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Warning: Your Social Media Strategy Could Make or Break Your SEO

Last Updated: August 24, 2017

When it comes to SEO, how important is your social media strategy?
It’s an ongoing debate. In 2014, Google’s Matt Cutts proclaimed that “social signals,” like posts on Facebook and Twitter, have nothing to do with Google’s search algorithm. This directly opposed what many industry specialists believed at the time. In fact, numerous SEO experts still argue that social media influences search rankings, even if “social signals” aren’t really a thing.
Jasmine Sandler, an experienced digital marketing consultant, is one of these experts. In an article published on Search Engine Journal this month, Sandler states, “It’s still undeniable that a proper social media strategy – both paid and organic – is critical to help increase your rankings and overall search visibility over time.”
Sandler’s article, “3 Ways a Solid Social Media Program Can Increase SEO Rank in 2017,” demonstrates how a thoughtful social media strategy can have a positive influence on your web visibility.

1. Social Media Strategy Establishes Your Brand

The first way Sandler says social media impacts SEO is through branding. Having an active and strategic social media presence can help you establish your company’s personality, service offerings, and overall mission.
“The brand equity and strength behind what the company is selling is what ultimately converts consumers,” Sandler explains. “After all, people buy for two simple reasons: trust and likeness of a person or a brand.” In other words, highlighting your business’s personality and gaining your audience’s trust will put you on the right path toward attracting new customers.
As people become increasingly aware of your brand, they’ll visit your website, google your company name, and even refer you to other people. This uptick in demand for your business will surely be picked up by Google’s search algorithms.

2. Social Profiles Appear in Google Results

Have you ever searched for a local business and noticed their Facebook page, Twitter page, or LinkedIn profile in the results? It’s very common for social profiles to appear at the top of search results pages. As Sandler points out, this could have a big impact on how users perceive businesses.
For example, if they google your business and find an inactive, incomplete profile in the results, they’ll be disappointed. They won’t perceive you as established, and they’ll be wary of your lack of followers. This could prompt them to keep searching and find a local competitor—one that seems more legitimate—instead.
On the other hand, they might google you and find a Facebook page that has engaging content, lots of likes, and a positive rating. Once they’re impressed with your Facebook page, they’re more likely to click over to your website. The more people who visit and spend time on your website, the better your SEO ranking.

3. Social Platforms Have Their Own Search Functions

Finally, Sandler explains that social platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn have intelligent search engines of their own. And, as we know, people are increasingly using social media, primarily Facebook, to learn about businesses.
So, if people are searching for businesses on social media instead of Google, it’s all the more vital for you to have your social profiles set up. If your profile doesn’t have a good description of your company with certain keywords, users won’t discover you. Or, what if they do discover you and find a lackluster profile? They probably won’t be intrigued enough to click to your website. The function of your social media page is to keep people interested so they visit your website.
The takeaway? If your ultimate goal is to drive more people to your website, a sound social media strategy will make that possible.
We encourage you to check out Sandler’s full article for more details and social media tips!

One Negative Customer Review Is Better Than No Reviews at All

Last Updated: August 17, 2017

You know the old saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”? Sometimes you want to shout that at your computer screen when you read a negative customer review about your local business. But guess what? Customers who complain are actually doing you a favor.
Now, hear us out. Obviously, customers who write you glowing reviews are doing you the real favor. However, as it turns out, negative customer reviews can still be mildly beneficial to your overall web presence. Indeed, they’re better than no reviews at all!
Are you surprised to hear this? We were taken aback when we made the discovery, too. However, with one of our clients, we saw firsthand that a Google listing with a negative review outperformed one with zero reviews. So, how can you apply this new rule to your own online efforts? Keep reading to find out.

A Negative Customer Review Still Proves Authenticity

It seems kind of backwards, doesn’t it? Google has demonstrated time and time again that business listings with higher overall ratings will perform better than ones with lower ratings. In fact, on its Google My Business Help page, it states, “Google review count and score are factored into local search ranking: more reviews and positive ratings will probably improve a business’s local ranking [emphasis added].”
That’s why, when we saw a negative customer review come in for one particular client, we winced. They hadn’t prioritized collecting reviews, and this bad one was their only review. We assumed this lone negative review would surely hold back the client’s local ranking.
Yet, we were dumbstruck when we saw this client get significantly more phone calls than other clients who had zero reviews. And that’s when we recalled the first part of that quote from Google: review count. The number of reviews, in combination with the score of those reviews, is a factor in local ranking. Judging by our firsthand experience, your review count may even outweigh your score—at least, when the review count is one versus zero.
This is because your total number of reviews reflects how many customers you’ve had, and, therefore, how established you are as a business. Google cares strongly about credibility and authenticity. So, even though it’s a negative review, it at least proves you’re a real business with real customers. In Google’s eyes, that appears to count for something.
On the other hand, when you have zero reviews, Google has no proof whatsoever of your authenticity as a business. When you look at it this way, it makes sense that Google would favor a negative review over no reviews at all.

