Improving Your Local Online Business Listing

Just in time for the summer tourism season, Google has recently announced improvements to its own personalized travel planning service called “Trips” which allows users to plan and book their vacations directly through the Google search results page or via the Trips app. The best way for Wyoming tourism-related businesses to take advantage of this new service is by claiming their online business listing and adding important business details that users want to know when searching for things to do on their Wyoming vacation.

Claim Your Listing

When claiming your online listing, start with your Google My Business profile which can be done via www.google.com/business. Google is not the only local business listing source, but a good place to start as the Trips app uses Google My Business profile information when finding local hotels, attractions and things to do for users.

Other sites businesses can claim their listing on include Yelp, TripAdvisor and Facebook.  The important thing to remember is that the main value from these sites are reviews of your business. Customer reviews are an important factor search engines use when delivering search results, so with greater quantity and quality of reviews means improvements to your overall online visibility.

When claiming your Google My Business listing, be sure to complete all the fields with correct, consistent and up-to-date business information. Not only should this information be complete in your Google My Business listing, but should also be correct and consistent on your website and other online profiles.

When claiming your Google My Business listing, most of the fields are self-explanatory like business name, category, address, hours of operation, phone number and website address. The goal for these sections is completeness and consistency, making sure all the fields have accurate and up-to-date business information that corresponds with your website and other online business profiles.

Listing Assistance

There are some areas that require a bit more attention as they may not apply to certain businesses. For instance, Google only directly verifies businesses with a physical address. Businesses with a P.O. Box will need to take some extra steps. The Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, through an agreement with Google, can assist businesses without a storefront address through the verification process.

Another area that requires attention to detail is the photo section. Google recommends businesses include multiple photos such as a logo, a cover photo and business-specific photos that spotlight aspects of your business that customers consider when making purchasing decisions. Google provides different photo categories (like exterior, interior, products and team photos to name a few) and suggests you post a minimum of three images per category.

Collect Reviews

Once you’ve claimed your listing, the next goal should be collecting high quality customer reviews. One thing businesses can do to solicit reviews is via email if your business collects emails from customers. Include a subject line asking them about their experience with your business, acknowledge and thank the customer for their business in the body of the email and close with a gentle reminder on how reviews are helpful for the business and helpful for them as well – as it gives them a chance to share their opinion. Another way businesses can collect customer reviews is through printed handouts with instructions outlining how customers can go online and leave a Google review.

Filling out a Google My Business with complete and consistent information will help tourism-related businesses in Wyoming get noticed in Google’s Trip app and connect with more travelers this summer season. If you would like some help with any part of this process, your local Wyoming SBDC Network advisor is ready to offer no-cost, confidential assistance to any small business in the state. Click here to get started.

About the Author: Nicholas specializes in online marketing and search engine optimization. He also servse on the ENDOW: ENGAGE Council for the 2018-2019 term. ENDOW: ENGAGE is a statewide task force charged with developing a long term economic diversification plan for Wyoming