angry

Nothing good can come of that, so wait until you have a chance to cool off and think things through.

Going back and forth with a disgruntled customer. Is a public forum the best place to argue about your restrooms? That kind of thing ends up going viral in a bad way. Better to direct the complainer to an off-line discussion and resolution.

Ignoring negative reviews.

A light answer with a touch of humor can turn that whine into gold. Here's an example of what we mean. In response to a complaint about a disappointing customer service experience, an alert plumbing company president wrote this:

"We sincerely apologize for the confusing customer service you received from our company yesterday. I know how it feels to get unexpected new information that negatively affects a transaction (I hate surprises like that). We really do want to work with all parties to move forward with every project in a transparent and honest way. As to your predicament, let's work to resolve it. By the way, the staff that handle customer interactions had their own surprise this morning- a training meeting with me to discuss how to better handle situations like yours!"

Notice…

The response was from a high-ranking company official. It doesn't have to be written by a VP or president, but it should have her imprimatur on it.

The response was timely. Waiting a month before giving a response? Might as well forget it.

It clearly stated a recognition of the problem, and an intention to fix it. In this case, the customer was right to complain about an inexperienced CS rep. If the customer was out of line, there's nothing to fix, but you might use the comment as an opportunity to outline a policy that applies.

Tell the customer what you want, a smooth, transparent working relationship.

There's just enough humor in it to disarm the Yelper and relieve possible tension

Ignoring positive reviews

Yelp and other social media work best as interactions or conversations. Buyers will trust the business that takes the time to respond far more quickly than those that don't. A quick thank you will show that you mean it, and it will encourage more positive reviews in the future

Consumers are pretty smart. When they see a lone one-star review among 22 four or five star reviews, it's obvious that someone was probably just having a bad day. It's bad when your reviews are consistently below 3- you might want to do something about that. Use Yelp reviews as constructive criticism.

You can see a classic example on the All 4 Seasons Yelp page. Looks like "John K." just wanted to get himself a free garage door repair.

To sum up- today's shopper is a researcher, we should pay attention to organic search engine optimization, Savannah, GA Their first questions are:

What are my choices? Being on Google+ gets you seen on local searches

Is your place close to me? Where is it? Google maps, baby!

Which one should I choose- what do other people say about you? Yelp is the modern version of "word of mouth"

 

OK- now what?

Once you claim your spot on Yelp, see if you can gather reviews. How?

"Buying" reviews is unethical. Offering incentives for positive comments on Yelp can backfire on you, and it doesn't really help you become a better business

You can ask for reviews- positive or negative

You can be the best in your industry

You can be highly interactive with any online engagement. Use Facebook and Twitter and Yelp as a combined strategy.You can always reward positive reviews after the fact (do this offline and privately).

Since it's highly likely that your customers' very first impression of your business will come from an online source, focus on your image and reputation out there. Stay on top of it- this is not something you can automate. Assign resources to maintaining your presence on Google Plus, Google Maps, Yelp and other social media. Organic search engine optimization in Savannah GA has not been the same since we’ve gotten our clients on track!