Get More Customer Reviews to Improve Your Ranking

Your takeaway here? Get more customer reviews. Period. Positive reviews are ideal, but, as we’ve discussed, any review at all is better than nothing.
Of course, if getting customer reviews were easy, every local business would have dozens of them. We know it’s a difficult task. However, as we’ve demonstrated, reviews are critical in improving your Google Maps ranking and increasing your new customer leads. In other words, gathering customer reviews may be time consuming, but it’s certainly worthwhile.
But, there’s also an alternative to doing all the work yourself. Do you have a little wiggle room in your budget? If so, we highly recommend using a professional service that will contact your customers on your behalf. They’ll ask these customers for reviews, direct them to your Google listing, and collect the reviews for you. In the past, we’ve successfully used Customer Lobby for our own customer review efforts.

How to Ask for Customer Reviews

However, if you decide to save money and get more reviews on your own, here are some tips to keep in mind:

  1. First, identify your best customers—the ones who loyally come back to you, and the ones who you’re confident will give you a good review. These people are more likely to help you out. (However, feel free to expand your list to include any customer from the past few months.)
  2. Next, contact these customers by phone or email and ask them directly if they would take a few minutes to leave you a review online. Tell them your preferred platforms: Google Maps, Facebook, and Yelp, in that order. This should give you an initial boost in your number of customer reviews.
  3. Then, develop a plan for future customers so you can start getting a continuous flow of reviews. Add an on-page feedback tool to your website (available through Prospect Genius). This way, customers can write a review in one place and the tool can disseminate the review to other platforms.
  4. In the future, ask customers at the very beginning of your service, before you’ve even started the job. Say, “When we’ve finished, if you’re happy with our work, please consider leaving us a review on Google.” This will plant the seed in their minds.
  5. Finally, remind customers again as soon as the job is complete. Attach links to follow-up emails, mention it in follow-up phone calls, and even add it to the bottom of your invoices. Customers are more likely to leave you a review while the experience is still fresh.

And, to make it even easier for you, here’s a handy infographic!

How to Get More Customer Reviews Just by Asking for Them

A Negative Review Is Better Than Nothing

By now, it should be clear that getting more customer reviews, even if they’re negative, is essential to your local ranking on Google. A negative customer review, despite its content and low score, will at least prove your authenticity as a real, local business. And, as you know, Google cares about authenticity first and foremost.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start asking for reviews. Your local visibility depends on it!

The Only Checklist You Need for a Winning Facebook Page

Last Updated: August 10, 2017

Sick of hearing about how important Facebook is for your local business? Sorry, but you’ll have to get used to it! We can’t stop talking about Facebook—that’s how critical it is to your overall web presence. With more than 2 billion active monthly users, Facebook is indispensable.

However, in all our talk of how important a Facebook page is, we also need to explain what an effective Facebook page looks like. To that end, we put together a handy checklist of what you need on your page. This will attract the right attention, highlight your best attributes, and convince new customers to give you a chance.

Ready to start building your local business’s Facebook page? Let’s go!

1. Bare Necessities

Here’s what you absolutely must have on your Facebook page:

  • Profile picture. Show off who you and your business are. Using a logo is best.
  • Cover photo. Be a little more creative with your cover photo to reflect your personality. A group photo with your whole team is a great choice.
  • Accurate business category. Choose “local business” if you have a brick-and-mortar storefront or office that people can physically visit. Choose “company” if you operate out of your home or aren’t open to the public.
    • Accurate business subcategory. Choose a business type or description that best matches your company. Examples include “Pediatric Dentist,” “Massage Therapist,” “Appliance Repair Service,” and so on. Keep in mind, there may not be an exact, perfect match. However, there should be a subcategory that at least comes close.
  • Correct page name. Make sure the spelling, spacing, and punctuation exactly match how your business name looks elsewhere on the web.
  • Facebook web address. Create your own, custom address on Facebook’s domain. Ideally, it will be identical to your page name, minus the spaces. This makes it easy for people to find your page without having to use Facebook’s search bar.
  • Up-to-date contact information. You know the drill: add your phone number, street address, website URL, and email address so people know how to reach you.

