Google Updates Could Impact Your Business

Keep Your Business Updated

In life and business there’s only one thing you can rely on to be constant. Change.
In particular, you can always trust Google to review their precious algorithm that chooses which websites get found and which don’t.
​
No matter how big or small your business, these changes will affect you!

​Google My Business

There are so many Google features that work together to promote your business and help your customers find you. Make sure your Google My Business page is filled out correctly with as much information available as possible.

If someone looks up your business 20 minutes prior to closing, but it will take them 30 minutes to travel across Christchurch, Google will let them know if your business will be closed by the time they arrive. That’s smart! It can be an incentive for customers to pick up the phone and contact you another way.

​If you haven’t listed your opening hours, this new Google update could mean your business is listed permanently closed or ‘shut down,’ which is a sure-fire way to lose customers. 

​Regular Google Updates

Google My Business is just part of Google’s host of social media. Like any social platform, if it’s not updated regularly you risk missing out on customers. 

Many Christchurch business owners take a ‘set and forget’ approach to social media. Some smooth-talking marketing agency tells them they need a Facebook page, Google My Business, Instagram account, Google Plus and can set them up. Typically, these agencies aren’t interested in sticking around and building partnerships with the businesses they’re working with. Once the invoice is paid, they’re off and the Christchurch business owner is stuck with a bunch of pages they don’t have the time or know-how to keep updated.
​
These latest changes from Google mean inactive, verified Google My Business pages risk losing their verification, which can seriously damage your website's Google rankings. To avoid this, log in to your Google account, make sure the opening hours and business information is still accurate, and upload a couple of new photos. If you’re unsure how to do this, Inform PR can help.

Update Your Website

Google and it’s host of other products all link with your website to help people searching for your business’ goods and services find you. When you type your search into Google, the Google-bots “read” millions of websites looking for the keywords you’ve entered and try to find the best possible match.

Have a look at your own business website. How many words are on each page? These new changes may mean your website is penalised for being “too thin” if it has fewer than 200 words per page. If there isn’t enough text on a page, Google won’t view you as an authority on your topic because you’re not giving them enough information. 

Try putting yourself in your customer’s or a visitor’s shoes for a second. Think about the questions you get asked on a regular basis, and have a look on your website to see if you have answered them. If there are points you think are a sparse, flesh them out and provide more information. It’s not rocket science, but it could help save your website.

If you have any questions or want to know more, contact Inform PR for a no obligations chat. We might even throw in a coffee! 

Contact Us