2. Should-Haves

These Facebook page elements aren’t necessarily requirements, but you really ought to have them on your page:

  • Complete “About” section. There are several text boxes where you can write brief descriptions of your company, your mission statement, your products and/or services, and so on. Include keywords frequently so you’ll appear more often in related search results.
  • Call-to-action button. Add a button that will lead page visitors to take an action. You choose whether the action is to call you, email you, or visit your website. This makes visitors more likely to contact you, especially if they’re accessing your page on their phone or tablet.
  • Uploaded photos. People are visual creatures. If you can, upload pictures of your staff on the job, products you’ve made, before-and-after photos of projects you’ve completed, and so on. This reflects the people behind the company, and it also shows off your brag-worthy work.
  • Recent posts. People also want to see that you’re up to date and engaged with the world around you. They also love to see specials, discounts, sales, and upcoming events—all of which you should post about on your page.
  • Customer reviews. Get as many people to leave you reviews as you can. People put a lot of stock in online reviews. Reading feedback from past customers will verify they can trust you.

3. Features That Wow

These are a few, special frills that advanced Facebook users may wish to have on their local business pages to take them to the next level:

  • A badge that boasts your fast response time. Facebook only adds this badge after you establish an average response time to private messages within a couple of hours. Your page visitors will be impressed that you respond so promptly, and they’ll be more likely to contact you.
  • Engaging videos. If you want to take a step beyond photos, try uploading a few videos! Just make sure they’re brief (three minutes or less) and, most importantly, interesting. Use videos to highlight a special promo or to capture an impressive job you just completed.
  • Timeline “milestones.” Facebook’s “milestones” allow you to showcase significant dates and achievements. For example, let’s say you won a customer service award, hired a new team member, or were reviewed in a local paper. These are milestones you can add to your timeline. Why not brag a little about your success? It will definitely capture the attention of potential customers.
  • Facebook ads and boosted posts. These aren’t exactly page features, but they certainly improve your ability to engage with your audience. By creating ads or sponsoring posts, you’ll get in front of more people and spread awareness of your business. And reaching your desired audience is more than half the battle. You can learn more here: “Facebook Ads Are the Flexible, Affordable Tool You Need.”

This list is not exhaustive, either. As Facebook evolves to become more of a hub for local businesses, it continually rolls out new features and capabilities for business pages. Follow this blog or like us on Facebook to stay updated on any important developments!
Social media isn’t as easy as it looks. However, by completing the checklist outlined above, your local business’s Facebook page will be in great shape. Good luck out there!

Don't Be Afraid to Get Emotional in Local Search

Last Updated: July 27, 2017

At first thought, you might not believe emotions have anything to do with local searches for things like appliance repairs, junk removal services, or window installation. Indeed, these topics appear rather dry. However, as Ryan Shelley uncovers in his recent article on Search Engine Land, emotion is what powers every local search, and what ultimately leads to a purchasing decision—whether we’re conscious of it or not.

Pain and Pleasure as Motivation

In his article, Shelley discusses the two specific emotions that motivate consumers to make a purchasing decision:

  • The desire to soothe pain
  • The desire to obtain pleasure

Or, as he succinctly puts it: “Pain and pleasure are key driving forces behind every person’s action.”
Therefore, your online content should capture at least one of these emotions. For most local service providers, your appeal is your ability to alleviate your customer’s pain: You fix the broken washing machine that’s been making laundry difficult; you unclog the dishwasher that suddenly overflowed in the middle of the night; you troubleshoot the old furnace to figure out why their utility bills have been astronomical; and so on.
Of course, other businesses like car audio installers and home remodeling contractors are successful because they deliver pleasure: a fun, high-quality speaker system or a beautiful, new kitchen. You get the idea.

Target Your Customers’ Emotions in Your Content

It’s up to you to know your customer base and their motivations, and how your business makes life better for them. Why does a typical customer call you? What are the pain points they frequently wish to resolve? Alternatively, what are the luxuries they seek to enjoy? And, most importantly for either scenario, how does your business help them solve their problems and meet their specific needs?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll have a much more effective presence in local search. That is, once all of your online content—including business listings, social media posts, and website pages—addresses them head on. Appeal to your customers’ needs and demonstrate how you meet them. By targeting their basic desires to seek pleasure and avoid pain, you’ll dramatically increase your leads and improve your chances of closing more jobs.
Want more details on how emotions help you connect with customers via local search? Read Shelley’s full article: “The Psychology of Search: Unleashing the Power of Connection.”
And to learn more about what it takes to enhance your local search performance, read our previous blog post: “Want to Dominate Local Search? Here’s One Thing You Need.”

Are You Doing Enough to Get Noticed on Facebook?

Last Updated: July 20, 2017

Today, Facebook essentially doubles as a business directory. It provides businesses with their own pages to display contact information, details about products and services, photos, and more. In this sense, Facebook pages aren’t much different from Google My Business listings. That’s why a growing number of people aren’t even using Google for local business searches anymore. Of course, Google is still dominating local searches, but Facebook is increasing in prominence.
Most small business owners like you are taking steps to be visible in search engine results. But what are you doing to make sure you get in front of consumers who never even make it to a search engine? What are you doing to get noticed on Facebook?
In this blog post, we’ll talk about why you can’t afford to ignore your audience on Facebook. Then, we’ll discuss some of the basic things you need to get in front of that audience. Let’s dive in!

Why You Can’t Forgo Facebook

Why isn’t a presence on Google enough? Because people are crowdsourcing their needs on social media, particularly on Facebook, like never before.
Think about it: The generation that came of age with social media is now the generation that makes up a large portion of first-time home buyers (the median age of first-time home buyers is 32). As they enter the world of homeownership, they’ve got a lot of questions. Whereas older generations might have called their parents or relatives for advice, the younger generation is turning to a space they’re more comfortable with—Facebook—to poll multiple friends simultaneously.
These days, it’s not uncommon to see Facebook posts like:

  • “Our water heater broke last night. Does anyone have a recommendation for a repairman?”
  • “Our dishwasher is clogged. Has anyone ever dealt with this before? Is it something we can fix ourselves?”
  • “Anyone know what might be causing our grass to keep turning brown? Should we call a landscaper?”
  • “Has anyone installed new windows recently? Ours need to be replaced and we’d love to get a quote.”

Beyond crowdsourcing, Facebook is simply the go-to platform for many members of this generation. Because they’ve been using Facebook for well over 10 years, it’s woven into the fabric of their daily lives. Virtually everyone they know has a Facebook profile. They expect businesses to have Facebook pages, too.
So, if lots of people are searching for topics related to your business right there on Facebook, and they expect you to have a Facebook page with all your info, why would you opt not to have one? Why not make it as easy as possible for them to find you? If you’re not on Facebook, they’ll likely find your competition, instead.

How to Make People Notice You on Facebook

Now that we’ve established how essential a Facebook page is for your business, let’s look at some ways you can get in front of the right people.
1. Flesh Out Your Page
Go through all the “About” sections on your Facebook page and fill out every detail you can. Make sure you include the correct phone number, street address, website URL, and business hours. Also, make certain your business category, i.e. what you do, is crystal clear from the moment someone lands on your page.
2. Don’t Forget About Photos
Include as many photos as possible! High-quality profile pictures, cover photos, and photos in your gallery are crucial in appealing to the visual nature of social media. Keep in mind, shared photos also perform better (reach more viewers) than written updates on your news feed. Overall, photos are a crucial avenue to get noticed on Facebook.

READ: “Why You Need High-Quality Images on Social Media to Build Trust”

3. Get Lots of Customer Reviews
People are constantly seeking social proof when considering a new place to visit or company to hire. Have other people used this company? Did they enjoy the experience? If people don’t see customer reviews on your page, they’ll assume you’re not particularly well known, which, in their minds, equates to you not being a reputable business. Therefore, you need to get as many customer reviews as you can.

READ: “How to Get More Customer Reviews Just by Asking for Them”

4. Boost Your Posts Regularly
With the way Facebook works for businesses these days, it’s difficult for your posts to reach a wide audience unless you pay to “boost” them. Sponsoring your posts is par for the course now. Doing so allows you to target your desired audience according to details like age, location, and interests. Then, Facebook gets your content in front of the right people.
Sharing an update without boosting it is like whispering into a noisy crowd. Boosting an update gives you the megaphone you need to rise above the constant din and get noticed on Facebook.
5. Engage With Your Audience
Facebook isn’t just about sharing your own updates. You also need to reply to people’s comments, like other people’s posts, and generally interact with your audience. This demonstrates to your page visitors that you’re active and involved and that you care about others.
6. Respond Quickly to Messages
Our last tip is very straightforward. When someone sends your business a private message on Facebook, respond ASAP. They’re probably asking you a question about your services, products, or business hours, and they require a prompt answer (or else they’ll move on to a competitor). Moreover, Facebook will actually do you a favor and let people know if you have a fast response rate. Next to the “Send message” option, your page will say, “Typically replies within an hour” or something similar. Facebook won’t display anything if you have a slow response rate, but you want to accrue these little selling points to make your business stand out.
Using these recommendations, you’ll sharply increase your chances of being discovered by local customers, even if they never search on Google. Good luck! And don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

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